Corydon, Iowa

Corydon, Iowa
City
Location of Corydon, Iowa
Coordinates:40°45′33″N93°19′03″W
Country	United States
State	Iowa
County	Wayne
Incorporated	April 27, 1867
Government
• Type	(As of 2018)
•Mayor	Nathan Bennett
Area
• Total	1.35 sq mi (3.49 km2)
• Land	1.35 sq mi (3.49 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	1,093 ft (333 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	1,526
• Density	1,131.21/sq mi (436.69/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6(Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5(CDT)
ZIP code	50060
Area code	641
FIPS code	19-16635
GNISfeature ID	2393642
Website	www.cityofcorydoniowa.com

The historic post office in Corydon.

Corydonis a city inWayne County,Iowa,United States. The population was 1,526 in the2020 census,a decline from 1,591 in2000.It is thecounty seatof Wayne County.

The town was laid out and platted in 1851 and later that year designated as the county seat. The town was named by county judge Seth Anderson after his old hometown ofCorydon, Indiana.

Geography

According to theUnited States Census Bureau,the city has a total area of 1.39 square miles (3.60 km²), all land.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	254		—
1870	618		143.3%
1880	801		29.6%
1890	962		20.1%
1900	1,477		53.5%
1910	1,669		13.0%
1920	1,867		11.9%
1930	1,768		−5.3%
1940	1,872		5.9%
1950	1,870		−0.1%
1960	1,687		−9.8%
1970	1,745		3.4%
1980	1,818		4.2%
1990	1,675		−7.9%
2000	1,591		−5.0%
2010	1,585		−0.4%
2020	1,526		−3.7%
U.S. Decennial Census

The population of Corydon, Iowa from US census data

2010 census

As of thecensusof 2010, there were 1,585 people, 680 households, and 411 families residing in the city. Thepopulation densitywas 1,140.3 inhabitants per square mile (440.3/km²). There were 785 housing units at an average density of 564.7 per square mile (218.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 99.0%White,0.1%African American,0.2%Native American,0.1%Asian,0.2% fromother races,and 0.5% from two or more races.HispanicorLatinoof any race were 0.4% of the population.

There were 680 households, of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% weremarried couplesliving together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.6% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.82.

The median age in the city was 46.7 years. 20.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.1% were from 25 to 44; 24.6% were from 45 to 64; and 27.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 45.9% male and 54.1% female.

2000 census

As of thecensusof 2000, there were 1,591 people, 718 households, and 432 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,144.3 inhabitants per square mile (441.8/km²). There were 802 housing units at an average density of 576.8 per square mile (222.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 99.43%White,0.06%African American,0.06%Asian,0.13%Pacific Islander,and 0.31% from two or more races.HispanicorLatinoof any race were 0.19% of the population.

There were 718 households, out of which 22.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% weremarried couplesliving together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.7% were non-families. 38.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 24.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.73.

Age spread: 20.7% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 19.5% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 31.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,542, and the median income for a family was $40,231. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $18,523 for females. Theper capita incomefor the city was $17,496. About 9.7% of families and 12.1% of the population were below thepoverty line,including 14.2% of those under age 18 and 15.4% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

The Prairie Trails Museum of Wayne County is located on the eastern side of Corydon on Highway 2. It features a brick building that houses 25,000 artifacts in five galleries covering over 21,000 sq ft (2,000 m²), and a large barn with farm antiques. Permanent exhibits include a tribute to theMormon Trailand depiction of the Ocobock Bank in Corydon along with the original safe that was robbed byJesse Jamesand other members of theJames-Younger Gangon June 3, 1871.

The Corydon post office contains a mural entitledVolunteer Fire Department,painted in 1942 byMarion Gilmore.Murals were produced from 1934 to 1943 in the United States through theSection of Painting and Sculpture,later called theSection of Fine Arts,of theTreasury Department.

Education

Wayne Community School Districtoperates public schools serving the community.

Transportation

Corydon is served by Iowa Highways 2 and 14 which make up the southern, eastern and northeastern portion of the town square.

Rail service through Corydon is provided by theUnion Pacific Railroad.Since theUnion Pacificmerged with theChicago and North Western Railway(C&NW) in 1995, there has been a considerable increase in rail traffic on the line. The line was originally theRock Island's Short line fromAllertonto Minneapolis. After the Rock Island ceased operations, its main track between Kansas City and Allerton was combined with the Short Line to form C&NW's "Spine Line" between Kansas City and Minneapolis and that designation has been retained by Union Pacific. The Rock Island depot was removed in the late 1950s with passenger service provided through Allerton, six miles to the southwest until about 1970.

Corydon was also served by the CB&Q Railroad. The line originally was the Keokuk & Western line fromHumestonin the northwest part of Wayne County through Corydon,Promise City,Centervilleand into northeastern Missouri. It then became part of theChicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad.The line was abandoned between Corydon andCentervillein 1958. The line was completely abandoned from Corydon toHumestonin the early 1970s. Depot service was maintained until abandonment, the last few years by a mobile depot that servicedHumeston,Mt. Ayr,Corydon, andLeonon set days of the week. The CB&Q and Rock Island depots in Corydon were just 1/4 mile apart, with the Rock Island depot being on Depot Street at the end of Greeley Street. The Burlington depot still existed as a warehouse into the 2010s but has been razed.

Notable people

• Karl M. LeCompte,U.S. Representative
• Katherine Marlowe,film actress, most notably in the filmDodsworth
• George Saling(1909–1933),1932 Summer Olympicsgold medal winner

External links

• City of CorydonPortal style website, Government, Recreation and more
• Karl Miles LeCompte Memorial Libraryat Corydon
• Prairie Trails Museum of Wayne County, Iowa
• City-DataComprehensive Statistical Data and more about Corydon