Hamburg, Iowa

Hamburg is a city in Fremont County, Iowa, United States, that is the most southwestern city in Iowa, hugging the borders of Missouri to the south and Nebraska to the west. It is situated between the Nishnabotna and Missouri rivers. The population was 1,187 at the 2010 census. It derives its name from the German city of Hamburg.

Hamburg, Iowa
City
The community on June 16, 2011 during the 2011 Missouri River floods after a levee protecting it was breached. A second levee was built and held
Location of Hamburg, Iowa
Coordinates: 40°36′21″N 95°39′18″W
Country United States
State Iowa
CountyFremont
Area
 • Total1.10 sq mi (2.85 km2)
 • Land1.10 sq mi (2.84 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
919 ft (280 m)
Population
 • Total1,187
 • Estimate 
(2019)[3]
1,060
 • Density965.39/sq mi (372.73/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
51640
Area code(s)712 Exchange: 382
FIPS code19-33780
GNIS feature ID0457215

History

The city is less than a quarter mile from the Missouri state line. The first settlers in the community were people who actually thought they were settling in Missouri following the Platte Purchase of former Indian territory there across the state line opened up settlement. The first formal settlement in the Hamburg vicinity were by the brothers James McKissick, Cornelius McKissick, Daniel McKissick who established McKissick's Grove. A survey was made when Iowa entered the union in 1846, and only then did the settlers discover that they were in Iowa and not Missouri.[4]

The brothers were also involved in another border irregularity when they bought McKissick Island a mile south of Hamburg. They thought at the time the island in the Missouri River was attached to Nebraska territory. The river changed course in 1867 resulting in the island becoming physically attached by dry land to Missouri and cut off from Nebraska by the main channel. Missouri and Nebraska both claimed the island and it was decided in 1904 by the U.S. Supreme Court that it belonged to Nebraska, although the states did not formally agree to the arrangement until 1999. In the meantime students from the Nebraska island passed through Missouri en route to being educated in Hamburg in Iowa.[4][5]

Hamburg was formally laid out in 1857 at the behest of Augustus Borchers (August Heinrich B., August 26, 1817, Harburg near Hamburg, Germany - November 23, 1885, Hamburg (Ia.))[6] who named for the German city and was formally incorporated on April 1, 1867 at about the same time as it was reached by the Council Bluffs and St. Joseph Railroad. A second railroad Nebraska City Branch of the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad (which came from Red Oak, Iowa) came through in 1870.[4]

Alex and Arthur Vogel started Vogel and Son Popcorn Company in 1948. The company grew to the point where he bought the city's old water tower and train station to store his popcorn - the two structures hold a million pounds of popcorn. In 1960 the city started its Popcorn Days festival (replacing an earlier named peony festival). Vogel Popcorn is now owned by ConAgra Foods but remains headquartered in the city. Its popcorn is used in Act II and Orville Redenbacher's.[7]

The city gets considerable publicity during periods of Missouri River flooding, including most recently the 2019 Midwestern U.S. floods, which left the city without sewage, water or gas. In 2012, residents sought to raise funds for repairs to the city's flood control levee with a flash mob dance video of "Proud Mary," but did not receive the $5 million needed.[8][9][8][10][11]

  • An aerial view of the breach at levee L-575 near Hamburg, which occurred June 13, 2011 and increased to nearly 300 feet in size.
  • Natural-colour satellite image of muddy flood water near Hamburg after the levee breach.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.10 square miles (2.85 km2), all land.[12]

Climate

The hottest temperature ever recorded in Hamburg was 109 °F on July 21, 1974, and the lowest temperature was −25 °F on December 23, 1989. On average, the hottest month is July, and the coldest is January.

Climate data for Hamburg, Iowa
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 69
(21)		 82
(28)		 91
(33)		 96
(36)		 100
(38)		 105
(41)		 109
(43)		 103
(39)		 102
(39)		 94
(34)		 83
(28)		 72
(22)		 109
(43)
Average high °F (°C) 33
(1)		 39
(4)		 51
(11)		 63
(17)		 73
(23)		 82
(28)		 86
(30)		 84
(29)		 78
(26)		 66
(19)		 50
(10)		 36
(2)		 62
(17)
Daily mean °F (°C) 24
(−4)		 29
(−2)		 40
(4)		 52
(11)		 63
(17)		 72
(22)		 76
(24)		 74
(23)		 66
(19)		 54
(12)		 40
(4)		 27
(−3)		 51
(11)
Average low °F (°C) 14
(−10)		 19
(−7)		 28
(−2)		 40
(4)		 52
(11)		 62
(17)		 66
(19)		 64
(18)		 54
(12)		 42
(6)		 30
(−1)		 18
(−8)		 41
(5)
Record low °F (°C) −22
(−30)		 −23
(−31)		 −17
(−27)		 8
(−13)		 28
(−2)		 41
(5)		 44
(7)		 42
(6)		 28
(−2)		 14
(−10)		 −9
(−23)		 −25
(−32)		 −25
(−32)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.82
(21)		 0.95
(24)		 2.44
(62)		 3.36
(85)		 4.51
(115)		 4.22
(107)		 5.08
(129)		 3.85
(98)		 3.61
(92)		 2.63
(67)		 2.09
(53)		 1.10
(28)		 34.66
(881)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 6.5
(17)		 6.1
(15)		 5.9
(15)		 1.7
(4.3)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0.5
(1.3)		 3.1
(7.9)		 7.1
(18)		 30.9
(78.5)
Source 1: [13]
Source 2: [14]

