Atlantic is a city in and the county seat

County seat

A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 of Cass County

Cass County, Iowa

-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 13,956 in the county, with a population density of . There were 6,591 housing units, of which 5,980 were occupied.-2000 census:...

, Iowa

Iowa

Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, located along the East Nishnabotna River

Nishnabotna River

The Nishnabotna River is a tributary of the Missouri River in southwestern Iowa, northwestern Missouri and southeastern Nebraska in the United States. It flows for most of its length as two parallel streams in Iowa, the East Nishnabotna River and the West Nishnabotna River...

. The population was 7,112 in the 2010 census, a decline from the 7,257 population in the 2000 census.

History

Atlantic was founded in October 1868 by Franklin H. Whitney, B.F. Allen, John P. Cook, and others. While historians cannot agree how Atlantic got its name, local legend tells that the founding fathers estimated that the town was about halfway between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean, so it led them to flip a coin and, clearly, Atlantic won. The nearby Rock Island Railroad was important in deciding the actual location of the town, and to this day, the old depot sits at the north end of Chestnut Street. Today, the old depot serves as the offices of the Chamber of Commerce.


Another story told about Atlantic is the way main street was located. Someone asked Whitney where it should be placed. He marked the center at current day 6th and Chestnut and then plowed two furrows 100 feet (30.5 m) apart all the way up to the railroad, just north of Second Street.

Geography

Atlantic's longitude and latitude coordinates in decimal form are 41.401404, -95.010867.

According to the United States Census Bureau

United States Census Bureau

The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the city has a total area of 8.2 square miles (21.2 km²), of which, 8.1 square miles (21 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (0.37%) is water.

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 7,112 in the city, with a population density of . There were 3,399 housing units, of which 3,137 were occupied.

The racial makeup of the city in the 2010 census was 97.0% White American

White American

White Americans are people of the United States who are considered or consider themselves White. The United States Census Bureau defines White people as those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa...

, 0.2% African American

African American

African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...

, 0.3% Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...

, 0.3% Asian American

Asian American

Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...

, 0.5% Native Hawaiians

Native Hawaiians

Native Hawaiians refers to the indigenous Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands or their descendants. Native Hawaiians trace their ancestry back to the original Polynesian settlers of Hawaii.According to the U.S...

 or Pacific Islander American

Pacific Islander American

Pacific Islander Americans, also known as Oceanian Americans, are residents of the United States with original ancestry from Oceania. They represent the smallest racial group counted in the United States census of 2000. They numbered 874,000 people or 0.3 percent of the United States population...

, 1.0% other races and 0.6% were from two or more races. Of those 2.6% were Hispanic and Latino Americans

Hispanic and Latino Americans

Hispanic or Latino Americans are Americans with origins in the Hispanic countries of Latin America or in Spain, and in general all persons in the United States who self-identify as Hispanic or Latino.1990 Census of Population and Housing: A self-designated classification for people whose origins...

.

2000 census

As of the census

Census

A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 7,257 people, 3,126 households, and 1,969 families residing in the city. The population density

Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 890.4 people per square mile (343.8/km²). There were 3,354 housing units at an average density of 411.5 per square mile (158.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.65% White, 0.25% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.41% from other races

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 0.29% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.79% of the population.

There were 3,126 households out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.0% were married couples

Marriage

Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.81.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.0% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 23.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 89.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,370, and the median income for a family was $41,168. Males had a median income of $30,691 versus $20,271 for females. The per capita income

Per capita income

Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the city was $17,832. About 6.3% of families and 12.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.5% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.

Media

Newspaper
Atlantic, Iowa is one of the smallest communities in Iowa to have a daily newspaper, The Atlantic News Telegraph. The editor E.P. Chase of the newspaper was awarded the 1934 Pulitzer Prize

1934 Pulitzer Prize

-Journalism awards:*Public Service:** Medford Mail Tribune for its campaign against unscrupulous politicians in Jackson County, Oregon.*Reporting:...

 for editorial writing.
Radio
Atlantic is home to three radio stations. KSOM

KSOM

KSOM is a radio station that broadcasts a country music format. Licensed to Audubon, Iowa, USA, it serves the southwest Iowa area. The station is currently owned by Meredith Communications, LLC....

