Ottumwa, Iowa


Ottumwa is a city in and the county seat of Wapello County, Iowa, United States. The population was 25,529 at the time of the 2020 U.S. census. Located in the state's southeastern section, the city is split into northern and southern halves by the Des Moines River.
The original town was founded on the former camps of Meskwaki Chiefs Wapello and Appanoose. Ottumwa first developed as an industrious city economically based in farm-equipment manufacturing and meatpacking, those being John Deere and John Morrell & Co. respectively. The city is also home to Indian Hills Community College to provide for higher education. Ottumwa is the center of the Ottumwa Micropolitan Area which includes all of Wapello and Davis counties.
WWW cityofottumwa.org

History

The city's name derives from the Native American Meskwaki language, translating to "tumbling waters" in reference to the Appanoose Rapids on the Des Moines River.
In May 1843, several investors formed the Appanoose Rapids Company and staked claim to 467 acres of land in the present site of Ottumwa. Their colonization involved claiming land supporting three indigenous settlements. The first official cabin was built in May 1843 after the area was opened to settlement. The original platt was titled Louis Ville. In 1844 the city was named as the county seat.
The town was severely damaged during the flood of 1851.
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. The Phillips number 5 shaft was deep, with a 375-HP steam hoist. By 1889, the state mine inspector's report listed 15 mine shafts in Ottumwa. In 1914, the Phillips Fuel Company produced over 100,000 tons of coal, ranking among the top 24 coal producers in the state. 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.
John Morrell & Company and their meat packing comples played a significant role in the development of Ottumwa from 1877 to 1973.
When the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad arrived in Ottumwa in September 1859, it ran parallel to the river channel. The availability of rail transportation encouraged both commercial and industrial expansion along the northwest to southeast axis. Access to the south bank of the river at first was by ferry from the foot of Green Street. By 1875 this ferry had been replaced by a bridge, and a number of additions had been made to the city during the first thirty years, all located on the north side of the Des Moines River. As development climbed the bluffs, the streets on top of the hills were laid out to compass points, rather than parallel to the river. Although there was some development on the south side of the river, South Ottumwa was not brought into the city limits until the 1880s.

Presidential visits

Visits by a sitting U.S. president include:

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which is land and is water.
Northeastern Wapello County contains large deposits of coal, and there are also large deposits of clay in the region, which played an important role in the industrial development of Ottumwa.
Ottumwa is the center of the Ottumwa Micropolitan Statistical Area which includes all of Wapello County.

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Ottumwa has a hot-summer humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, there were 25,529 people, 10,098 households, and 6,048 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,589.5 inhabitants per square mile. There were 11,254 housing units at an average density of 700.7 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 74.3% White, 5.4% Black or African American, 0.8% Native American, 2.3% Asian, 2.0% Pacific Islander, 8.6% from other races and 6.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino persons of any race comprised 15.7% of the population.
Of the 10,098 households, 30.8% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.6% were married couples living together, 8.5% were cohabitating couples, 30.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 21.4% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 40.1% of all households were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals, 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older.
The median age in the city was 36.7 years. 27.9% of the residents were under the age of 20; 6.3% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 26.0% were from 25 and 44; 22.9% were from 45 and 64; and 17.0% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.5% male and 50.5% female.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census there were 25,023 people, 10,251 households, and 6,208 families in the city. The population density was. There were 11,257 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 90.2% White, 4.06% Hispanic or Latino, 1.6% African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 4.5% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races.
There were 10,251 households, of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.1% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.4% were non-families. 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.2% 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 2.97.
The median age in the city was 37.4 years. 23.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.8% were from 25 to 44; 25% were from 45 to 64; and 16% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.4% male and 51.6% female.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census, there were 24,998 people, 10,383 households, and 6,530 families residing in the city. The population density was. There were 11,038 housing units at an average density of. 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.
Age spread: 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.

Economy

Top employers

According to Ottumwa's 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the top employers in the city were:
#Employer# of Employees
1JBS Live Pork, LLC 2,550
2Ottumwa Community School District800
3Ottumwa Regional Health Center692
4John Deere Ottumwa Works550
5Winger Companies449
6Indian Hills Community College369
7Hy-Vee350
8Walmart Supercenter301
9City of Ottumwa224
10Keurig Dr Pepper200

The Quincy Place Mall is a Shopping mall in Ottumwa.

Arts and culture

Historic districts

Historic structures

Video games

Twin Galaxies, a social media platform, is located in Ottumwa. For this reason, Ottumwa's mayor proclaimed the city the "Video Game Capital of the World" in 1982. The city's proclamation was recognized by U.S. Senator Charles Grassley. The city hosted the first North American Video Olympics in 1982. In 2009, an International Video Game Hall of Fame was planned.

Education

Public School System

The city of Ottumwa and the surrounding rural areas of Wapello County are served by the Ottumwa Community School District.
Ottumwa is served by Ottumwa High School, Evans Junior High, and multiple neighborhood elementary schools including Douma and Liberty on the Southern side of the city, and James, Horace Mann, Wilson, Eisenhower, and Fahrney Elementary serving the Northern side.

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. Buena Vista University has a regional campus located here.

Media

Paired with Kirksville, Missouri, Ottumwa is a media market region, ranked #201 by Nielsen. Television stations include Fox/NBC/The CW+ affiliate KYOU-TV and K18GU-D. Dual ABC/CBS affiliate KTVO is licensed to and has its main offices near Kirksville, but has a second studio and news bureau in Ottumwa.
The Ottumwa Courier is the primary daily newspaper.
"Ottumwa Radio" is the primary regional radio provider with multiple stations.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Ottumwa Regional Airport is a general aviation airport owned by the City of Ottumwa and is operated by the Airport Advisory Board.
Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to the Ottumwa Amtrak station, operating its California Zephyr daily in both directions between Chicago, Illinois, and Emeryville, California, across the San Francisco Bay from San Francisco.
Ottumwa Transit Authority operates bus services throughout the Ottumwa area. The fixed-route system includes five routes and a shopping shuttle. It also operates a para-transit service known as Ottumwa Transit Authority Lift and Job Access Reverse Commute, a dial-a-ride service geared towards employees.
The five routes that operate Monday through Friday are: #1 North, #2 East West, #3 South Residential, #4 South Commercial, and #7 Airport. There are also two routes that operate on Saturday only; no routes operate on Sunday.
10–15 Regional Transit Agency provides a regional dial-a-ride service throughout Appanoose, Davis, Jefferson, Keokuk, Lucas, Mahaska, Monroe, Van Buren, Wapello and Wayne counties.
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. The Jefferson Street Viaduct over the Des Moines River is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Railroads

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 and Eastern Railroad 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.

Notable people

In popular culture

  • Cpl. Walter "Radar" O'Reilly – Company clerk from M*A*S*H book and television series was from Ottumwa, Iowa.
  • The television movie The Woman Who Loved Elvis starring Roseanne Barr was partially filmed in Ottumwa.
  • In the sitcom Roseanne, Roseanne Conner's restaurant, the Lanford Lunch Box, was based on the Canteen Lunch in the Alley, in central downtown Ottumwa, which 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.
  • The U.S. Navy harbor tug was named for the city
  • The 2015 classic video game documentary Man vs Snake starring Walter Day and Billy Mitchell (gamer), featured competitive gaming and arcade culture of the town in the 1980s, while also being the main setting of local resident Tim McVey’s attempts to reclaim the world record high score on Nibbler.