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Biggest cities in Iowa 150 years ago

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May 23, 2022
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Biggest cities in Iowa 150 years ago

After the completion of the 1860 census and the election of President Abraham Lincoln, America imploded. Eleven southern states seceded from the Union in 1861, instigating four bloody years of the Civil War and fundamentally altering the social history of the U.S. The estimates of deaths caused by the Civil War begin around 600,000, but some claim as many as 750,000 individuals died throughout the conflict.

With so many families looking for a new start after combat finally ended and approximately 4 million Black Americans emancipated from slavery, it was time for many Americans to look for a new home to put down roots. The obvious choice for many was to move west, where there was more land to buy, settle, and cultivate. Many traveled by covered wagon, spending months on the dusty trail. Others who could afford better accommodations took a 25-day ride by stagecoach. All of them picked new cities and towns to make their homes, spreading the U.S. population more evenly across different states and territories.

On May 10, 1869, the first transcontinental railroad route across the United States was completed, ushering in a new era of transportation. The project was completed ahead of schedule and under budget, though with the loss of many lives, including those of the many Irish and Chinese immigrants hired to work 12-hour days in the hot western sun. Riding by steam engine, passengers could cross the entire country in four days, enabling waves of Americans and immigrants to quickly occupy land that would otherwise take months to settle.

The years of Civil War reconstruction, coupled with wagon, stagecoach, and railroad passengers finding new lives across the U.S., made the urban development reflected in the 1870 census incredibly interesting. Stacker compiled a list of the biggest cities in Iowa from 150 years ago using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. By transcribing Table XXV of the Ninth Census of the U.S., which was previously only available as a PDF, it's easy to explore what the urban landscape looked like less than a decade after the end of the Civil War as America healed and grew.

The largest city in Iowa ranked #72 among all cities nationwide in 1870. Of the 100 largest cities in the U.S., 2 were in Iowa. Keep reading to find out more about the historic metropolitan landscape in your home state or check out the data on your own on our site, GitHub, or data.world.

#25. Oskaloosa, Mahaska County

- Total population: 3,387 (#1,151 nationwide)
--- Male population: 1,791
--- Female population: 1,596
--- Child population, ages 5-18: 1,151

#24. Sioux City, Woodbury County

- Total population: 3,401 (#1,138 nationwide)
--- Male population: 1,929
--- Female population: 1,472
--- Child population, ages 5-18: 756

#23. Davenport, Scott County

- Total population: 3,414 (#1,128 nationwide)
--- Male population: 1,797
--- Female population: 1,617
--- Child population, ages 5-18: 1,319

#22. Decorah, Winneshiek County

- Total population: 3,723 (#917 nationwide)
--- Male population: 1,943
--- Female population: 1,780
--- Child population, ages 5-18: 1,108

#21. Marion, Linn County

- Total population: 3,854 (#866 nationwide)
--- Male population: 1,981
--- Female population: 1,873
--- Child population, ages 5-18: 1,225

#20. Fort Madison, Lee County

- Total population: 4,011 (#807 nationwide)
--- Male population: 2,112
--- Female population: 1,899
--- Child population, ages 5-18: 1,242

#19. Washington, Washington County

- Total population: 4,043 (#790 nationwide)
--- Male population: 1,990
--- Female population: 2,053
--- Child population, ages 5-18: 1,245

#18. Lyons, Clinton County

- Total population: 4,088 (#771 nationwide)
--- Male population: 2,049
--- Female population: 2,039
--- Child population, ages 5-18: 1,306

#17. Mount Pleasant, Henry County

- Total population: 4,245 (#725 nationwide)
--- Male population: 2,062
--- Female population: 2,183
--- Child population, ages 5-18: 1,304

#16. Waterloo, Black Hawk County

- Total population: 4,337 (#694 nationwide)
--- Male population: 2,250
--- Female population: 2,087
--- Child population, ages 5-18: 1,176

#15. Knoxville, Marion County

- Total population: 4,750 (#570 nationwide)
--- Male population: 2,416
--- Female population: 2,334
--- Child population, ages 5-18: 1,622

#14. Lake Prarie, Marion County

- Total population: 4,958 (#530 nationwide)
--- Male population: 2,552
--- Female population: 2,406
--- Child population, ages 5-18: 1,708

#13. Ottumwa, Wapello County

- Total population: 5,214 (#482 nationwide)
--- Male population: 2,769
--- Female population: 2,445
--- Child population, ages 5-18: 1,475

#12. Des Moines, Boone County

- Total population: 5,241 (#478 nationwide)
--- Male population: 2,656
--- Female population: 2,585
--- Child population, ages 5-18: 1,563

#11. Iowa City, Johnson County

- Total population: 5,914 (#391 nationwide)
--- Male population: 2,915
--- Female population: 2,999
--- Child population, ages 5-18: 1,875

#10. Cedar Rapids, Linn County

- Total population: 5,940 (#389 nationwide)
--- Male population: 3,077
--- Female population: 2,863
--- Child population, ages 5-18: 1,844

#9. Clinton, Clinton County

- Total population: 6,129 (#369 nationwide)
--- Male population: 3,265
--- Female population: 2,864
--- Child population, ages 5-18: 1,664

#8. Centre, Henry County

- Total population: 6,310 (#351 nationwide)
--- Male population: 3,149
--- Female population: 3,161
--- Child population, ages 5-18: 1,858

#7. Muscatine, Muscatine County

- Total population: 6,718 (#320 nationwide)
--- Male population: 3,347
--- Female population: 3,371
--- Child population, ages 5-18: 2,138

#6. Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County

- Total population: 10,020 (#184 nationwide)
--- Male population: 5,477
--- Female population: 4,543
--- Child population, ages 5-18: 2,903

#5. Des Moines, Polk County

- Total population: 12,035 (#140 nationwide)
--- Male population: 6,182
--- Female population: 5,853
--- Child population, ages 5-18: 3,386

#4. Keokuk, Lee County

- Total population: 12,766 (#123 nationwide)
--- Male population: 6,530
--- Female population: 6,236
--- Child population, ages 5-18: 3,854

#3. Burlington, Des Miones County

- Total population: 14,930 (#104 nationwide)
--- Male population: 7,713
--- Female population: 7,217
--- Child population, ages 5-18: 4,545

#2. Dubuque, Dubuque County

- Total population: 18,434 (#83 nationwide)
--- Male population: 9,201
--- Female population: 9,233
--- Child population, ages 5-18: 5,855

#1. Davenport, Scott County

- Total population: 20,038 (#72 nationwide)
--- Male population: 10,316
--- Female population: 9,722
--- Child population, ages 5-18: 5,909

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