Spencer, Iowa

History

The first house was built in what is now Spencer in 1866, and the first store was opened in the area in 1869.

Spencer was platted as a town in 1871. In 1878, Spencer experience growth when the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway was built into the settlement.

Geography

Spencer's longitude and latitude coordinates
in decimal form are 43.145318, 95.147209.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.18 square miles (28.96 km²), of which, 11.01 square miles (28.52 km²) is land and 0.17 square miles (0.44 km²) is water. At one point Great Lakes Airlines was headquartered in Summit Township, Clay County, near Spencer.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 11,233 people, 5,018 households, and 3,009 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,020.3 inhabitants per square mile (393.9/km²). There were 5,431 housing units at an average density of 493.3 per square mile (190.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.0% White, 0.5% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 1.3% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.5% of the population.

There were 5,018 households of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.0% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.80.

The median age in the city was 41.5 years. 23% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.3% were from 25 to 44; 26.5% were from 45 to 64; and 19.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.7% male and 52.3% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 11,317 people, 4,842 households, and 3,011 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,118.1 people per square mile (431.8/km²). There were 5,151 housing units at an average density of 508.9 per square mile (196.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.57% White, 0.14% African American, 0.13% Native American, 1.11% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.43% of the population.

There were 4,842 households out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.89.

Age spread: 23.8% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 19.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 88.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,970, and the median income for a family was $43,145. Males had a median income of $30,537 versus $21,709 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,153. About 7.3% of families and 9.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.3% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

In 2004, the U.S. federal government placed Spencer's downtown business district on the National Register of Historic Places. Also in 2004, the State Historical Society of Iowa certified the Spencer Downtown Cultural District as one of the initial eight such projects across the state. Spencer's proposal for this designation included remodeling the old Spencer Middle School building into a multi-purpose facility with a senior citizen center, affordable housing units, and a restored facade. Future work on the old Middle School project involves restoration of the historic auditorium. Also part of the State Historical Society designation is the city's renovation of its Grand Avenue bridge to include commissioned stained glass plates in an Art Deco style.

Current cultural attractions in Spencer include the Spencer Community Theater, the Parker Historical Museum, public art displays, and the Bogenrief Glass Studio. Arts on Grand is a nonprofit organization supporting local area artists with a gallery shop, exhibits, classes, workshops, tours, fundraising events, and other activities. The Curiel-Reynolds School of Visual Arts (CRVA) relocated from Detroit to Spencer in 2007.

Spencer is the site of the library where Dewey Readmore Books was the cat in residence from January 18, 1988, until November 29, 2006. His story is told in Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World, by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter.

Radio stations

U.S. Route 18 and U.S. Route 71 combine into one roadway for approximately 3 miles to travel through Spencer.

The Spencer Municipal Airport is located three miles (5 km) northwest of the business district of Spencer. Great Lakes Airlines was formerly headquartered there. At the height of Great Lake's service, the airline provided non-stop flights to several locations in the continental United States utilizing Beechcraft 1900D and EMB Brasilia aircraft. The airline has since relocated to Cheyenne, Wyoming. Currently, the fixed-base operator is Leading Edge Aviation. They provide aircraft charters, rentals and flight instruction.

Notable people