Clear Lake, Iowa

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Clear Lake is a city in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States. The population was 8,161 at the 2000 census. The city is named for the large lake on which it is located. It is the home of a number of marinas, state parks and tourism-related businesses. Clear Lake is also a major stop on Interstate 35 with many restaurants, hotels and truck stops.

Nelson P. Crabb was elected mayor of Clear Lake in 2005 and began his term as mayor in January of 2006.

1 The Day the Music Died
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 External links

[edit] The Day the Music Died

Monument at Crash Site September 16, 2003

In the early hours of February 3, 1959, a Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft carrying Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens, who had been performing at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, took off from the local runway in nearby Mason City, Iowa, on its way to the next show. The plane crashed soon after takeoff, killing all aboard. This event was later eulogized by folk singer Don McLean in his famous song, "American Pie", in which the death of these 50's icons serves as a metaphor for greater changes within American society as a whole.

[edit] Geography

Clear Lake is located at 43°8′11″N, 93°22′48″W (43.136479, -93.379927)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 33.7 km² (13.0 mi²). 27.0 km² (10.4 mi²) of it is land and 6.7 km² (2.6 mi²) of it (19.95%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 8,161 people, 3,461 households, and 2,239 families residing in the city. The population density was 302.1/km² (782.4/mi²). There were 4,156 housing units at an average density of 153.8/km² (398.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.99% White, 0.27% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.92% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.75% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.86% of the population.

There were 3,461 households out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.4% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.3% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.0% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,097, and the median income for a family was $45,589. Males had a median income of $30,266 versus $21,356 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,213. About 5.0% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.0% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.