Demographics
Historical populations
YearPop.±%
1860167—    
18701,431+756.9%
18802,036+42.3%
18901,634−19.7%
19002,079+27.2%
19101,817−12.6%
19202,017+11.0%
19302,103+4.3%
19402,187+4.0%
19502,086−4.6%
19601,647−21.0%
19701,649+0.1%
19801,597−3.2%
19901,248−21.9%
20001,240−0.6%
20101,187−4.3%
20191,060−10.7%
Source:"U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2020-03-29. and Iowa Data Center
Source:
U.S. Decennial Census[15]

2010 census

As of the census[2] of 2010, there were 1,187 people, 514 households, and 312 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,079.1 inhabitants per square mile (416.6/km2). There were 594 housing units at an average density of 540.0 per square mile (208.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 94.2% White, 0.8% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.7% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.2% of the population.

There were 514 households, of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.3% were non-families. 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.88.

The median age in the city was 41 years. 23.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.5% were from 25 to 44; 26.3% were from 45 to 64; and 19.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.1% male and 49.9% female.

2000 census

As of the census[16] of 2000, there were 1,240 people, 544 households, and 343 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,107.1 people per square mile (427.5/km2). There were 604 housing units at an average density of 539.3 per square mile (208.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 96.21% White, 0.08% African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 2.66% from other races, and 0.48% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.48% of the population.

There were 544 households, out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.1% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.8% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.9% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 21.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,479, and the median income for a family was $42,935. Males had a median income of $28,162 versus $20,781 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,050. About 11.7% of families and 13.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.3% of those under age 18 and 11.0% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Hamburg is the corporate headquarters of Vogel Popcorn, which claims to be the source of 52 percent of the popcorn grown in the United States.[17]

Education

Hamburg Community School District operates a PreK-8 public school; the district pays other school districts to educate high school students.[18]

From 2011 until 2016 Hamburg was in a grade-sharing relationship with the Farragut Community School District; prior to 2015 Hamburg students had to go to Farragut for senior high school, while after 2015 all secondary school students (middle and high school) went to Farragut.[19] Nishnabotna High School in Farragut became the community high school for both Farragut and Hamburg.[20] The Farragut closed in 2016,[21] and the Hamburg district became a K-8 district that sent its high school students to other districts.[18]

Notable people
gollark: Can we create a dedicated, separate #weather channel?
gollark: Also, how do you plan to reach it?
gollark: I'm fairly sure it has very variable brightness.
gollark: ... probably, but don't go there.
gollark: If you can get past that, the other stuff is probably minør.

See also

References
  1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  2. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-05-11.
  3. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  4. "Fremont County, Iowa history from Andreas' Atlas of Iowa 1875". Iagenweb.org. Archived from the original on 2013-07-26. Retrieved 2013-04-02.
  5. "History of Communities: Nemaha Co. NEGenWeb". Rootsweb.ancestry.com. Retrieved 2013-04-02.
  6. Ernst August Borchers: Borchers aus Goslar 1400-2000 - A Family's History
  7. Enke, Phil (2010-09-14). "Art Vogel honored for sparking celebration - News - Hamburg Reporter - Hamburg, IA". Hamburg Reporter. Retrieved 2013-04-02.
  8. Norvell, Kim (October 9, 2019). "205 days and counting: For western Iowa, recovery from historic flooding remains a long way off". Des Moines Register. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  9. Almukhtar, Sarah; Migliozzi, Blacki; Schwartz, John; Williams, Josh (September 11, 2019). "The Great Flood of 2019: A Complete Picture of a Slow-Motion Disaster". New York Times. Retrieved 2019-09-15.
  10. Young, Robin; McMahon, Serena (April 10, 2019). "'Half Of Our Town Is Still Underwater': One Iowa Mayor Worries About More Flooding As Snow Hits The Midwest". WBUR. Retrieved 2019-09-21.
  11. Everson, Sean (19 March 2019). "Hamburg, Iowa, devastated by flooding, is without water, sewage and gas". KETV Omaha. ABC. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  12. "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-05-11.
  13. "Monthly Average/Record Temperatures". Weather Channel. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  14. "Historical Averages". Intellicast. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  15. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  16. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  17. "The Vogel Story". Vogel Popcorn. Retrieved 2013-04-02.
  18. "SCHOOL FEATURE: Enrollment for Sidney High School stands at 140". Hamburg Reporter. 2015-12-09. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
  19. Ryan, Mackenzie (2015-03-26). "Two districts to close schools to keep accreditation". Des Moines-Register. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
  20. Álvarez, Brenda (2017-04-11). "How a Community Copes When a School Shuts its Doors". NEA Today, National Education Association. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
  21. "Farragut Community School District has dissolved". Associated Press at Des Moines Register. 2016-07-01. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
  22. Hoffman, Jan (25 April 2000). "PUBLIC LIVES; Behind the Wheel, an Organizer in Pearls". New York Times. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  23. 'Illinois Blue Book 1979-1980,' Biographical Sketch of Ben Polk, pg. 139
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