Creston, Iowa

Creston, Iowa
City

Location of Creston, Iowa
Coordinates: 41°3′33″N 94°21′52″W / 41.05917°N 94.36444°W / 41.05917; -94.36444Coordinates: 41°3′33″N 94°21′52″W / 41.05917°N 94.36444°W / 41.05917; -94.36444[1]
Country  United States
State  Iowa
County Union
Area[2]
 • Total 5.25 sq mi (13.60 km2)
 • Land 5.19 sq mi (13.44 km2)
 • Water 0.06 sq mi (0.16 km2)
Elevation 1,312 ft (400 m)
Population (2010)[3]
 • Total 7,834
 • Estimate (2012[4]) 7,874
 • Density 1,509.4/sq mi (582.8/km2)
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code 50801
Area code(s) 641
FIPS code 19-17265
GNIS feature ID 0455716

Creston is a city in and the county seat of Union County, Iowa, United States.[5] The population was 7,834 at the 2010 census.

History

The old CB&Q depot, constructed in 1899.

Creston was originally settled in 1868 as a survey camp for the workers with the Burlington and Missouri Railroad. The campsite was on the crest on the railroad line between the Missouri and Mississippi, hence the name "Creston."

Creston was chosen as the division point for the railroad (now the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe, which built machine shops, roundhouse and a construction camp to the new town. The town was incorporated in 1871.

A new railroad station was constructed in 1899 and the three-story structure served passengers for 69 years. The depot was renovated in 1978 to serve as a City Municipal Building. The old machine shop building was destroyed by a tornado in 1946. The remainder of the roundhouse burned down in 1981.

Creston has a long railroad history. Today, Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Creston, operating its California Zephyr daily in both directions between Chicago, Illinois, and Emeryville, California, across the bay from San Francisco.[6] Creston is also a stop on the BNSF Railway. Rail crews based in Creston work from Creston to Galesburg, Illinois and Lincoln, Nebraska. The former Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad depot, a 2-story, yellow-brick, red tile-roofed French Provincial structure, now serves as Creston's City Hall.[7]

2012 Tornado

On April 14, 2012 the town was hit by a tornado. The tornado was rated an EF2 and caused considerable damage to the hospital, community college, and high school. The town's tornado sirens for some reason did not activate and the tornado caught people off guard. Patients at the hospital were transferred to the gymnasium of the nearby community college. The college suffered roof and window damage to its dorms and students were transferred to local hotels for the rest of the school semester. Fourteen people suffered minor injuries, but no deaths occurred.[8] The Greater Regional Medical Center was just two weeks away from an open house to unveil a major renovation when the tornado severely damaged it. One year after the tornado and $10 million in renovations later, the hospital was fully restored.[9]

Geography

Creston is located on U.S. Route 34 in southern Iowa, about 80 miles (130 km) east of Omaha, Nebraska. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.25 square miles (13.60 km2), of which, 5.19 square miles (13.44 km2) is land and 0.06 square miles (0.16 km2) is water.[2]

McKinley Lake lies within a large, multi-purpose municipal park within the city limits, and three additional recreational lakes are located within seven miles of Creston: Green Valley State Park, Summit Lake, Twelve Mile Lake and Three Mile Recreation Area.

Demographics

Historical populations
YearPop.±%
1870411—    
18805,081+1136.3%
18907,200+41.7%
19007,752+7.7%
19106,924−10.7%
19208,034+16.0%
19308,615+7.2%
19408,033−6.8%
19508,317+3.5%
19607,667−7.8%
19708,234+7.4%
19808,429+2.4%
19907,911−6.1%
20007,597−4.0%
20107,834+3.1%
20147,839+0.1%
20157,854+0.2%
Source:"American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau.  and Iowa Data Center
Source:
U.S. Decennial Census[10]

2010 census

As of the census[3] of 2010, there were 7,834 people, 3,378 households, and 1,973 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,509.4 inhabitants per square mile (582.8/km2). There were 3,773 housing units at an average density of 727.0 per square mile (280.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 96.0% White, 1.0% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.8% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.3% of the population.

There were 3,378 households of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.6% were non-families. 35.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.87.

The median age in the city was 38.8 years. 23.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.9% were from 25 to 44; 25.5% were from 45 to 64; and 17.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.7% male and 52.3% female.

2000 census

As of the census[11] of 2000, there were 7,597 people, 3,346 households, and 1,974 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,496.2 people per square mile (577.4/km2). There were 3,598 housing units at an average density of 708.6 per square mile (273.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 98.13% White, 0.34% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.38% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.26% of the population.

There were 3,346 households out of which 26.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.0% were non-families. 35.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.86.

Age spread: 22.6% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 20.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 86.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,831, and the median income for a family was $41,003. Males had a median income of $27,580 versus $20,172 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,411. About 7.0% of families and 11.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.6% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Creston is served by the Creston Community School District:

Private Schools in Creston include:

Colleges

Notable people

References

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