(Redirected from Sioux City)
'Sioux City' (
IPA: ) is a city located in northwest
Iowa in the
United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 85,013. The 2006 census estimate indicated a slight decline to 83,262.
[1] It is the
county seat of
Woodbury County.
Sioux City is at the navigational head of the
Missouri River, about north of the
Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area. Sioux City and the surrounding areas of northwestern
Iowa, northeastern
Nebraska and southeastern
South Dakota are sometimes referred to as
Siouxland, especially by the local
media.
Sioux City is the home of
Morningside College,
Briar Cliff University,
St. Luke's College and
Western Iowa Tech Community College.
In 2005, Sioux City, along with Coon Rapids, Iowa and Clinton was awarded one of the inaugural Iowa Great Places designations.
[1]
History
Main articles: History of Sioux City, Iowa
Geography and Climate
Sioux City is located at (42.497957, -96.395705). Sioux City is at an altitude of above sea level.
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 144.9
km² (56.0
mi²). 141.9 km² (54.8 mi²) of it is land and 3.0 km² (1.2 mi²) of it (2.06%) is water.
Metropolitan area
As of the 2000
census, the Sioux City metropolitan area had 143,053 residents in four counties; the population was estimated at 143,474 in 2006.
[2] As defined by the
Office of Management and Budget, the counties comprising the metropolitan area are (in descending order of population):
★
Woodbury County, Iowa
★
Dakota County, Nebraska
★
Union County, South Dakota
★
Dixon County, Nebraska
Two of these counties -- Union and Dixon -- were added to the metro area in 2003. In reality, only Woodbury, Dakota, and Union counties contain any metropolitan character; Dixon County is entirely rural.
Plymouth County isn't considered part of metropolitan Sioux City although the extreme north and northwest sides of the city spill over into Plymouth County. It's also estimated that 40-50% of Plymouth county works in Woodbury county
Climate
| Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures |
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec High °F | 71 | 71 | 91 | 97 | 102 | 108 | 108 | 104 | 103 | 94 | 81 | 70 |
|---|
| Norm High °F | 28.7 | 35 | 47.3 | 61.7 | 73.2 | 82.5 | 86.2 | 83.7 | 76 | 63.7 | 44.8 | 31.7 |
|---|
| Norm Low °F | 8.5 | 15.3 | 25.7 | 37.3 | 49.2 | 58.5 | 62.9 | 60.6 | 50.1 | 38 | 24.8 | 12.8 |
|---|
| Rec Low °F | -26 | -26 | -22 | -2 | 25 | 38 | 42 | 37 | 24 | 12 | -9 | -24 |
|---|
| Precip (in) | 0.59 | 0.62 | 2 | 2.75 | 3.75 | 3.61 | 3.3 | 2.9 | 2.42 | 1.99 | 1.4 | 0.66 |
|---|
| ''Source: USTravelWeather.com [2]'' |
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 85,013 people, 32,054 households, and 21,091 families residing in the city. The
population density was 599.0/km² (1,551.3/mi²). There were 33,816 housing units at an average density of 238.3/km² (617.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 85.23%
White, 2.41%
African American, 1.95%
Native American, 2.82%
Asian, 0.04%
Pacific Islander, 5.27% from
other races, and 2.28% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 10.89% of the population.
There were 32,054 households out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were
married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.2% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.14.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.1% under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 95.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $37,429, and the median income for a family was $45,751. Males had a median income of $31,385 versus $22,470 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $18,666. About 7.9% of families and 11.2% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 15.0% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.
Neighborhoods, commercial districts, and suburbs

Confluence of the Missouri and Floyd Rivers in Sioux City
City neighborhoods
Main articles: Neighborhoods of Sioux City, Iowa
Surrounding Towns

Veteran's Memorial Bridge
Sioux City, IA
★
South Sioux City, Nebraska is directly across the
Missouri River in
Dakota County. With nearly 12,000 residents, it is by far the largest suburb of Sioux City. It was an
All America City in 2003. Two bridges -- the Veterans Memorial Bridge and the Interstate 129 bridge -- connect Sioux City with South Sioux City.
★
Dakota City, Nebraska is just south of South Sioux City. It is the county seat of
Dakota County. Large beef-processing plants are located in Dakota City.
★
North Sioux City, South Dakota is just across the
Big Sioux River in
Union County. It is home to a number of
casinos. It is also the home to several major industrial concerns, including Iams Pet Food, Interbake Foods, and Gateway, Inc., the computer company.
