Ottumwa, Iowa: Difference between revisions
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==Canteen Lunch in the Alley== |
==Canteen Lunch in the Alley== |
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Revision as of 02:51, 7 April 2010
Ottumwa, Iowa | |
|---|---|
| Nickname: River of Opportunity | |
 Location of Ottumwa in the state of Iowa. | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Iowa |
| County | Wapello |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Dale Uehling |
| Area | |
• Total | 42.7 km2 (16.5 sq mi) |
| • Land | 40.9 km2 (15.8 sq mi) |
| • Water | 1.7 km2 (0.7 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 205 m (673 ft) |
| Population (2000) | |
• Total | 24,998 |
| • Density | 585.4/km2 (1,516/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code | 52501 |
| Area code | 641 |
| FIPS code | 19-60465 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0459952 |
| Website | http://www.cityofottumwa.org/ |
Ottumwa (Template:Pron-en ə-TUM-wə) is a city in and the county seat of Wapello County, Iowa, United States.Template:GR The population was 24,998 at the 2000 census. It is located in the southeastern part of Iowa, and the city is split into northern and southern halves by the Des Moines River.
Geography
Ottumwa is located at 41°0′47″N 92°24′53″W / 41.01306°N 92.41472°W (41.012917, -92.414817)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.5 square miles (42.7 km²), of which, 15.8 square miles (40.9 km²) of it is land and 0.7 square miles (1.7 km²) of it (4.07%) is water.
Northeastern Wapello County contains large deposits of coal, and there are also large deposits of clay in the region. These were very important in the industrial development of Ottumwa.[1]
History
In 1857, coal was being mined from the McCready bank, a site along Bear Creek four miles west of Ottumwa. In 1868, Brown and Godfrey opened a drift mine four miles northwest of town. By 1872, Brown and Godfrey employed 300 men and had an annual production of 77,000 tons. In 1880, the Phillips Coal and Mining Company opened a mine two miles northwest of town. In subsequent years, they opened 5 more shafts in the Phillips and Rutledge neighborhoods, just north of Ottumwa.[2] The Phillips number 5 shaft was 140 feet deep, with a 375 horse power steam hoist.[3] By 1889, the state mine inspector's report listed 15 mine shafts in Ottumwa.[4] In 1914, the Phillips Fuel Company produced over 100,000 tons of coal, ranking among the top 24 coal producers in the state.[5]
Coal mining was so important to the local economy that, from 1890 to 1892, the Coal Palace was erected in Ottumwa as an exhibition center.
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 1,632 | — | |
| 1870 | 5,214 | 219.5% | |
| 1880 | 9,004 | 72.7% | |
| 1890 | 14,001 | 55.5% | |
| 1900 | 18,197 | 30.0% | |
| 1910 | 22,012 | 21.0% | |
| 1920 | 23,003 | 4.5% | |
| 1930 | 28,075 | 22.0% | |
| 1940 | 31,570 | 12.4% | |
| 1950 | 33,631 | 6.5% | |
| 1960 | 33,871 | 0.7% | |
| 1970 | 29,610 | −12.6% | |
| 1980 | 27,381 | −7.5% | |
| 1990 | 24,488 | −10.6% | |
| 2000 | 24,998 | 2.1% |
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 24,998 people, 10,383 households, and 6,530 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,582.2 people per square mile (610.9/km²). There were 11,038 housing units at an average density of 698.6/sq mi (269.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.33% White, 1.27% African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.78% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.38% from other races, and 0.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.76% of the population.
There were 10,383 households out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.1% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.9% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,174, and the median income for a family was $37,302. Males had a median income of $31,222 versus $20,934 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,040. About 10.9% of families and 15.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.3% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Ottumwa, operating its California Zephyr daily in both directions between Chicago, Illinois, and Emeryville, California, across the San Francisco Bay from San Francisco.
Currently, U.S. Route 34 and Iowa Highway 149 serve the town, replacing a former segment of U.S. Highway 63. Route 63 now bypasses the town as part of the Burlington to Des Moines expressway.
