Anamosa, Iowa

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Anamosa is a city in Jones County, Iowa, USA. The population was 5,494 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Jones County^GR6.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Landmarks and industry
4 Demographics
5 Notable Residents
6 External links

[edit] History

What is now Anamosa was founded as the settlement of Buffalo Forks in 1838 and incorporated as Lexington in 1856. Lexington was a very popular name for towns at that time, so when Lexington chose to become incorporated as a city in 1877, the name was changed to Anamosa to avoid mail delivery confusion. There are many different stories on how Anamosa was chosen as a name, but all of them center around a local Native American girl named Anamosa, which means white fawn.

There is a romantic legend of the native girl Anamosa in which she and her lover from a rival tribe throw themselves off a bluff overlooking the Wapsipinicon, near the site of the future town.

Anamosa was named the Pumpkin Capital of Iowa by the Iowa State Legislature in 1993 and subsequently hosts Pumpkinfest, a pumpkin festival and weigh-off, every year in October.

[edit] Geography

Anamosa is located at 42°6′32″N, 91°16′53″W (42.108954, -91.281476)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.8 km² (2.2 mi²). 5.8 km² (2.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.44% is water.

The Wapsipinicon River runs through the city of Anamosa.

Anamosa is served by U.S. Highway 151 and Iowa Highway 64.

[edit] Landmarks and industry

Anamosa is home to the Anamosa State Penitentiary, formerly known as the Iowa Mens Reformatory, a medium/maximum security prison that is the largest in Iowa, housing over 1,200 male inmates. It was established in 1872 and constructed from locally quarried white limestone in the style of a castle, inspiring its nickname as "The White Palace of the West". The prison grounds also house the Anamosa State Penitenitiary Museum, which contains artifacts and exhibits on prison life from throughout its history.

Motorcycles are a common sight in Anamosa. Since 1979, it has been the birthplace and home of J&P Cycles, a company which sells aftermarket motorcycle parts and accessories through catalogs, the internet, and its Anamosa retail showroom. Anamosa is also home to the National Motorcycle Museum, which features many vintage motorcycles, including the only original Captain America bike from the movie Easy Rider.

Anamosa was the birthplace of the regionalist artist Grant Wood and he was buried there as well in Riverside Cemetery, under a large monument of a recumbent lion. Customers can purchase reproductions of his work or view a collection of satirical interpretations of his most famous work American Gothic at the Grant Wood Art Gallery on Main Street.

The unincorporated town of Stone City is located a few miles northwest of Anamosa and was the location for some of Grant Wood's paintings. Numerous historic buildings built of local stone are still standing.

Wapsipinicon State Park is located on the southwest edge of the city.

As of March 8th, 2006, the Hale Bridge is located inside of the Wapsipinicon Park. The Iowa Army National Guard flew the three spans of the Hale Bridge from the Olin/Hale staging areas to the new home across the Wapsipinicon River at the Wapsipinicon State Park in Anamosa, Iowa by helicopter.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 5,494 people, 1,750 households, and 1,135 families residing in the city. The population density was 947.0/km² (2,453.4/mi²). There were 1,884 housing units at an average density of 324.7/km² (841.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.70% White, 6.06% African American, 0.71% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.69% from other races, and 1.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.17% of the population.

There were 1,750 households out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% were non-families. 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the city the population was spread out with 19.7% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 35.5% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 145.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 158.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,284, and the median income for a family was $39,702. Males had a median income of $31,938 versus $25,248 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,585. About 7.1% of families and 8.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.7% of those under age 18 and 2.8% of those age 65 or over.