★
Dakota Dunes, South Dakota is an
unincorporated "master-planned community" just west of Sioux City in the extreme southeast corner of
South Dakota. Construction began circa 1989. Expensive new homes, suburban-style office parks, and a
country club golf course designed by
Arnold Palmer characterize this area.
★
Sergeant Bluff, Iowa is a mainly residential
suburb adjacent to the southern city limits of Sioux City, less than a mile east of the Sioux City
airport.
Parks, recreation, and locations of interest

Stone State Park
Sioux City, IA
★ '
Stone State Park' is in the northwest corner of the city, overlooking the South Dakota/Iowa border. Stone Park is near the northernmost extent of the
Loess Hills, and is at the transition from clay bluffs and prairie to sedimentary rock hills and
bur oak forest along the Iowa side of the
Big Sioux River. Popular for decades with
picnickers and day hikers, it has been a local hot spot for mountain biking since the late 1980s.
★ '
Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center' is a destination nature preserve for Woodbury County, and is located within the boundaries of Stone State Park. The butterfly garden is unique to the area;
wild turkeys and
white-tail deer are commonly sighted from the well-marked trails.
★
KD Station(Sioux City building on National Register of Historic Places) In 2006 in was set on fire and totally ruined, it is now slated for demolition.
★ '
Grandview Park' is located north of the downtown area, up from Rose Hill, between The Northside and The Heights. The '
Municipal Bandshell' is located in the park. In summer, Sunday evening municipal band concerts are a longstanding Sioux City tradition. The
Saturday in the Park music festival is held there annually. Behind the bandshell is an extensive rose garden with an elaborate arbor and trellises which has long been a popular site for outdoor weddings, prom and other special occasion photographs, and for children to play during the Sunday evening band concerts and other events.
★ 'Pulaski Park' is named for the
Polish General
Kazimierz Pułaski, who fought in the American Revolution. This park features baseball diamond facilities, and is located in western Morningside along old U.S. Highway 75 (South Lewis Blvd.). It is largely built on the filled lakebed of Half Moon Lake, which was originally created in the 1890s by the excavation of fill dirt to build the approaches for the iron railroad bridge spanning the Missouri near the Stockyards. The neighborhood on the bluff overlooking the park was historically settled by
Lithuanian and Polish immigrants, many of whom worked in the meatpacking industry during the early 20th century.
★ '
Latham Park' is located in an old residential area of Morningside, and is the only privately owned and maintained open-to-the-public park within the city limits. It was left in trust in 1937 under the terms of Clara Latham's will; her family had built the house on one acre of ground in 1915. The house and grounds are currently being restored by the Friends of Latham Park.
★ 'The
Sergeant Floyd Monument' commemorates the burial site of U.S. Army Sergeant
Charles Floyd, the only man to die on the
Lewis and Clark Expedition. It is a
National Historic Landmark, with its prominent obelisk situated on 23 acres of parkland, high on a river bluff with a splendid view of the
Missouri River valley.
★ '
First Bride's Grave' is near the Sergeant Floyd monument, and located in Morningside's South Ravine Park. A short hike brings one to the stone monument which marks the final resting place of Rosalie Menard Leonais (d. 1865), the bride of Joseph Leonais in the first Christian wedding to take place in Sioux City.
★ '
War Eagle Park' is named for the
Yankton Sioux chief
Wambdi Okicize (d. 1851) who befriended early settlers. An impressive monument overlooks the confluence of the Big Sioux and Missouri Rivers; the sculpture represents the chief in his role as a leader and peacemaker, wearing the
eagle feather bonnet and holding the
peace pipe.
★ '
Riverside Park' is located on the banks of the Big Sioux River. One of the oldest recreational areas of the city, it is home to the Sioux City Boat Club and Sioux City Community Theater. The park is on land that once belonged to the first white settler in the area, Theophile Bruguier; his original
cabin is preserved in the park.
★ 'Bacon Creek Park' is located northeast of Morningside and features fishing, canoe rentals, and a scenic walking trail.
★ 'Chris Larsen Park', informally known as "The Riverfront", is the launching point for the riverboat casino and includes the Anderson Dance Pavilion, the '
Sergeant Floyd Riverboat Museum' and the '
Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center', opened in 2004. Massive Missouri River development began in 2005 with the opening of the MLR Tyme Marina area, which includes Beverly's, an upscale restaurant.
