Bloomfield, Iowa

Geography

Bloomfield is located in the southeastern part of Iowa near the Missouri border.
Bloomfield's longitude and latitude coordinates
in decimal form are 40.751122, -92.417007.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.28 square miles (5.91 km²), of which, 2.25 square miles (5.83 km²) is land and 0.03 square miles (0.08 km²) is water.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 2,640 people, 1,122 households, and 683 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,173.3 inhabitants per square mile (453.0/km²). There were 1,259 housing units at an average density of 559.6 per square mile (216.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.3% White, 0.2% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.5% of the population.

There were 1,122 households of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.9% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.1% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.4% 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 2.89.

The median age in the city was 43 years. 23.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21% were from 25 to 44; 25.2% were from 45 to 64; and 22.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.0% male and 54.0% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,601 people, 1,123 households, and 668 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,145.0 people per square mile (442.4/km²). There were 1,228 housing units at an average density of 540.6 per square mile (208.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.54% White, 0.12% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.15% from other races, and 0.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.38% of the population.

There were 1,123 households out of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.9% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.5% were non-families. 36.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.84.

Age spread: 20.8% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 26.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 82.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,471, and the median income for a family was $44,073. Males had a median income of $25,260 versus $23,686 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,962. About 3.9% of families and 8.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.3% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.

Annual events

The Davis County Fair is held in July every year at the fairgrounds, west of Bloomfield.

The week-long Davis County Country & Old Time Music Festival is held every September at the fairgrounds.

Davis County Courthouse

The Davis County Courthouse was designed by Thomas J. Tolan & Son, Architects, of Fort Wayne Indiana and is situated on the Bloomfield townsquare. In November 1876, the center of the square was cleared of trees and the following June, Larkworthy & Menke, of Quincy, Illinois, was awarded the contract to supply stone. The bell was made by the Meneely & Kimberly Bell Company of Troy, New York. The clock was made by the Seth Thomas Company and still resides within the clock tower. The building was completed in 1879. A chain surrounding the courthouse was added in 1879 and an iron fence, by the Cleveland Wrought Iron Fence Company, was added in 1881.

On August 27, 1924, Henry "Dare-Devil" Roland, "The Human Fly," attempted to climb the northwest corner of the courthouse. He fell to the ground from about 25 feet, breaking his hip. He was hospitalized in Bloomfield for six weeks, before returning east with his wife and daughter. On June 28, 1932, Roland made a return trip to Bloomfield to remove the blot from his record of successful climbs. This time, in just eleven minutes, he was sitting perched astride the statue of Blind Justice. Roland died October 7, 1937, as a result of a trapeze fall at Ottway, Tennessee.

The Davis County Court House was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 3, 1974. The courthouse was photographed by Bob Thall as part of the Bicentennial project commissioned by Joseph E. Seagram & Sons, Inc. to document more than 1,100 American courthouses. One of the results of this project was the 1978 book Court House, edited by Richard Pare. Thall's photo was part of the project's traveling exhibition and also appeared in The New York Times Book Review, American Heritage and Newsweek magazines.

The Bloomfield Square Historic District, which surrounds the courthouse, was added to the National Register's listings on November 7, 1976.

The Davis County Courthouse Preservation Fund was incorporated in November 2005.

Transportation

Bloomfield lies at the junction of U.S. Route 63 and Iowa Highway 2.

Notable people