Everything about Sioux City totally explained
Sioux City 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. 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 second largest city in the Sioux Falls-Sioux City, SD-IA-MN-NE Designated Market Area (DMA),with a population of 1,043,450.
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 and
Clinton, was awarded one of the inaugural Iowa Great Places designations.
(External Link)
History
The first people to live in this area were ancestors of those we know today as American Indians. These inhabitants lived here thousands of years before the people of Spain and France arrived. While it's unclear who was the first white man to explore the area which is now Sioux City, it's commonly believed to be one of the early French or Spanish fur traders. The first recognized explorers to document their travels through this area were Meriwether Lewis and William Clark during the summer of 1804.
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 56.0
square miles (144.9
km²), of which, 54.8 square miles (141.9 km²) of it's land and 1.2 square miles (3.0 km²) 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. As defined by the
Office of Management and Budget, the counties comprising the metropolitan area are (in descending order of population):
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 is also estimated that 40-50% of Plymouth county works in Woodbury county.
Climate
Sioux City is located very near to the center of the
North American continent, far removed from any major bodies of water. This lends the area a
humid continental climate, with hot, humid summers, cold snowy winters, and wide temperature extremes. Summers can bring daytime temperatures that climb into the 90s
Fahrenheit, and winter lows can be well below zero.
| 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 (External Link) |
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 1,551.3 people per square mile (599.0/km²). There were 33,816 housing units at an average density of 617.1/sq mi (238.3/km²). 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
City neighborhoods
Nearby communities
South Sioux City, Nebraska is directly across the
Missouri River in
Dakota County. With nearly 12,000 residents, it's 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 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 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.
Tyson Events Center is a 10,000-seat arena located in downtown Sioux City.
KD Station, once listed on the
National Register of Historic Places, was destroyed by fire in 2006.
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's 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 Dalí,
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
The
Sioux City Community Theatre
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
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 Tech 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 didn't 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 the Sioux City metro area east into Western Iowa and north to the South Dakota border
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 Sioux City metro area east into Western Iowa and north to the South Dakota border
Notable natives
John W. Aldridge, Grew up in Tennessee, literary critic, author in 1951 of After the Lost Generation: A Critical Study of the Writers of Two Wars
Dave Bancroft, Major League Baseball Hall of Fame shortstop. Nicknamed "Beauty."
Ben Bernstein, noted jazz, bluegrass and rock bassist, including as a member of New Monsoon
Johnny Bolin, Moved to Boulder, Colo., in his teens, rock drummer for Black Oak Arkansas and brother of Tommy Bolin.
Tommy Bolin, Moved to Boulder, Colo., in his teens, virtuoso rock guitarist, a member of Deep Purple and The James Gang, and who also had a solo career.
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.
Matt Chatham, Born in Newton, Iowa, New York Jets Linebacker.
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, Raised in Polk City, Iowa, American statistician and quality-control expert - Deming helped to improve Japan's quality control and management processes.
Sharon Farrell, prolific film and television actress (real name Sharon Forsmoe).
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, Graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, and Harvard University, actor, congressman, former CEO of Goodwill; currently morning drive-time color jock for WMAL Radio, Washington, D.C.
Dick Green, Raised in Rapid City, S.D., Former MLB second baseman with the Kansas City and Oakland Athletics.
William L. Harding, Born in Sibly, Iowa, Governor of Iowa (1919-1921).
Jules Harlow, conservative Jewish rabbi and liturgist.
Scott Hesse, noted jazz guitar player and bandleader.
Kirk Hinrich, Chicago Bulls guard.
Harry Hopkins, Secretary of Commerce, Moved to Council Bluffs shortly after birth, advisor to FDR during World War II.
George Koval, 1913-2006, Moved to Soviet Union at age 18, Soviet atomic spy "Delmar" and only Soviet Agent to infiltrate the Manhattan Project(External Link)
Robert Lowry, Classical clarinetist.
Al McIntosh, Born in Park River, N.D., distinguished newspaper editor whose columns are featured in Ken Burns' The War.
Jerry Mathers, Moved to California as a child, Beaver Cleaver on TV's "Leave It To Beaver".
Daniel ("Danny") Matousek, lead singer and guitarist for The Velaires. Graduate of Central High School.
John Melcher, United States Senator from Montana from 1977 to 1989
Lori Petty, Born in Chattanooga, Tenn. Actress best known for her starring role opposite Geena Davis and Tom Hanks on "A League of Their Own".
Frances Rafferty, Moved to Los Angeles, Calif., when she was nine, MGM actress of the 1940s & early TV star best known for playing opposite Spring Byington on the sitcom December Bride.
Edward J. Sperling, Born in Slutzk, Belarus, Jewish writer and humorist.
Morgan Taylor, Set 400-meter hurdles Olympic record while winning gold medal in 1924.
Ted Waitt and Norman Waitt, co-founders of Gateway, Inc.
Brian Wansink -- Cornell University Professor and author of
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.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Sioux City'.
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