Storm Lake, Iowa Explained

Official Name:Storm Lake, Iowa
Settlement Type:City
Mapsize:250x200px
Pushpin Map:USA
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in the United States
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Buena Vista
Established Title:Incorporated
Established Date:February 28, 1873
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Footnotes:[1]
Area Total Km2:13.92
Area Land Km2:13.92
Area Water Km2:0.00
Area Total Sq Mi:5.38
Area Land Sq Mi:5.38
Area Water Sq Mi:0.00
Population As Of:2020
Population Total:11269
Population Density Km2:809.30
Population Density Sq Mi:2096.17
Timezone:Central (CST)
Utc Offset:-6
Timezone Dst:CDT
Utc Offset Dst:-5
Elevation M:433
Elevation Ft:1421
Coordinates:42.6436°N -95.2019°W
Postal Code Type:ZIP code
Postal Code:50588
Area Code:712
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:19-75630
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:0462017

Storm Lake is a city in and the county seat of Buena Vista County, Iowa, United States.[2] The population was 11,269 in the 2020 census, an increase from 10,076 in the 2000 census.[3] Located along the northern shore of the Storm Lake reservoir, the city is home to Buena Vista University, King's Pointe Waterpark Resort, the Living Heritage Tree Museum, and the Santa's Castle holiday attraction. It is the principal city of the Storm Lake micropolitan area.

History

Storm Lake's first European settler, Abner Bell, arrived in 1856, and the city was officially incorporated in 1873.[4] Though early settlers found no natives permanently occupying the land, the area around the lake was likely used for fishing and hunting by tribes traveling from the north. Centuries prior to European colonization, the area was home to the Mill Creek indigenous culture.[5] Railroad magnate John Insley Blair platted out land in Storm Lake in the 1870s. During the same decade, the Illinois Central Railroad was constructed through the town.[6]

The city of Storm Lake is named for the lake where it is said a trapper experienced a severe storm.[7] An alternate story claims the lake took its name after two star-crossed lovers from opposed Native American bands paddled out for a secret rendezvous, only to be drowned as a sudden storm blew in.[8]

The 1920s and 1930s saw economic and industrial growth, with the town remaining relatively unaffected by the Great Depression.[9] During the 1940s, a prisoner-of-war camp was temporarily established in Storm Lake.[10] In 1956, the main building of the Buena Vista University campus burned down. The central brick archway was salvaged and remains standing.[11]

Storm Lake was a landing place of Hmong and Tai Dam refugees following the Vietnam War.[12] Meat packing jobs have drawn thousands of migrant workers, predominantly from Latin America.[13] Work vouchers and other factors have also drawn immigration from Micronesia. Storm Lake is currently one of ten cities in the mainland United States to host a polling location for Micronesian elections.[14] A 2017 New York Times profile analyzed the positive effects of immigration on the Storm Lake community.[15] Also that year, journalist Katie Couric interviewed Storm Lake residents for a National Geographic story on the town’s diversity.[16] A 2020 article in Fox News highlighted Storm Lake as an example of the positive economic impacts of immigration on rural communities.[17]

Geography

Storm Lake is located in the northwestern part of the state, along the north shore of its namesake Storm Lake, a glacial lake.[18] [19]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.09sqmi, all land.[20]

Due to its location, Storm Lake is a popular campaign trail stop during presidential elections, having drawn visits from Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Kamala Harris, and Bernie Sanders.[21] [22] [23] [24]

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 U.S. Census, Storm Lake's population was estimated at 11,269, up from 10,600 for the 2010 Census and 10,078 in 2000. Citing steady growth and other sources, city officials suggest that an accurate population count would be 13,000 or more. Storm Lake is considered the most ethnically diverse city in Iowa, with over 60% of the population self identifying as non-white,[25] a dramatic change from 80% identifying as white in the 2000 census, although 21% were of Latin-American origin, of which almost all were Mexican.[26]

The median home valuation is $142,000, median rent is $695 per month. Median household income is estimated at just under $49,000. The community has an estimated 250 businesses.