Railroads
Burlington Northern Santa Fe
The BNSF Railway has tracks through Ottumwa. This is a major corridor in the Chicago-Omaha line that is double track, and western coal makes up a large percentage of the freight carried on this line. The BNSF tracks travel under U.S. Highway 34, pass through the business district, under the U.S. Highway 63 bridge, cross the Iowa, Chicago and Eastern Railroad tracks at grade, exit Ottumwa, and later cross over the Des Moines River on their way to Albia, Iowa, and later Omaha, Nebraska.
The Iowa, Chicago & Eastern Railway was acquired by the Canadian Pacific in 2008. Ottumwa is located on the Davenport, Iowa, to Kansas City, Mo. line and is a crew change point.
The Norfolk Southern Railway has trackage rights over the BNSF through Ottumwa.
(See the Amtrak entry under Transportation [below].)
Media
Radio stations
AM
FM
Television stations
- KTVO 3 Local ABC affiliate
- KYOU-TV 15 Local FOX affiliate (also on translator channel 25, K25DE)
- K18GU 18 Translator of KIIN Iowa City, a PBS and IPTV affiliate
- K23CI 23 Translator of KCCI Des Moines, a CBS affiliate
- K27CV 27 Translator of WHO-TV Des Moines, an NBC affiliate
- K42AM 42 Low power TBN affiliate
- Ottumwa Courier, the primary daily newspaper website is www.ottumwa.com
Higher education
Ottumwa is the home of Indian Hills Community College, a two year community college. Between 1928 and 1980, it was also home to Ottumwa Heights College, a women's college that merged with Indian Hills in 1979 to create one institution. Indian Hills is located at the former Ottumwa Heights campus.
Notable natives and residents
- Tom Arnold - actor
- Steve Bales - Apollo 11 flight controller
- Stephen Blumberg - notorious rare book thief
- Edna Ferber - Novelist who lived in Ottumwa as a child.
- Donald Keyhoe - Marine Corps major and aviator, UFO researcher and author
- Dan Knight - Jazz pianist, Steinway Artist, Composer. Pulitzer Prize nominee.
- Russell Means - American Indian activist. Attended junior college in Ottumwa
- Karen Morley - actress
- Carol Morris - was chosen as Miss Universe in 1956
- Beverley Owen - actress
- Jake Weimer - Major League Baseball player
- Walter Day - personality of the golden age of video games
Canteen Lunch in the Alley
In central downtown the Canteen Lunch in the Alley has been a stopping point for Ottumwans since the 1920s. Many famous patrons have been seen eating a "Canteen", a loose meat sandwich similar to a Maid-Rite. In the sitcom Roseanne, Roseanne Connor's restaurant, the Lanford Lunch Box, was based on the Canteen Lunch in the Alley.
Video Game Capital of the World
As the home of Twin Galaxies, Ottumwa was officially proclaimed the "Video Game Capital of the World" by a mayoral decree issued on November 30, 1982 by Ottumwa Mayor Jerry Parker.[6] As a result of this "most unusual distinction", the city was officially recognized and congratulated by U.S. Senator Charles Grassley.[7] In connection with this proclamation, the city hosted the first North American Video Olympics in the fall of 1982.[8]
References
- ^ A Brief History of Wapello County, Iowa by Tom Quinn, n.d.
- ^ James H. Lees, History of Coal Mining in Iowa, Chapter III of [1] 540-544.
- ^ Henry Hinds, The Coal Deposits of Iowa, Annual Report, 1908, Iowa Geological Survey, 1909, page 298
- ^ Fourth Biennial Report of the State Mine Inspectors to the Governor of the State of Iowa for the years 1888 and 1889, Ragsdale, Des Moines, 1889, page 33.
- ^ Frederick E. Saward, The Coal Trade, 1915, page 65.
- ^ Welcome to Twin Galaxies, Twin Galaxies, 2007. Accessed 2007-08-30.
- ^ Grassley letter, 1983-03-18. Accessed 2007-08-30.
- ^ Noble, Alice. Iowa town scores big with video game boom, Houston Post, 1983-02-20. Accessed 2007-08-30.
External links
- City website
- Template:Dmoz
- Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
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Municipalities and communities of Wapello County, Iowa, United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| Townships | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
