Sioux County, Iowa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sioux County
U.S. county
Sioux County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Iowa
Iowa's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Iowa
Founded	1851
Named for	Sioux people
Seat	Orange City
Largest city	Sioux Center
Area
• Total	769 sq mi (1,990 km2)
• Land	768 sq mi (1,990 km2)
• Water	0.7 sq mi (2 km2)  0.09%
Population  (2020)
• Total	35,872
• Density	46.648/sq mi (18.011/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	4th

Sioux County is a county located in the state of Iowa in the United States. In 2020, about 35,872 people lived here. The main town, or county seat, is Orange City. The biggest city in the county is Sioux Center.

History of Sioux County

Sioux County was created on January 15, 1851. It started governing itself on January 20, 1860. The county was named after the Sioux tribe, a group of Native American people.

The first county seat was a small village called Calliope in 1860. It had only 15 people back then. Today, Calliope is part of Hawarden. The first building for the county government, called a courthouse, was built in Calliope in 1860. It was used until 1872.

A lot of new people, especially from the Netherlands, moved to the area starting in 1869. Because of this growth, Orange City became the new county seat in 1872.

In 1902, work began on a new Sioux County courthouse. It was designed by W.W. Beach and built from red sandstone. The building was finished in 1904 and is still used as the courthouse today. From 1976 to 1982, the building was fully restored. In 1977, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This list includes important historical buildings in the U.S.

Geography of Sioux County

Sioux County covers a total area of about 769 square miles. Most of this area, 768 square miles, is land. Only a very small part, 0.7 square miles, is water.

The western part of Sioux County drains, or sends its water, southwest into the Rock River or the Big Sioux River. The eastern part of the county drains southeast into the Floyd River.

Main Roads in Sioux County

• U.S. Highway 18
• U.S. Highway 75
• Iowa Highway 10
• Iowa Highway 12
• Iowa Highway 60

Neighboring Counties

Sioux County shares borders with these other counties:

• Lyon County to the north
• O'Brien County to the east
• Plymouth County to the south
• Union County, South Dakota to the southwest
• Lincoln County, South Dakota to the northwest

People of Sioux County

Population of Sioux County from US census data

2020 Census Information

2022 US Census population pyramid for Sioux County from ACS 5-year estimates

The 2020 census counted 35,872 people living in Sioux County. This means there were about 47 people per square mile. There were 13,000 homes or housing units, and 12,202 of them were lived in.

About 93.74% of the people said they belonged to one race. Here's a breakdown of the different groups:

2010 Census Information

In 2010, the census recorded 33,704 people in the county. There were 12,279 housing units, and 11,584 of them were occupied.

Religion in Sioux County

As of 2011, about 80% of the people in Sioux County belonged to major churches. This is a higher percentage compared to the rest of the U.S., where about 36% of people belong to such churches.

Education in Sioux County

Sioux County is home to two four-year colleges:

• Northwestern College in Orange City
• Dordt University in Sioux Center

Both of these schools have more than 1,000 students. Northwest Iowa Community College is also in Sioux County. However, it is often linked with the town of Sheldon, which is mostly in O'Brien County.

Communities in Sioux County

Cities

Townships

City Populations in 2020

This table shows how many people lived in each city or town in Sioux County, based on the 2020 census.

† This symbol means it's the county seat.

Famous People from Sioux County

• Vern Den Herder, a player on the 1972 Miami Dolphins NFL team that won every game.
• Hope Emerson, an American actress.
• Michael Franken, a retired U.S. Navy Vice Admiral.
• Stanley L. Greigg, who was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
• Brian Hansen, a former NFL punter.
• Charles B. Hoeven, a U.S. Representative.
• Millie Jeffrey, a leader for workers', civil, and women's rights.
• James Kennedy, an American historian.
• Stephen Mitchell.
• Nancy Metcalf, a professional volleyball player.
• Albert Meyer.
• Dennis A. Muilenburg, former President and CEO of Boeing.
• Dennis Marion Schnurr, an Archbishop in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati.
• Robert H. Schuller, an American TV preacher and author.
• Ruth Suckow, an American author.
• Melvin D. Synhorst, a former Iowa Secretary of State.
• Delwin Vriend, a person known for LGBT rights.
• Anna Johnson Pell Wheeler, an American mathematician.
• Adam Gregg, the current Lieutenant Governor of Iowa.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Sioux (Iowa) para niños