Jackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. Its eastern border is formed by the Mississippi River. As of 2000, the population was 20,296. A 2008 estimate shows a slight decrease to 19,965. Its county seat is Maquoketa.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 650 square miles (1,683 km²), of which 636 square miles (1,647 km²) is land and 14 square miles (35 km²) (2.10%) is water.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 52 U.S. Highway 61 U.S. Highway 67

Iowa Highway 62 Iowa Highway 64

Adjacent counties

• Dubuque County (north)
• Jo Daviess County, Illinois (northeast), across the Mississippi River
• Carroll County, Illinois (east), across the Mississippi River
• Clinton County (south)
• Jones County (west)

National protected areas

• Driftless Area National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (part)

History

Jackson County was formed on December 21, 1837. It was named after US President Andrew Jackson.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 20,296 people, 8,078 households, and 5,589 families residing in the county. The population density was 32 people per square mile (12/km²). There were 8,949 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile (5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.96% White, 0.10% Black or African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 0.15% from other races, and 0.47% from two or more races. 0.60% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 8,078 households out of which 32.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.20% were married couples living together, 7.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.80% were non-families. 27.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the county the population was spread out with 26.00% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 26.50% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 17.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 97.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $34,529, and the median income for a family was $42,526. Males had a median income of $29,334 versus $20,577 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,329. About 7.70% of families and 10.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.90% of those under age 18 and 8.90% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The three-member board of supervisors that governs Jackson County is composed of Steve Flynn, Larry Koos, and Jack Willey, and the county sheriff is Russ Kettmann.

Sheriff's office

The Jackson County Sheriff's Office is a law enforcement agency located in the county. The headquarters for the Sheriff's Department are in Maquoketa, Iowa. The department is led by an elected Sheriff. The Sheriff is Russ Kettmann.

The Sheriff's Department provides law enforcement for unincorporated areas in the county, and performs various civil procedures. Like other departments, the department uses the Jeep Grand Cherokee as its primary patrol vehicle.

Localities

Cities

Andrew Baldwin Bellevue

La Motte Maquoketa Miles

Monmouth Preston Sabula

St. Donatus Spragueville Springbrook

Unincorporated communities

• Canton
• Green Island

Ghost towns

Alma Amoy America Bridgeport Brookfield Buckhorn Canton

Carrollport Centerville Charleston Charkstown Cobb Coloma Copper Creek

Cottonville Crabb Crabb's Mill Crabbtown Deventersville Duggan Duke

Emeline Fremont Fulton Garry Owen Gordon's Ferry Hickory Grove Higginsport

Hugo Hurstville Fairfield Farmers Creek Franklin Iron Hill East Iron Hill

Isabel Lainsville Lowell Millrock Mount Algor Nashville New Castle

New Rochester North Maquoketa Otter Creek Ozark Pass Prairie Springs Rolley

Silsbee Smiths Ferry Springfield Spruce Mills Sterling Sullivan Summer Hill

Sylva Tetes des Morts Union Center Van Buren Wagonersburgh Waterford Wickliffe

Ref:[14346]

Townships

Jackson County is divided into 18 townships:

Bellevue Brandon Butler Fairfield Farmers Creek Iowa

Jackson Maquoketa Monmouth Otter Creek Perry Prairie Springs

Richland South Fork Tete Des Morts Union Van Buren Washington

State parks

• Maquoketa Caves State Park
• Bellevue State Park

Bibliography

• Sorensen, Lucille. Holihan, Grace. Ghost Towns of Jackson County Iowa/History of Jackson County, Vol. 1, Jackson County Historical Society 1988 and 2000.

References

1. http://www.census.gov/popest/counties/tables/CO-EST2008-01-19.xls
2. http://www.jacksoncountyiowa.com/boardofsupervisors.cfm

External links

• Official Jackson County Government Website
• Jackson County Economic Development Council's website
• Jackson County Government Overview Webpages
• Jackson County Historical Society