Larchwood, Iowa
Encyclopedia
Larchwood is a city in Lyon County
Lyon County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 11,581 in the county, with a population density of . There were 4,848 housing units, of which 4,442 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...

. The population was 788 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...

. Its main employer is the Novartis Animal Vaccines plant located 3 miles (4.8 km) southwest of the city.

History

Larchwood was founded about 1872 by a group of McLean County, Illinois
McLean County, Illinois
McLean County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. McLean County is included in the Bloomington–Normal, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 169,572, which is an increase of 12.7% from 150,433 in 2000. Its county seat is...

 land developers Jesse W. Fell
Jesse W. Fell
Jesse W. Fell was a Bloomington, Illinois businessman and land owner instrumental in the establishment of communities throughout Central Illinois and for the founding of Illinois State University. A close friend of Abraham Lincoln it was Fell who urged him to challenge his opponent, Stephen A...

 (10 November 1808 – 25 February 1887) and Charles W. Holder (25 September 1819 – 10 April 1900). Fell was born in Pennsylvania, had settled in Bloomington, Illinois, in 1831 and had played an active role in founding many Illinois towns including Clinton
Clinton, Illinois
Clinton is the largest city in DeWitt County, Illinois, United States. The population was 7,225 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of DeWitt County.The city and the county are named for DeWitt Clinton, governor of New York, 1817-1823...

, Normal
Normal, Illinois
Normal is an incorporated town in McLean County, Illinois, United States. It had a population of 52,497 as of the 2010 census. Normal is the smaller of two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...

, Pontiac
Pontiac, Illinois
Pontiac is a city in Livingston County, Illinois, United States. The population was 11,931 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Livingston County...

, and Towanda
Towanda, Illinois
Towanda is a village in McLean County, Illinois, United States. The population was 480 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Bloomington–Normal Metropolitan Statistical Area....

. He was a close friend of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...

, and with his brother Kersey Fell had persuaded Lincoln to write his famous autography. He was nationally known for his love of trees. Holder was a partner in many of Fell’s projects including Towanda and Normal. Holder, Illinois
Holder, Illinois
Holder is an unincorporated community in Old Town Township, McLean County, Illinois.-Geography:Holder is located at , and is located east of Bloomington.-History:...

 was named in his honor. In the summer of 1869 Fell traveled to northwestern Iowa and selected a tract of about forty sections, more than 25000 acres (101.2 km²) of land. Fell wrote, “I have never beheld such a large body of surpassingly beautiful prairie as is here to be found. There is absolutely no waste of land, and scarce a quarter of a section not affording an admirable building site.” Holder then entered the land. Larchwood was established at the center of their holdings. Fell frequently visited the site and in May 0f 1873 personally supervised the planting of some 100,000 saplings and tree cuttings. The town did not grow as rapidly as expected and in 1881 the development was sold to an Englishman Richard Sykes.

Geography

Larchwood's longitude and latitude coordinates in decimal form are 43.454351, -96.434897. It is the last city in the northwest corner of Iowa.

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 1 square miles (2.6 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

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 788 people, 326 households, and 234 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 812.1 people per square mile (313.7/km²). There were 344 housing units at an average density of 354.5 per square mile (136.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.60% White, 0.13% Native American, 0.51% Asian, and 0.76% from two or more races.

There were 326 households out of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.6% 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, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.2% were non-families. 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $42,250, and the median income for a family was $48,125. Males had a median income of $30,938 versus $21,164 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 $21,092. About 0.8% of families and 2.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.5% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.

Casino

The Grand Falls Casino Resort is located along the South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...

 border northwest of Larchwood.
The casino opened for business June 9, 2011. The casino resort was developed by Kehl Management Company. Along with the casino there is a 97 room hotel. An 18 hole golf course is expected to be completed in 2012.

Notable people

  • Cheri Blauwet
    Cheri Blauwet
    Cheri Blauwet is an American wheelchair racer. She has competed at the Olympic and Paralympic level in events ranging from the 100 meters to the marathon....

     (1980– ) Paralympic athlete
  • Kyle Vanden Bosch
    Kyle Vanden Bosch
    -Arizona Cardinals:Kyle was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. In his injury-abbreviated rookie season he finished with 12 tackles , one quarterback sack, one hurry, one pass defensed and one...

     (1978– ) defensive end
    Defensive end
    Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...

     for the Detroit Lions
    Detroit Lions
    The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...


External links

  • City-Data Comprehensive statistical data and more about Larchwood



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