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Cherokee, Iowa
City
Motto(s): "Citizens With a Passion for Community and a Community with Passion for its Citizens!"[1]
Location of Cherokee, Iowa
Coordinates: 42°45′N 95°33′W / 42.750°N 95.550°W / 42.750; -95.550Coordinates: 42°45′N 95°33′W / 42.750°N 95.550°W / 42.750; -95.550
Country	United States
State	Iowa
County	Cherokee
GovernmentK
• Type	Mayor-council
• Mayor	Craig Schmidt
Area[2]
• Total	6.45 sq mi (16.71 km2)
• Land	6.43 sq mi (16.65 km2)
• Water	0.02 sq mi (0.05 km2)
Elevation	1,194 ft (364 m)
Population (2010)[3]
• Total	5,253
• Estimate (2016)[4]	4,998
• Density	817/sq mi (315.4/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	51012
Area code(s)	712
FIPS code	19-13080
GNIS feature ID	0455370
Website	City of Cherokee

Cherokee is a city in Cherokee County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,253 at the 2010 Census, down from 5,369 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Cherokee County.^[5]

Main street in 1909.

History

Cherokee was laid out as a town in 1870,^[6] and was named for the Indian tribe.^[7] Cherokee was incorporated on April 5, 1873.^[8]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.45 square miles (16.71 km²), of which, 6.43 square miles (16.65 km²) is land and 0.02 square miles (0.05 km²) is water.^[2]

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census^[3] of 2010, there were 5,253 people, 2,316 households, and 1,339 families residing in the city. The population density was 817.0 inhabitants per square mile (315.4/km²). There were 2,569 housing units at an average density of 399.5 per square mile (154.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.5% White, 1.0% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 1.2% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.9% of the population.

There were 2,316 households of which 24.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.9% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.2% were non-families. 37.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.77.

The median age in the city was 46.3 years. 20.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.1% were from 25 to 44; 28.9% were from 45 to 64; and 22.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.6% male and 51.4% female.

2000 census

As of the census^[10] of 2000, there were 5,369 people, 2,362 households, and 1,393 families residing in the city. The population density was 837.8 people per square mile (323.4/km²). There were 2,556 housing units at an average density of 398.9 per square mile (154.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.5% White, 0.54% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.54% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.51% of the population.

There were 2,362 households out of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.3% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.0% were non-families. 37.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.82.

Age spread: 23.2% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 22.9% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 21.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,240, and the median income for a family was $42,333. Males had a median income of $28,350 versus $21,333 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,846. About 5.0% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.5% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Sites on the National Register of Historic Places

The nearby Cherokee Sewer Site is a well-preserved prehistoric Indian bison-processing site, which helped to redefine the Archaic period in the Midwest, and the Phipps Site is a National Historic Landmark 1000-year-old Plains farming village that may have been fortified.

Annual events

The annual Jazz Festival is held in January, often headlined by Mark Pender, a member of the Basic Cable band.^[11][12]

The Cherokee County Fair, and the Cherokee Rodeo are held in the summer.^[12]

Creek Fest is an annual summer music festival held along the banks of Mill Creek. Past performers include The Band Perry, Big & Rich, and Florida Georgia Line.^[13]

Museums

Cherokee is the home of the Sanford Museum and Planetarium that opened in 1951. The intent of the founders, Mr & Mrs W.A. Sanford, was to create a museum that was free and open to the public. The facility is currently (January 2011)^[ref] still operated free to the public and has exhibits and activities on a variety of subjects including: archaeology, art, astronomy, geology, history, natural history, and paleontology.^[12]

Cherokee may be the smallest town in the world to have its own symphony orchestra, the Cherokee Symphony. This 60-member orchestra has been referred to as "the best kept secret in Northwest Iowa".^[12]

Infrastructure

Health care

Cherokee is also the home of the Cherokee Mental Health Institute, under the Iowa Department of Human Services.

Notable people

• 
  Ralph Block, film producer and screenwriter; president of Screen Actors Guild.


• 
  Elwood Brown, basketball coach.


• 
  Cody Ege, baseball player.


• 
  Wilmer D. Elfrink, football and basketball player.


• 
  Guy M. Gillette, U.S. Representative (1930 - 1936) and Senator (1936 -1945) from Iowa.^[14]
  


• 
  Roger Goeb, composer.^[15]
  


• 
  Kelly Goodburn, NFL punter and Super Bowl champion for Washington Redskins.


• 
  Major General Joseph A. Green, Chief of the Coast Artillery Corps.


• 
  Dan Huseman, member of Iowa House of Representatives.


• 
  Royal C. Johnson, U.S. Representative from South Dakota; highly decorated World War I veteran.


• 
  Matt Koch, MLB baseball player with Arizona Diamondbacks.


• 
  Ben F. Laposky, artist and mathematician.


• 
  Edward Lindberg, Olympic gold medalist in 1912, track and field.


• 
  Steve Melter, baseball player.


• 
  Thomas Miller, Iowa newspaper editor and politician


• 
  Spike Nelson, football player and coach.


• 
  Ken Nordine, voiceover.


• 
  Doug Ohlson, abstract artist.^[16]
  


• 
  Laurence Rickels, theorist and philosopher, studied vampires, the Devil, technology and science fiction.


• 
  General John D. Ryan, US Air Force Chief of Staff, 1969–71.


• 
  Francis L. Sampson, Army officer whose rescue of young soldier inspired film Saving Private Ryan.


• 
  Harold D. Schuster, editor and film director.


• 
  Adam Timmerman, NFL lineman and Super Bowl champion for St. Louis Rams and Green Bay Packers.^[17]
  


• 
  Steven VanRoekel, second Federal Chief Information Officer of the United States^[18]
  


• 
  Stanton Warburton, U.S. Representative from Washington; moved to Cherokee.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cherokee, Iowa.

• 
  City of Cherokee, Iowa Website Portal style website, Government, Business, Library, Recreation and more


• 
  City Data — comprehensive statistical data, etc., about Cherokee