St. Ansgar, Iowa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
St. Ansgar, Iowa
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Downtown St. Ansgar, Iowa
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Location of St. Ansgar, Iowa
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| Country | United States |
| State | Iowa |
| County | Mitchell |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.09 sq mi (2.82 km2) |
| • Land | 1.09 sq mi (2.82 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,171 ft (357 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 1,160 |
| • Density | 1,066.18/sq mi (411.76/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
50472
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| Area code(s) | 641 |
| FIPS code | 19-69735 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0460929 |
St. Ansgar is a small city located in Mitchell County, Iowa, in the United States. In 2020, about 1,160 people lived there. It's a place with interesting history and a strong community spirit.
Contents
History of St. Ansgar
St. Ansgar gets its name from St. Ansgar, a very important person in Scandinavia. He was a French monk who helped spread Christianity in Denmark, Sweden, and northern Germany between the years 830 and 865 A.D.
The city is home to the First Lutheran Church of St. Ansgar. This church was started in December 1853 by Claus Lauritz Clausen. He was a minister from Norway who was asked to create churches for Norwegian immigrants. He helped form many congregations in Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota.
The church and the town of St. Ansgar became a central point for Norwegian settlers moving north into Minnesota and west into Iowa from the mid-1850s to the late 1870s. Clausen himself helped start 21 more churches. The First Lutheran Church of St. Ansgar is very old. It's made from limestone from the Cedar River and local wood. It is known as the oldest Lutheran church west of the Mississippi River that has been active without stopping.
Church leaders in Norway were trained to keep good records. Because of this, the church in St. Ansgar has kept records of its members from the very beginning until today. These records are very helpful for people researching their family history.
Fort Severson: A Historic Building
About 5.5 miles northwest of St. Ansgar, near Carpenter, Iowa, there's an old stone building called Fort Severson. Settlers built it in 1867. They were worried about Dakota Indians traveling through the area. These fears grew after events like the Spirit Lake Massacre in 1857 and the Dakota Uprising in 1862. This special building worked as both a barn and a fort. It's the only one of its kind still standing today.
Geography of St. Ansgar
St. Ansgar is located in Iowa. The city covers an area of about 1.03 square miles (2.82 square kilometers). All of this area is land, with no large bodies of water inside the city limits.
Population and People
| Historical populations | ||
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| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1870 | 360 | — |
| 1880 | 552 | +53.3% |
| 1890 | 609 | +10.3% |
| 1900 | 698 | +14.6% |
| 1910 | 747 | +7.0% |
| 1920 | 844 | +13.0% |
| 1930 | 964 | +14.2% |
| 1940 | 934 | −3.1% |
| 1950 | 981 | +5.0% |
| 1960 | 1,014 | +3.4% |
| 1970 | 994 | −2.0% |
| 1980 | 1,100 | +10.7% |
| 1990 | 1,063 | −3.4% |
| 2000 | 1,031 | −3.0% |
| 2010 | 1,107 | +7.4% |
| 2020 | 1,160 | +4.8% |
| Source: and Iowa Data Center Source: |
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How Many People Live Here?
In 2020, the city of St. Ansgar had 1,160 residents. There were 480 households, which are groups of people living together. About 306 of these were families. The city had about 1,066 people per square mile.
Most people living in St. Ansgar are White (93.4%). Smaller groups include Black or African American, Native American, and Asian residents. About 2.4% of the population identified as Hispanic or Latino.
Age and Gender
The average age of people in St. Ansgar in 2020 was 42.8 years old.
- About 25.7% of residents were under 20 years old.
- About 25.6% were 65 years old or older.
- The city's population was 47.3% male and 52.7% female.
In 2010, there were 1,107 people living in St. Ansgar. The average age was 45.2 years. About 23.9% of residents were under 18, and 26% were 65 or older.
Education
Students in St. Ansgar attend schools within the St. Ansgar Community School District.
Notable People
- Ryan Hannam (born 1980), a former NFL player.
- Claus Lauritz Clausen, the Norwegian Lutheran minister who founded Saint Ansgar and surveyed the area in 1853.
See also
In Spanish: St. Ansgar (Iowa) para niños
