Iowa, Louisiana | |
Official Name: | Town of Iowa |
Settlement Type: | Town |
Image Map1: | Louisiana in United States (US48).svg |
Map Caption1: | Location of Louisiana in the United States |
Coordinates: | 30.2375°N -93.0142°W |
Subdivision Type: | Country |
Subdivision Name: | United States |
Subdivision Type1: | State |
Subdivision Name1: | Louisiana |
Subdivision Type2: | Parish |
Subdivision Name2: | Calcasieu |
Established Title: | Founded |
Leader Title: | Mayor |
Leader Name: | Neal Watkins |
Unit Pref: | Imperial |
Area Footnotes: | [1] |
Area Total Km2: | 8.89 |
Area Total Sq Mi: | 3.43 |
Area Land Km2: | 8.80 |
Area Land Sq Mi: | 3.40 |
Area Water Km2: | 0.10 |
Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.04 |
Elevation Ft: | 20 |
Population As Of: | 2020 |
Population Total: | 3436 |
Population Density Km2: | 390.64 |
Population Density Sq Mi: | 1011.78 |
Timezone1: | CST |
Utc Offset1: | -6 |
Timezone1 Dst: | CDT |
Utc Offset1 Dst: | -5 |
Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
Postal Code: | 70647[2] |
Area Code: | 337 |
Blank Name: | FIPS code |
Blank Info: | 22-37445 |
Blank2 Name Sec2: | Wikimedia Commons |
Iowa is a town in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 3,436 in 2020. It is part of the Lake Charles metropolitan statistical area.
The history of this region is filled with stories of the early Midwestern settlers from Kansas, Illinois and Iowa, of the Acadians (Cajuns), and of Jean Lafitte's pirates. The community of Iowa was developed in the mid-19th century.
The railroad that cut through this country brought settlers who were lured to the prairie land for rice farming, cattle raising and later oil fields. Much of southwest Louisiana was developed by the North American Land and Timber Co. Seaman A. Knapp, president of the Iowa State College of Agriculture, was engaged in 1885 to demonstrate the suitability of the region for rice production. Knapp attracted a number of Iowans to settle the area.[3] The settlers were lured to this area by advertisements published in newspapers in the midwestern states.
Iowa experienced a growth boom when oil was struck in 1930 and oil companies came to try their luck in the Iowa oil and gas fields. Even though this was the Great Depression era, Iowa thrived as more men came to work in the oil fields.
Today, oil continues to be a vital part of the town's economy, as are farming and cattle.[4] [5]
The town of "Iowa" is actually pronounced with the long A sound at the end ("EYE-uh-way"), opposed to the pronunciation of the state of Iowa.
Iowa is located along the eastern edge of Calcasieu Parish at (30.237433, -93.014191).[6] The eastern border of the town is the Jefferson Davis Parish line.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town of Iowa has a total area of 8.22km2, of which 8.15km2 is land and 0.07km2, or 0.80%, is water.[7]
Number | Percentage | ||
---|---|---|---|
White (non-Hispanic) | 2,082 | 60.59% | |
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 1,059 | 30.82% | |
Native American | 11 | 0.32% | |
Asian | 19 | 0.55% | |
Pacific Islander | 5 | 0.15% | |
Other/Mixed | 172 | 5.01% | |
Hispanic or Latino | 88 | 2.56% |
Iowa High School serves students both in Iowa and the surrounding area as part of the Calcasieu Parish Public Schools.
U.S. Route 90 passes through the center of town as 4th Street, and Interstate 10 passes along the northern edge, with access from exits 43 and 44. The southern terminus of U.S. Route 165 is at US 90 on the eastern town border. Lake Charles is to the west via Highways 90 or 10, and Lafayette is to the east. US 165 leads northeast to Alexandria.