Sheldon, Iowa

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Sheldon, Iowa
settlement_type = City
nickname =
motto =

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mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location of Sheldon, Iowa


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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name =
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 =
subdivision_type2 = Counties
subdivision_name2 = O'Brien, Sioux
government_footnotes =
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leader_title =
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unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =

area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 11.4
area_land_km2 = 11.4
area_water_km2 = 0.0
area_total_sq_mi = 4.4
area_land_sq_mi = 4.4
area_water_sq_mi = 0.0

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 4914
population_density_km2 = 432.3
population_density_sq_mi = 1119.6

timezone = Central (CST)
utc_offset = -6
timezone_DST = CDT
utc_offset_DST = -5
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 435
elevation_ft = 1427
latd = 43 |latm = 10 |lats = 52 |latNS = N
longd = 95 |longm = 50 |longs = 53 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 51201
area_code = 712
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 19-72390
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0461558
website =
footnotes =

Sheldon is a city in O'Brien and Sioux Counties in the U.S. state of Iowa, along the Floyd River. The population was 4,914 at the 2000 census; it is the largest city in O'Brien County.

History and culture

Sheldon was founded in 1872 and named after the railroad man Israel Sheldon. It was early a strategic location on the rail for businesses from as far away as Minneapolis and Omaha. Today, the city is at the crossroads of Iowa Highway 60 and U.S. Highway 18. In 1961, the city made headlines when it was revealed that Burnice Geiger had embezzled more than two million dollars from her father's bank. Today, the city is most known for its annual display of marigolds and the moniker of its local schools' athletic teams - the ORABS. Sheldon High School also hosts the Sheldon High School Summer Theatre program. Sheldon is the home of Northwest Iowa Community College and Village Northwest Unlimited. Sheldon, Iowa was briefly mentioned in the Jack Kerouac novel On the Road. (Shelton, Iowa is mentioned on page 18 as the place that Eddie hates ever since he stepped out on the platform to smoke, but there is no reference to Sheldon.) Sheldon was also mentioned on page 13 of the Tim O'Brien book If I Die in a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Ship Me Home: "Together we watched trombones and crepe-paper floats move down mainstreet. The bands and floats represented Sheldon, Tyler, Sibley, Jackson, and a dozen other neighboring towns".

Geography

Sheldon is located at coor dms|43|10|52|N|95|50|53|W|city (43.181180, -95.848123).GR|1

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.4 square miles (11.4 km²).None of the area is covered with water.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 4,914 people, 2,006 households, and 1,285 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,119.6 people per square mile (432.2/km²). There were 2,126 housing units at an average density of 484.4/sq mi (187.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.48% White, 0.43% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.77% Asian, 0.81% from other races, and 0.45% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.56% of the population.

There were 2,006 households out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.5% were married couples living together, 4.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,058, and the median income for a family was $43,346. Males had a median income of $31,026 versus $20,604 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,254. About 3.6% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.1% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.

Notable natives and residents

*Tom Brands, gold medalist in freestyle wrestling at the 1996 Olympic Games
*A.G. Kruger, competitor at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games
*Dennis Marion Schnurr, Roman Catholic Bishop

Media

Sheldon is home to a KIWA-AM, and KIWA-FM, and to Iowa Information, Inc., publishers of the Sheldon Mail-Sun and The N'West Iowa REVIEW. The latter has been named the state's Newspaper of the Year 13 times and named the best weekly in the United States by the National Newspaper Association from 2000 to 2005 and again in 2007.

References

External links

* [http://www.sheldoniowa.com Sheldon, Iowa]