Tama County, Iowa Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Tama County
U.S. county
Tama County Courthouse in Toledo
Location within the U.S. state of Iowa
Iowa's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Iowa
Founded	1843
Named for	Taimah
Seat	Toledo
Largest city	Tama
Area
• Total	722 sq mi (1,870 km²)
• Land	721 sq mi (1,870 km²)
• Water	1.1 sq mi (3 km²) 0.1%
Population (2020)
• Total	17,135
• Density	23.733/sq mi (9.163/km²)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	1st

Taimah, from A.R. Fulton's Red Men of Iowa 1882

Tama County /ˈteɪmə/ is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,135. Its county seat is Toledo. The county was formed on February 17, 1843 and named for Taimah, a leader of the Meskwaki people.

Geography
- Major highways
- Adjacent counties
Demographics
- 2020 census
- 2010 census
Education
Communities
Notable people
See also

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 722 square miles (1,870 km²), of which 721 square miles (1,870 km²) is land and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²) (0.1%) is water.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 30
U.S. Highway 63
Iowa Highway 8
Iowa Highway 21
Iowa Highway 96
Iowa Highway 146

Adjacent counties

Grundy County (northwest)
Black Hawk County (northeast)
Benton County (east)
Poweshiek County (south)
Marshall County (west)
Iowa County (southeast)
Jasper County (southwest)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1850	8	—
1860	5,285	65,962.5%
1870	16,131	205.2%
1880	21,585	33.8%
1890	22,052	2.2%
1900	24,585	11.5%
1910	22,156	−9.9%
1920	21,861	−1.3%
1930	21,987	0.6%
1940	22,428	2.0%
1950	21,688	−3.3%
1960	21,413	−1.3%
1970	20,147	−5.9%
1980	19,533	−3.0%
1990	17,419	−10.8%
2000	18,103	3.9%
2010	17,767	−1.9%
2020	17,135	−3.6%
2023 (est.)	16,833	−5.3%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2018

Population of Tama County from US census data

2020 census

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

The 2020 census recorded a population of 17,135 in the county, with a population density of 23.7323/sq mi (9.1631/km²). 93.80% of the population reported being of one race. There were 7,575 housing units, of which 6,784 were occupied.

Tama County Racial Composition
Race	Num.	Perc.
White (NH)	13,284	77.52%
Black or African American (NH)	125	0.73%
Native American (NH)	1,258	7.34%
Asian (NH)	80	0.5%
Pacific Islander (NH)	2	0.01%
Other/Mixed (NH)	582	3.4%
Hispanic or Latino	1,804	10.53%

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 17,767 in the county, with a population density of 24.5638/sq mi (9.4841/km²). There were 7,766 housing units, of which 6,947 were occupied.

Education

School districts include:

Belle Plaine Community School District
Benton Community School District
East Marshall Community School District
GMG Community School District
Gladbrook-Reinbeck Community School District
Grundy Center Community School District
North Tama County Community School District
South Tama County Community School District
Union Community School District

There is also a Bureau of Indian Education (BIE)-affiliated tribal school, Meskwaki Settlement School.

The largest of which is South Tama Community School District, at the 3A designation. Second largest is North Tama Community Schools. Lastly both GMG and Meskwaki Settlement School with an eight-man designation.

Communities

Cities

Meskwaki Settlement water tower

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Tama County is divided into twenty-one townships:

Buckingham
Carlton
Carroll
Clark
Columbia
Crystal
Geneseo
Grant
Highland
Howard
Indian Village
Lincoln
Oneida
Otter Creek
Perry
Richland
Salt Creek
Spring Creek
Tama
Toledo
York

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Tama County.

† county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population (2020 Census)
1	Tama	City	3,130
2	† Toledo	City	2,369
3	Traer	City	1,583
4	Dysart	City	1,281
5	Sac and Fox/Meskwaki Settlement	AIAN	1,120
6	Le Grand (mostly in Marshall County)	City	905
7	Gladbrook	City	799
8	Garwin	City	481
9	Chelsea	City	229
10	Clutier	City	213
11	Montour	City	203
12	Elberon	City	184
13	Lincoln	City	121
14	Vining	City	54

Notable people

George R. Struble (1836–1918). Iowa judge and politician from Toledo. Speaker of the Iowa House of Representatives, 1881–1883. Ardent prohibitionist. Brother of John T. Struble of Johnson County, and Congressman Isaac S. Struble of Plymouth County. Biography in the Journal of the House, memorial resolution of March 23, 1921.
Michael Emerson, born in Cedar Rapids and raised in Toledo, Emerson has been on Broadway and appeared on Lost.
Clifford Berry (1918-1963), born in Gladbrook, was a graduate student at Iowa State when he and John Vincent Atanasoff created the Atanasoff–Berry Computer (ABC), the first digital electronic computer, in 1939.

Tama County, Iowa facts for kids

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