Storm Lake is one of two cities in Iowa where English is not the majority language spoken at home.

Economy

Tyson Foods operates a hog slaughterhouse, meat packing plant, and turkey processing plant in the city. As of 2020, the plant employed over 2,500 workers and accounted for about 3.5% of US pork production.[27] [28] The plant originally opened in 1935 and was purchased by Hygrade Food Products in 1952. In 1982, it was sold to Iowa Beef Processors, which was subsequently acquired by Tyson in 2001.[29]

Arts and culture

Parks and recreation

Education

The Storm Lake Community School District operates five local public schools, including a high school, a middle school, an elementary school, an early elementary school, and an early childhood center. As of the 2023 school year, the Storm Lake Community School District served 2,908 students. Spanish was the most spoken language within the school district, followed by English, Pohnpeian, Karen, and Lao.[35]

St. Mary's Catholic Church operates a private K-12 school system, St. Mary's High School, founded in 1912.[36]

Buena Vista University is located in Storm Lake. As of 2023, the university has 1,959 students on a 60abbr=onNaNabbr=on campus within Storm Lake. The city hosts a satellite campus for Iowa Central Community College, including an industrial training center established in 2021.[37]

Media

The community has a twice-weekly newspaper, the Storm Lake Times Pilot. The publication received the 2017 Pulitzer Prize in Editorial Writing for a series on the Iowa agricultural industry.[38] Storm Lake's first newspaper, the Storm Lake Pilot-Tribune, was founded in 1896 and ran for over 125 years before being bought by the Storm Lake Times in 2022.[39] KAYL and KKIA radio serve the community, as well as a university radio station, KBVU.[40] A Spanish-language newspaper, La Presna, also covers the area.[41]

Infrastructure

The Storm Lake Police Department provides law enforcement services to the city. The department employs 21 sworn officers, and two community services officers.[42]

Storm Lake is served by Buena Vista Regional Medical Center, a 54-bed critical access hospital, and United Community Health Center.[43]

The Storm Lake Municipal Airport operates out of the city.

