Chariton, Iowa

Chariton, Iowa
City
Lucas County Courthouse in Chariton
Location of Chariton, Iowa
Country	United States
State	Iowa
County	Lucas
Area
• Total	3.7 sq mi (9.6 km2)
• Land	3.7 sq mi (9.6 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	1,027 ft (313 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	4,573
• Density	1,238.2/sq mi (478.1/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	50049
Area code	641
FIPS code	19-12720
GNIS feature ID	0455350

Chariton is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Iowa, United States.Template:GR The population was 4,573 at the 2000 census. It is the primary distribution center for, and former corporate seat of, the Hy-Vee supermarket chain.

Chariton is located at 41°0′58″N 93°18′27″W / 41.01611°N 93.30750°W / 41.01611; -93.30750 (41.016033, -93.307610)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.7 square miles (9.6 km²), all of it land.

It is the exact half way point, on U.S. Route 34 (runs east and west to each side of the state). The courthouse is the highest point of elevation in the whole town and is located on the Missouri/Mississippi River Divide.^{[citation needed]}

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 4,573 people, 1,936 households, and 1,192 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,238.2 people per square mile (478.5/km²). There were 2,155 housing units at an average density of 583.5/sq mi (225.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.88% White, 0.15% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.26% from other races, and 0.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.87% of the population.

There were 1,936 households out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.4% were non-families. 34.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.7% 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 2.92.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.6% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 22.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 90.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,844, and the median income for a family was $37,935. Males had a median income of $32,265 versus $21,981 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,553. About 6.6% of families and 12.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.5% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.

• Paul Engebretsen, National Football League player
• Leo Hoegh, former governor
• Mortimer Wilson, composer
• Gordon Willey, anthropologist

• Chariton was a center for high quality watchmaking in the 1860s and into the 20th century.^[1]

Designed by local architect William L. Perkins and listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its role in the development of Chariton as a county seat, the Hotel Charitone is listed by the Iowa Historic Preservation Alliance as one of the most endangered sites in Iowa.^[2]

The Chariton School District is the only school district in the county since 2008, when the Russell School District closed. There are two elementary schools, Columbus Elementary (K-2 grades) and Van Allen Elementary (3-5 grades); one middle school, Chariton Middle School (6-8 grades); and one high school, Chariton High School (9-12).

Owned by the City of Chariton, the Chariton Municipal Airport has served the city and Lucas County since April 1947.^[3][4]

• "Chariton, Iowa Community Web Page". City of Chariton. August 25, 2009. Retrieved 2009-08-27.
• "Chariton Municipal Airport home page". Tripod.com. August 9, 2004. Retrieved 2009-08-27.
• Chariton schools website