Wright County, Iowa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Wright County, Iowa | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Iowa |
|
 Iowa's location in the USA |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | information needed |
|---|---|
| Seat | Clarion |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
583 sq mi (1,509 km²) 581 sq mi (1,504 km²) 2 sq mi (5 km²), 0.31% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
14,334 25/sq mi (10/km²) |
| Time zone | Central : UTC-6/-5 |
| Website: www.wrightcounty.org | |
Wright County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of 2000, the population is 14,334. Its county seat is Clarion6.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,509 km² (583 mi²). 1,504 km² (581 mi²) of it is land and 5 km² (2 mi²) of it (0.31%) is water.
[edit] Major Highways
[edit] Adjacent counties
- Hancock County (north)
- Franklin County (east)
- Hamilton County (south)
- Webster County (southwest)
- Humboldt County (west)
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 18,227 |
|
|
| 1910 | 17,951 | -1.5% | |
| 1920 | 20,348 | 13.4% | |
| 1930 | 20,216 | -0.6% | |
| 1940 | 20,038 | -0.9% | |
| 1950 | 19,652 | -1.9% | |
| 1960 | 19,447 | -1.0% | |
| 1970 | 17,294 | -11.1% | |
| 1980 | 16,319 | -5.6% | |
| 1990 | 14,269 | -12.6% | |
| 2000 | 14,334 | 0.5% | |
| IA Counties 1900-1990 | |||
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 14,334 people, 5,940 households, and 3,938 families residing in the county. The population density was 10/km² (25/mi²). There were 6,559 housing units at an average density of 4/km² (11/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.93% White, 0.17% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 2.90% from other races, and 0.63% from two or more races. 4.93% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 5,940 households out of which 28.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.30% were married couples living together, 6.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.70% were non-families. 30.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the county the population was spread out with 24.50% under the age of 18, 6.50% from 18 to 24, 24.50% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 21.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 96.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $36,197, and the median income for a family was $44,043. Males had a median income of $29,398 versus $21,222 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,247. About 4.20% of families and 7.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.70% of those under age 18 and 6.40% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Cities and towns
[edit] Healthcare
Wright County has quality healthcare providers to meet your needs. Wright Medical Center is located in Clarion and Wright Medical Wellness Center is in Eagle Grove. Belmond Medical Center provides services to Belmond. In February 2007 Wright Medical Center and Belmond Medical Center entered into an agreement, the first such in the state. The agreement is a collaboration and through it Wright Medical Center provides administrations and medical doctors to Belmond Medical Center. Wright County Public Health & Hospice is another healthcare provider located in Clarion.
[edit] Education
There are 4 school districts in Wright County with 3 high schools. Clarion-Goldfield and Dows Community Schools serve 1,100 students. Eagle Grove Community Schools serve 800 students. Belmond-Klemme Community Schools serve 600 students. High Schools are located in Clarion, Eagle Grove, and Belmond. There is an Iowa State University Extension Office in Clarion. Clarion-Goldfield/Dows and Eagle Grove are in the Iowa Central Community College (ICCC) District. ICCC formerly maintained a campus in Eagle Grove. ICCC and Buena Vista University are planning to operate a continuing education center in Clarion. Belmond-Klemme is in the NIACC district.
Clarion-Goldfield/Dows maintains three elementary schools. Clarion and Goldfield each have P/K programs. Grades K-2 are in Clarion, 3rd grade is in Goldfield and grades 4-5 are in Clarion. The Dows Elementary maintains grades P/K-5 in Dows. There is one middle school (6-8) and high school both in Clarion. The mascott is the Cowboys/Cowgirls with the colors being Red and Black. Each of the facilities have been well maintained with several major expansion and renovation projects. In May 2006 a $4 million bond issue was approved by 72% of voters to build major expansions and renovations to the high school and middle school buildings. The Clarion-Goldfield School District covers a very large area in Wright County with portions in Humboldt and Hancock counties. Clarion-Goldfield includes the communities of Clarion, Goldfield, Galt, the unincorporated community of Holmes, Lake Cornelia, and the rural area by Renwick. The Dows School District is located in Wright and Franklin Counties. The Clarion and Goldfield Community Schools began whole grade sharing in 1981 and merged into one district in 1993 after a merger was passed by 99% and 89%, respectively, of voters in each district. In 2005 the Dows Community School District began whole grade sharing with Clarion-Goldfield. Clarion-Goldfield is the largest district in Wright County and Dows is the smallest. Clarion-Goldfield Community Schools
Eagle Grove maintains a P/K-4 elementary school, 5-8 middle school, and 9-12 high school all located in Eagle Grove. The district includes the communities of Eagle Grove, Thor, Vincent, and Woolstock. In 2003 the district approved a bond issue to build a new P/K-4 elementary school attached to the middle school. Eagle Grove is home of the Eagles with school colors being purple and gold. Eagle Grove was the largest school district in Wright County before being surpassed by Clarion-Goldfield in 2003. Eagle Grove Community School
Belmond-Klemme maintains a P/K-6 elementary school, a 7-8 middle school and 9-12 high school. The elementary school is divided in two buildings and the jr. and sr. high schools are located in one building. Belmond-Klemme is home of the broncos with colors being navy blue and green. The district presides in Wright and Hancock counties and covers the communities of Belmond, Klemme, Goodell, and Rowan. In September 2006 a narrow 61% of voters approved a bond issue to build a new P/K-6 elementary school near the high school. It took 5 times to approve the bond issue due to a division between the communities of the district. The Belmond and Klemme districts whole grade shared from 1990 to 1994 prior to consolidation. Belmond-Klemme Community School
[edit] Wright County Fair
Although the county-seat town is Clarion, the Wright County District Junior Fair is located in Eagle Grove. Wright County Fair
[edit] Newspapers
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- Wright County Monitor, Clarion
- Eagle Grove Eagle, Eagle Grove
- Belmond Independent, Belmond
- Dows Advocate, Dows
Advertisment Newspapers -Clarion Reminder, Clarion -Wright County Shoppers Guide, Eagle Grove/Clarion -Dual County Leader, Wright/Hamilton counties -Reminder, Belmond (& surrounding area) LINKS
[edit] External link
- Wright County website
- Clarion website
- Eagle Grove website
- Belmond website
- Goldfield website
- Dows website
- Woolstock website
- Rowan
- Galt
