Mason City, Iowa
Mason City is a city in and the county seat of Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States. The population was 27,338 in the 2020 census. Mason City is known for its musical and masonry heritage, as well as being home to a significant collection of Prairie School style architecture. The city forms a regional hub for north-central Iowa with nearby Clear Lake.
The Mason City Micropolitan Statistical Area that includes all of Cerro Gordo and Worth counties is located at the transportation junction between Interstate 35 and the Avenue of the Saints. Local public education is provided by North Iowa Area Community College and Mason City Community School District. The Winnebago River traverses the community to the southeast.
History
Surrounded by the expansive and flat prairies of north-central Iowa, the land upon which Mason City now sits was previously a dense grove of trees situated between Lime Creek and Willow Creek. In the years immediately preceding the east-to-west expansion of the United States, this land was inhabited by the people of the Ho-Chunk, Meskwaki, and Dakota Native American tribes. The first White settlers arrived in the area in 1853, and they were John Long and John Bilford, who hailed from LaSalle, Illinois. Long was a member of a Free Masonic Order, and they initially named the dense wood thicket as Masonic Grove. The next year, in 1854, more settlers involved in Free Masonic groups arrived, and platted a town, first known as Shibboleth and Masonville. In 1854, John McMillin opened the first store, and Dr. Silas Card opened the first medical practice in the area. Furthermore, the name was changed in 1855 to differentiate from another Masonville in Iowa. Coincidentally, the present-name of Mason City was adopted by the town in 1855, as proposed by John Long to honor his son, Mason Long.Until 1855, Mason City was without local county government, and Cerro Gordo County was attached to the Floyd County government and commission. In August 1855, Cerro Gordo County citizens voted to organize their county government, and three commissionors were appointed to decide on the county-seat. The commission had selected Mason City as its preferred county seat. However, in December 1856, the Iowa General Assembly voted to relocate the seat of government closer to Clear Lake, then known as Livonia. In April 1858, county citizens voted against relocating the seat back to Mason City, where it has remained ever since.
Early Growth: 1850-1900
The United States Post Office Department started service to the town in 1857. In 1870, Mason City, Iowa was officially incorporated as a town with Darius B. Mason as the first mayor. Industry first reached Mason City in 1866, when the Mason City & Fort Dodge Railroad was completed, opening transportation corridors and allowing for further municipal growth. Historically, the largest industry in the city was brick and tile manufacturing, limestone quarrying, and cement production. The land in the vicinity of Mason City, is rich in clay and limestone deposits that allowed the growth of a large masonry-based industry. Much of the success of the Mason City Brick and Tile industry was achieved under the leadership of O.T. Denison, who was a proprietor in three of the many of the brick yards, including the largest, the Mason City Brick and Tile Works. Under his direction, the company came to own most of the brick works in town, the North Iowa Brick and Tile Works being an exception. Until about 1934, Iowa used more drain tile than any other area of equal size in the world, and Mason City was the center of this manufacturing.In 1903, Mason City was described as, "a thriving city of industry which distributes its products over a vast area of rich territory. It has a population of about 12,000 and it is conveniently situated on the Chicago & Northwestern, the Chicago Great Western, and the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railroads, and also served by the Iowa Central. It has a good street railway service which extends as far as Clear Lake and makes the city in summer time a fashionable holiday resort. Its industries are varied, it has foundry and machine shops, large sash and door factories, planing mills, stone quarries, lime kilns and three extensive brick and tile yards. Its educational facilities are good and it has very fine public buildings such as the Military College and the Memorial University. It is, however, with the clay industries of the city that we are interested."Era of Sustained Growth: 1900-1970
At the turn of the 20th century, in 1907, renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright visited Mason City to complete design work for a prominent businessman. Mason City was fortunate to have Wright and several of his associates, including Walter Burley Griffin, Marion Mahony Griffin, and Barry Byrne, leave behind several notable examples of their distinctive prairie school architectural style. Among Wright's contributions to the community are the first Prairie School-designed home in Iowa, the Frank Lloyd Wright Stockman House constructed in 1908; the Park Inn Hotel, the sole surviving hotel designed by Wright, built in 1910; and the City National Bank building, completed concurrently with the hotel. Also, the First National Bank was robbed by John Dillinger and his gang on March 13, 1934. They escaped with $52,000 despite the fact the bank actually had more than $300,000 on hand that day. Furthermore, the Rock Crest and Rock Glen area witnessed the development of the largest collection of Prairie School-style designed homes on a unified site.In 1954 a new breed of horse was introduced in Mason City. The Pony of the Americas grew to be one of the most popular breeds of horses in the country. Gentle and easy to train the POAs were especially suited for young people. This special breed of horse can be seen along with a variety of horses at the many equine events held at the North Iowa Events Center in Mason City throughout the year. In the 1950s and 1960s, the addition of the sugar beet industry and the pork packing industry helped Mason City to become the largest urban center between Des Moines and Minneapolis/St. Paul at the time.
Modern Era: 1970-Present Day
During the 1970s, the originally dominant brick and tile industry began to decline, prompting Mason City to diversify its economy. Further challenges emerged in the 1980s with the Farm Crisis, which severely impacted the Upper Midwest agricultural economy and the economic prospects of nearby farms. This led to a state-wide downturn and migration out of the area. Since the 1990s, Mason City has revitalized its downtown area, constructed the Southbridge Mall, a hockey arena, and developed a robust retail economy as a regional hub. In 1995, Mason City was also the site of a national investigation, following the disappearance of KIMT reporter and news-anchor, Jodi Huisentruit. Since the turn of the 21st century, Mason City has experienced steady community development, and has completed a revitalization of its previously dilapidated but architecturally significant Park Inn Hotel and First National Bank.Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which is land and is water.Climate
Mason City has a warm-summer humid continental climate, bordering closely on the hot-summer variant.Demographics
2020 census
As of the census of 2020, there were 27,338 people, 12,271 households, and 6,838 families residing in the city. The population density was 981.4 inhabitants per square mile. There were 13,584 housing units at an average density of 487.7 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 87.0% White, 2.9% Black or African American, 0.5% Native American, 1.5% Asian, 0.5% Pacific Islander, 1.9% from other races and 5.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race comprised 6.7% of the population.Of the 12,271 households, 23.3% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.1% were married couples living together, 8.0% were cohabitating couples, 30.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 21.3% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 44.3% of all households were non-families. 37.5% of all household were made up of individuals, 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older.
The median age in the city was 42.7 years. 22.6% of the residents were under the age of 20; 6.3% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 23.6% were from 25 and 44; 25.3% were from 45 and 64; and 22.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.3% male and 51.7% female.
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 28,079 people, 12,366 households, and 7,210 families living in the city. The population density was. There were 13,352 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 93.8% White, 1.8% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 1.3% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.1% of the population.There were 12,366 households, of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.2% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.7% were non-families. Of all households, 35.0% were made up of individuals, and 13.4% 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 2.83.
The median age in the city was 40.9 years. 21.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.1% were from 25 to 44; 28.2% were from 45 to 64, and 17.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.2% male and 51.8% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 29,172 people, 12,368 households, and 7,507 families living in the city. The population density was. There were 13,029 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 95.40% White, 1.17% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.77% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.07% from other races, and 1.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.45% of the population.There were 12,368 households, out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.3% were non-families. Of all households, 33.5% were made up of individuals, and 14.6% 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 2.90.
In the city the population was spread out, with 23.6% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,852, and the median income for a family was $45,160. Males had a median income of $32,451 versus $21,756 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,899. About 7.2% of families and 10.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.9% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.