Van Buren County, Iowa

Van Buren County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census the population was 7,203, making it the state's tenth-least populous county. The county seat is Keosauqua, which contains the oldest continuously operational courthouse in Iowa, and second-oldest in the United States.

WWW vanburencoia.org

History

Van Buren County was formed on December 7, 1836, as a part of Wisconsin Territory, and was split off from Des Moines County. It was named for President Martin Van Buren. It became a part of Iowa Territory when that territory was organized on July 4, 1838.
The county's courthouse was built in September 1843 in the Greek Revival style, and stands as Iowa's oldest, and the nation's second-oldest, courthouse in operation.
"The Honey War" refers to a colorful episode in Van Buren County's history when the State of Missouri and Wisconsin Territory border came into dispute. Missouri attempted to collect taxes from residents north of the disputed Sullivan Line of 1816, which residents said was not rightfully theirs to tax. The sheriff of Van Buren County subsequently arrested and jailed the sheriff from Kahoka, Missouri, and Missourians were charged with "stealing honey from bee trees" in what is now Lacey-Keosauqua State Park. Each governor sent troops to resolve the problem, but no bloodshed resulted. The matter was turned over to the U.S. Congress for arbitration. The dispute, however, was not resolved until 1846, when Iowa became a state. Congress ruled "in favor of Iowa, allowing the original Sullivan line of 1816 to remain intact".
Van Buren County is also home to Iowa's oldest community theater group still in operation, the Van Buren Players, founded in 1963.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which are covered by water.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 7,203, a population density of, and 3,500 housing units.
The median age was 44.4 years, 23.9% of residents were under the age of 18, and 23.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 106.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 102.0 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 96.1% White, 0.4% Black or African American, 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.3% from some other race, and 2.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.6% of the population.
<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
Of the 3,500 housing units, 2,984 were occupied, leaving a vacancy rate of 14.7%. There were 2,984 households in the county, of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 52.7% were married-couple households, 19.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 20.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. Among occupied housing units, 80.3% were owner-occupied and 19.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.8%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census 7,570 people, 3,108 households, and 2,058 families resided in the county. The population density was people per square mile. The 3,670 housing units had an average density of per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 98.3% White, 0.2% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. About 1.2% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.
Of the 3,108 households, 25.4% had children under 18 living with them, 55.4% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.8% were not families. About 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 33.6% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.97. In the county, the age distribution included 24.1% under 18 and 19.8% who were 65 or older. The median age was 43.3 years. For every 100 females there were 100.6 males.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, the median income for a household in the county was $31,094, and for a family was $36,420. Males had a median income of $27,379 versus $20,925 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,748. About 8.70% of families and 12.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.00% of those under age 18 and 15.60% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Townships

According to the 1850 US Census Records.

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Van Buren County.
† county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population
1	† 'Keosauqua	City	936
2	Farmington	City	579
3	Milton	City	380
4	Birmingham	City	367
5	Bonaparte	City	359
6	Stockport	City	272
7	Cantril	City	224
8	Douds	CDP	156
9	Leando	CDP	121
10	Mount Sterling'	CDP	33

Politics

Van Buren County has been predominantly Republican throughout its history, voting for the Democratic candidate only six times in presidential elections from 1896 onward. However, the county was a national bellwether between 1964 and 2004, but voted Republican by wide margins in years the nation went Republican. Aside from Lyndon B. Johnson's landslide victory in 1964, the margins of victory Democrats won the county by in this 40-year period were incredibly narrow, with the difference being less than one hundred votes when Jimmy Carter & Bill Clinton won the county. From 2000 on, the county has trended strongly Republican, particularly in 2016 where Hillary Clinton received the lowest percentage by a Democratic candidate in 60 years. Clinton also failed to win even 1,000 votes, a feat which every major party candidate prior to 2016 had been able to accomplish in the county.

Education

School districts include:

Former school districts:

Harmony Community School District