★ 'Golf courses, city parks, and aquatics:' Sioux City is also home to several municipal public
golf courses, including Floyd Park in Morningside, Green Valley near the Southern Hills, Sun Valley on the northern West Side, and Hidden Acres in nearby Plymouth County. Sioux City also has a number of private golf clubs, including Sioux City Country Club, Southern Hills Country Club, and Whispering Creek Golf Club. The city has over of public parkland located at 53 locations, including the beautiful riverfront and many miles of recreation trails. Five public swimming pools/aquatics centers are located within Sioux City neighborhoods.
★ 'The
Sioux City Public Museum' is located in a Northside neighborhood of fine Victorian mansions. The portico-and-gabled stone building was originally the home of the banker,
John Peirce, and was built in 1890. The museum features Native American, pioneer, early Sioux City, and natural history exhibits.
★ ' The
Sioux City Art Center' was formed in 1938 as part of the
WPA’s support of the arts. The Art Center is committed to supporting artists from Iowa and the greater Midwest. Also, the Center has a general program of acquisition of work by national and international artists, including important works by
Thomas Hart Benton,
Salvador DalÃ,
Käthe Kollwitz,
Robert Motherwell,
Claes Oldenburg,
James McNeil Whistler, and
Grant Wood. It is located Downtown.
★ ' The
Sioux City Symphony Orchestra' and 'The Sioux City Municipal Band'
★ ' The
Woodbury county courthouse'
Media
Television stations
★
KTIV, Channel 4,
NBC affiliate
★
KCAU, Channel 9,
ABC affiliate
★
KMEG, Channel 14,
CBS affiliate
★
KSIN, Channel 27,
PBS member station
★
KPTH, Channel 44,
Fox affiliate
Radio stations
''(Note: Not an all-inclusive list. Some low-power stations and stations audible from adjacent markets are excluded. Due to extremely high soil conductivity in the Midwest, many AM stations from other cities are audible in Sioux City.)
FM stations
★
K-LOVE, 88.9, Plays commercial free
contemporary Christian music. Also can be picked up on 107.5 out of
Castana, Iowa.
★
KMSC, 88.3, operated by
Morningside College
★
KWIT, 90.3, public radio, operated by
Western Iowa Technical Community College
★
KGLI, 95.5, "KG95" --
adult contemporary; previously played
top 40; signed on in 1983
★
KSEZ, 97.9, "Z98" -- plays
rock music (classic and new rock); previously
top 40 station "Rock 98" in the 1980s
★
KKMA, 99.5, "Kool 99.5" -- plays
Classic Hits; formerly
adult contemporary "Magic 99"; call letters were KZZL in the early 1980s as an
easy listening format Home of Iowa State Cyclones athletics
★
KKYY, 101.3, "Y101.3" --
country music; the newest FM signal in the market
★
KZSR, 102.3, "102.3 Bob-FM" -- a "
adult hits" station; signed on as Bob-FM on March 13, 2006
★
KTFC, 103.3,
Religious radio station ("Midwest Bible Radio")
★
WNAX-FM, 104.1, country; broadcasts from
Yankton, South Dakota; low-power translator K283AG broadcasts at 104.5 FM in Sioux City, but both frequencies are audible in Sioux City. Previously oldies/classic hits KCLH; was
top 40 KQHU "Q104" in 1990.
★
KSUX, 105.7, "The SuperPig, K-Sioux 105.7"; has played
country music since the signal went on-air in the fall of 1990; reportedly the station's first owners named the station after the airport abbreviation (SUX) and did not recognize the latent humor in the KSUX calls until it was too late.
★
KSFT, 107.1, "Kiss 107FM" --
top 40 station as of March 13, 2006; previously played
adult contemporary; signed on in the mid-1990s.
AM stations
★
WNAX, 570,
talk radio and
farm news from
Yankton, South Dakota; massive signal covering much of the upper
Midwest
★
KMNS, 620,
sports talk radio; for a long time, was "62 Country"
★
KSCJ, 1360,
talk radio; call letters derive from the Sioux City ''Journal'', which once owned the station
★
KWSL, 1470,
spanish language music; previously sports talk; was a
top 40 station into at least the 1980s.
