Chariton, Iowa

Chariton, Iowa
City
Lucas County Courthouse in Chariton
Motto:  "Pride in Community"
Location of Chariton, Iowa
Coordinates: 41°0′58″N 93°18′27″W
Country	USA
State	Iowa
County	Lucas
Area
• Total	3.82 sq mi (9.88 km2)
• Land	3.82 sq mi (9.88 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	1,027 ft (313 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	4,321
• Estimate  (2019)	4,141
• Density	1,085.17/sq mi (418.93/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	50049
Area code	641
FIPS code	19-12720
GNIS feature ID	0455350
Website	City of Chariton, Iowa Website

Chariton is a city in, and the county seat of, Lucas County, Iowa, United States. The population was 4,321 at the 2010 census. Lucas is the primary distribution center for and the former corporate headquarters of the Hy-Vee supermarket chain.

History

Chariton was platted in 1850. Chariton was the name of a French trader.

Hotel Charitone

Designed by local architect William L. Perkins and listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its role in the development of Chariton as a county seat, the Hotel Charitone is listed by the Iowa Historic Preservation Alliance as one of the most endangered sites in Iowa. The hotel is currently undergoing restoration with the majority of the hotel being converted into apartments.

Geography

Chariton's longitude and latitude coordinates
in decimal form are 41.016033, −93.307610.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.82 square miles (9.89 km²), all land.

Chariton is located at the exact halfway point, on U.S. Route 34 (runs east and west to each side of the state).

The Lucas County Courthouse is the highest point of elevation in the whole town and is located on the Missouri/Mississippi River Divide.

Demographics

Historical populations

Year	Pop.	±%
1860	641	—
1870	1,728	+169.6%
1880	2,977	+72.3%
1890	3,122	+4.9%
1900	3,989	+27.8%
1910	3,794	−4.9%
1920	5,175	+36.4%
1930	5,365	+3.7%
1940	5,754	+7.3%
1950	5,320	−7.5%
1960	5,042	−5.2%
1970	5,009	−0.7%
1980	5,116	+2.1%
1990	4,616	−9.8%
2000	4,573	−0.9%
2010	4,321	−5.5%
2019	4,141	−4.2%
Source:"U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 29, 2020. and Iowa Data Center Source: U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 4,321 people, 1,861 households, and 1,109 families living in the city. The population density was 1,131.2 inhabitants per square mile (436.8/km²). There were 2,114 housing units at an average density of 553.4 per square mile (213.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.7% White, 0.2% African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.2% from other races, and 0.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.2% of the population.

There were 1,861 households, of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.1% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.4% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.1% 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 2.99.

The median age in the city was 42.1 years. 24.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.5% were from 25 to 44; 24.8% were from 45 to 64; and 21.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.9% male and 52.1% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,573 people, 1,936 households, and 1,192 families living in the city. The population density was 1,238.2 people per square mile (478.5/km²). There were 2,155 housing units at an average density of 583.5 per square mile (225.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.88% White, 0.15% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.26% from other races, and 0.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.87% of the population.

There were 1,936 households, out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.4% were non-families. 34.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.92.

Age spread: 24.6% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 22.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,844, and the median income for a family was $37,935. Males had a median income of $32,265 versus $21,981 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,553. About 6.6% of families and 12.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.5% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.

Parks and recreation

Red Haw State Park is located a mile east of Chariton. The park offers picnicking sites, shelters that can be reserved, camping and trails. The lake offers un-supervised swimming, fishing and electric trolling motor only boating.

Education

The Chariton School District is the only school district in the county since 2008, when the Russell School District closed. There are two elementary schools, Columbus Elementary (K-2 grades) and Van Allen Elementary (3–5 grades); one middle school, Chariton Middle School (6–8 grades); and one high school, Chariton High School (9–12). The high school athletic teams are called the Chargers.

Transportation

Air Service

Owned by the City of Chariton and located 3 miles west of Chariton on US Highway 34, the Chariton Municipal Airport has served the city and Lucas County since April 1947.

Highways

Chariton is served by US Highway 34 which used to run in an east-west direction. A bypass was installed in the 1960 that diverted the main traffic around the south side of town. It was constructed to limited access highway standards. The old US 34 route has been designated as "Business Route US 34".

Chariton is also served by Iowa Highway 14 which runs from Corydon north through the south through northeast side of Chariton and on to Knoxville. US Highway 34 and Iowa Highway 14 cross on the south side of Chariton at a grade-separated interchange with Iowa Highway 14 crossing over US Highway 34.

There is also an extensive farm to market road system linking the rest of the county to Chariton.

Railroad Service

The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad (which later became the Burlington Northern in 1970 and then the Burlington Northern - Santa Fe Railroad in 1996) runs east and west through Chariton although it appears to run north and south through part of town. It comes within a block of the town square. Passenger service when the newly-created Amtrak passenger train service no longer stopped in Chariton, it became necessary to travel to Osceola to board the train. There was also a branch line from Chariton southwest to Derby, Humiston and then down through Bethany, Missouri on its way to St. Joseph. This branch line was cut between Humeston and Chariton by a fire on the trestle over a flood plain in the 1970's and was never rebuilt. t was totally abandoned in the early 1980's all the way to St. Joseph, MO. The line between Chariton and Humeston became one of Iowa's first rail-to-trails parks. It is called the Cinder Path.

Chariton was noted to have a large number of iconic wig-wag style crossing signals at many of its railroad crossings on the CB&Q. These antique signals were gradually replaced with more modern signals in the 1970's due to government-required modernization and a lack of spare parts.

Chariton was also served by the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad (Rock Island) which came up north from Corydon on the southeast side of Chariton where it crossed over the CB&Q on its way north and west to Des Moines. The Rock Island line went bankrupt in 1980 and was purchased by the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad. The Chicago & Northwestern Railroad was purchased by the Union Pacific in 1995. This line is now known as Union Pacific's Spine Line. It was purchased as a more direct line between Kansas City and Minneapolis. It has seen a marked increase in traffic since the Chicago & Northwestern merger with Union Pacific. The last passenger train on the old Rock Island system through Allerton was the Plainsman from Kansas City to Des Moines and Minneapolis. It was discontinued in 1970.

Notable people

• Paul Engebretsen, National Football League player
• Everett Gendler, rabbi, social activist, and author
• T. J. Hockenson, National Football League player for the Detroit Lions
• Leo Hoegh, former governor
• Lyle Tuttle, tattoo artist and tattoo historian
• Mortimer Wilson, composer
• Gordon Willey, anthropologist

See also

• White Breast Creek

External links

• Chariton Municipal Airport
• Chariton schools website
• Chariton, Iowa Community Web Page Unofficial news and web links
• City-Data Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Chariton