Notable people

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files. United States Census Bureau. March 16, 2022.
  2. Web site: Find a County. 2011-06-07. National Association of Counties.
  3. Web site: 2020 Census State Redistricting Data . census.gov . United states Census Bureau . 12 August 2021.
  4. Web site: Storm Lake History . City of Storm Lake . 3 November 2023.
  5. Web site: About . January 11, 2021 . Buena Vista County . 24 November 2023.
  6. Web site: Aspects of Town and Farm Life in the Very Early Days of Storm Lake Township . July 29, 2022 . Storm Lake Times Pilot . 24 November 2023.
  7. Book: History of Western Iowa, Its Settlement and Growth . Western Publishing Company . 1882 . 442.
  8. Web site: Storm Lake History . City of Storm Lake . 3 November 2023.
  9. Web site: Chapter 12: The Modern Scene . Iowa Writer’s Project . 20 January 2024.
  10. Web site: Returning to Our Roots . October 2, 2015 . Storm Lake Times . 20 January 2024.
  11. Web site: Remembering the Burning of Old Main . Buena Vista University . 20 January 2024.
  12. News: They Crossed an Ocean to Butcher Pigs. It Was No American Dream. . The New York Times . October 13, 2019 . 1 January 2023 . Healy . Jack .
  13. Web site: Embracing diverse populations helps Storm Lake grow . The Gazette . 20 August 2022.
  14. Web site: Turning Out The Vote For Micronesia . November 17, 2023 . The Storm Lake Times . 24 November 2023.
  15. News: Immigrants Keep an Iowa Meatpacking Town Alive and Growing . The New York Times . May 29, 2017 . 24 November 2023 . Cohen . Patricia .
  16. Web site: This Tiny Town Is Embracing Its Diversity . May 2, 2018 . National Geographic . 24 November 2023.
  17. Web site: Small Iowa city sees economic boom amid immigration surge . February 5, 2020 . Fox News . 24 November 2023.
  18. https://www.iowadnr.gov/Fishing/Where-to-Fish/Lakes-Ponds-Reservoirs/Lake-Details?lakeCode=STL11 Storm Lake (incl Little Storm Lake)
  19. Web site: US Board on Geographic Names. 2008-01-31. United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25.
  20. Web site: US Gazetteer files 2010. United States Census Bureau. 2012-05-11. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120125061959/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt. 2012-01-25.
  21. Web site: Campaign Scrapbook: The Greening of Obama . The New York Times. November 3, 2008 . 3 November 2023.
  22. Web site: We Went All in: Inside Bernie Sanders' Plan to Win by Reaching Latino Voters . January 31, 2020 . Time. 3 November 2023.
  23. Web site: Bill Clinton Campaigns For Hillary in Iowa . December 31, 2007 . Getty. 3 November 2023.
  24. Web site: Harris Campaign Press Release - Kamala Harris' Iowa Campaign Announces Latinx Steering Committee . The American Presidency Project. 3 November 2023.
  25. Web site: Quick Facts Storm Lake City, Iowa . US Census Bureau . 7 February 2023.
  26. https://www.iowadatacenter.org/DemographicProfiles/PlacesIndividual/scstormlake/scstormlakedp2000.pdf
  27. Web site: Tyson Pork Plant In Iowa Shuts After Hundreds Of Workers Test Positive for COVID-19. Papenfuss. Mary. 2020-05-29. HuffPost. en. 2020-05-29.
  28. News: Tyson Foods will shut US pork plant as more workers catch COVID-19. 2020-05-28. Reuters. Fox Business. en-US. 2020-05-29.
  29. Web site: MEATPACKING AND THE MIGRATION OF REFUGEE AND IMMIGRANT LABOR TO STORM LAKE, IOWA. Grey. Mark. 2023-11-25.
  30. Web site: Schedule . Star Spangled Spectacular . 5 November 2023.
  31. Web site: News Release: July 4 Big Parade Lineup . Star Spangled Spectacular . 5 November 2023.
  32. Web site: Parade of Nations . Salud . 5 November 2023.
  33. Web site: Storm Lake Ballroom Will Enter Hall of Fame . August 27, 2003 . Sioux City Journal . 3 November 2023.
  34. Web site: Things to Do . City of Storm Lake . 5 November 2023.
  35. Web site: District Information . Storm Lake Community School District . 7 February 2023.
  36. Web site: History . Storm Lake St. Mary's Catholic Schools . 26 November 2023.
  37. Web site: Quick Facts . Buena Vista University . 3 November 2023.
  38. Web site: Editorial Writing.
  39. Web site: After 32 years of competition, Storm Lake is again a one-newspaper town . Des Moines Register. 28 November 2023.
  40. Web site: About Us . Storm Lake Radio. 3 November 2023.
  41. Web site: About . La Presna Iowa. 3 November 2023.
  42. Web site: Police Department . 2023-11-26 .
  43. Web site: Buena Vista Regional Medical Center: BVRMC Quick Facts . 2010-07-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110725112115/http://www.bvrmc.org/getpage.php?name=quick_facts&sub=About%20Us . 2011-07-25 . dead .
  44. Web site: Joe Decker. BASEBALL-Reference. January 19, 2011.
  45. Web site: 1945 Storm Lake High Yearbook. classmates.com. 5 November 2023.
  46. News: Holmes, Marjorie. The Des Moines Register. Longden. Tom. December 25, 2004. 2011-09-10. dead. https://archive.today/20120730092203/http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/99999999/FAMOUSIOWANS/41225014/Holmes-Marjorie. July 30, 2012.

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