Print
★ Sioux City ''Journal'', daily newspaper serving entire Siouxland region www.siouxcityjournal.com
★ Dakota County ''Star'', weekly newspaper serving northeast Nebraska
★ Sioux City ''Hispanos Unidos'', bi-weekly Spanish readers paper
★ ''The Weekender'', weekly arts and entertainment magazine serving the entire Siouxland region www.siouxland.net
Notable Residents
★
Dave Bancroft, Major League
Baseball Hall of Fame shortstop.
★
Patricia Barber, internationally famous jazz singer-diva, pianist, bandleader, recording artist. Although born in Chicago, she was raised and educated in South Sioux City, Nebraska, where she completed high school.
★
Ben Bernstein, noted jazz, bluegrass and rock bassist, including as a member of
New Monsoon
★
Tommy Bolin, guitarist who had a solo career and was also a member of
Deep Purple and
The James Gang.
★
Brandon Brooks, Leading professor in Quantum Mechanical Phenomena, coined the phrase "Qubits" in article for SIAM Journal on Computing.
★
Macdonald Carey, actor. The longtime patriarch on ''
Days of Our Lives''.
★
Eric Carter, member of Kansas House of Representatives.]
★ Colonel
George E. "Bud" Day U.S. Air Force, Vietnam
POW, recipient of the
Medal of Honor is the United States' most highly decorated officer since General
Douglas MacArthur. The Sioux City Airport is named Colonel Bud Day Field in his honor as is 6th Street (Honorable Bud Day Street).
★
W. Edwards Deming, 1900–1993, American statistician and quality-control expert - Deming helped to improve Japan's quality control and management processes.
★
Zeron Flemister, NFL player, Oakland Raiders.
★ Esther and Paulline Friedman, better known as
Ann Landers and
Abigail Van Buren. Graduates of Central High School.
★
Peggy Gilbert, jazz saxophonist and bandleader.
★
Dan Goldie, former tennis player, winner of 2 ATP singles titles
★
Fred Grandy, actor, congressman, former CEO of Goodwill; currently morning drive-time color jock for WMAL Radio, Washington, D.C.
★
Dick Green, Former MLB second baseman with the Kansas City and
Oakland Athletics.
★
John Hardy, NFL player, San Francisco 49ers.
★
Noah Holcomb, Professional Cyclist.
★
William L. Harding, Governor of Iowa (1919-1921).
★
Jules Harlow, conservative Jewish rabbi and liturgist.
★
Kirk Hinrich, Chicago Bulls guard.
★
Harry Hopkins,
Secretary of Commerce, advisor to FDR during World War II.
★
Robert Lowry, Classical clarinetist.
★
Al McIntosh, distinguished newspaper editor whose columns are featured in
Ken Burns'
''The War''.
★
Jerry Mathers, Beaver Cleaver on TV's "
Leave It To Beaver".
★
Daniel ("Danny") Matousek, lead singer and guitarist for
The Velaires. Graduate of Central High School.
★
Lori Petty, actress best known for her starring role opposite Geena Davis and Tom Hanks on "A League of Their Own".
★
Frances Rafferty, MGM actress of the 1940s & early TV star best known for playing opposite
Spring Byington on the sitcom "December Bride."
★
Edward J. Sperling, Jewish writer and humorist.
★
Brian Wansink -- Cornell University Professor and author of ''
★
Ted Waitt and
Norman Waitt, co-founders of
Gateway, Inc.
★
Pierre Watkin, talented and prolific character actor in radio, films and TV from 1930s-1950s, most famously portrayed Daily Planet Editor
Perry White in the original
Superman serials and the Banker in the 1940 W.C. Fields film, "The Bank Dick."
Sister City
★ Sioux City is the sister city of
Lake Charles, Louisiana.
References
1. Population Estimates and Rankings for Population, Numerical Change, and Percent Change for Iowa's Incorporated Places: 2000-2006 Iowa Data Center
2. Population Estimates and Components of Population Change for Iowa's Metropolitan Areas (2003 Definition): 2000-2006 Iowa Data Center
External links
★
Sioux City History
★
Sioux City 1848-1923
★
Sioux City and Woodbury County 1890 (fascinating natural and early civic history, including interviews with original settlers)
★
City of Sioux City
★
Attractions and Recreation
★
Sioux City Public Museum
★
Sioux City Art Center
★
Sioux City ''Journal'' ''(local newspaper)''
★
Saturday in the Park ''(annual music festival)''
★
Siouxland.net ''(local arts and entertainment paper)''
★
Mary Treglia Community Center
★
History of the Stockyards