 96.5 FM which features country music, Paul Harvey

Paul Harvey

Paul Harvey Aurandt , better known as Paul Harvey, was an American radio broadcaster for the ABC Radio Networks. He broadcast News and Comment on weekday mornings and mid-days, and at noon on Saturdays, as well as his famous The Rest of the Story segments. His listening audience was estimated, at...

, Farm Reports, the Local News, Iowa State Sports and Nascar. KSWI

KSWI

KSWI is a radio station licensed to serve Atlantic, Iowa. The station is owned by Meredith Communications, LLC. It airs a classic hits music format....

 95.7 FM which features classic rock and Atlantic high school sports. KJAN

KJAN

KJAN is a commercial radio station serving the Atlantic, Iowa area. The station primarily broadcasts an adult contemporary format. KJAN is licensed to Wireless Communications Corp....

 1220 AM which features an adult contemporary music

Adult contemporary music

Adult contemporary music is a broad style of popular music that ranges from lush 1950s and 1960s vocal music to predominantly ballad-heavy music with varying degrees of rock influence, as well as a radio format that plays such music....

 format and is licensed to Wireless Communications Corp.. Meredith Communications, LLC currently (2010) owns both KSOM and KSWI.

Notable people

• Don A. Allen
  Don A. Allen
  Not to be confused with Charles A. Allen, Los Angeles City Council member, 1941–47.Don A. Allen, also known as Don A. Allen, Sr., was a member of the California State Assembly in the 1940s and 1950s and of the Los Angeles City Council between 1947 and 1956.-Biography:Allen was born on May 13, 1900...
  
  , member of the California State Assembly and of the Los Angeles City Council in the 1940s and 1950s, born in Atlantic
• Harlan J. Bushfield
  Harlan J. Bushfield
  Harlan John Bushfield was a politician from South Dakota. He was born in Atlantic, Iowa in 1882. He moved with his family to South Dakota in 1883, and attended the public schools in Miller, South Dakota. He graduated from Dakota Wesleyan University in 1901, and from the University of Minnesota Law...
  
   (1882–1948), Republican U.S. senator and 16th governor of South Dakota
• Frederick C. Loofbourow
  Frederick C. Loofbourow
  Frederick Charles Loofbourow was a U.S. Representative from Utah.Born in Atlantic, Iowa, Loofbourow was educated in the common schools of Iowa.He moved with his parents to Utah in 1889....
  
   (1874–1949), Republican U.S. representative from Utah
• Ethel T. Wead Mick
  Ethel T. Wead Mick
  Ethel Theresa Wead Mick is the founder of the Masonic girls' organization The International Order of Job's Daughters and served as its first Supreme Guardian....
  
   (1881–1957), founder of the Masonic girls' organization now known as Job's Daughters
• Ed Podolak
  Ed Podolak
  Edward Joseph Podolak is a former professional American football player. He played quarterback and halfback at the University of Iowa before being selected by the American Football League's Kansas City Chiefs in the second round of the 1969 Common Draft.During a nine-year career from 1969 to 1977,...
  
   (born 1947), professional football player and color commentator for Iowa Hawkeyes football games on WHO radio
• William Appleman Williams
  William Appleman Williams
  William Appleman Williams was one of the 20th century's most prominent revisionist historians of American diplomacy, and has been called "the favorite historian of the Middle American New Left." He achieved the height of his influence while on the faculty of the Department of History at the...
  
   (1921–1990), president of the Organization of American Historians
• Lafayette Young
  Lafayette Young
  Lafayette Young was a newspaper reporter and editor, and a Republican Senator from Iowa.Young was born in Monroe County, Iowa. His early education was acquired in the public schools and in printing offices at Albia, Iowa and Des Moines, Iowa...
  
  (1848–1926), Republican senator from Iowa, state senator, newspaper reporter, editor and owner.

External links

• Official Atlantic City Website
• Chamber of Commerce
• Atlantic News Telegraph Local daily newspaper website
• Atlantic Police Department
• City Data Detailed Statistical Data and more about Atlantic, Iowa