Tama is a city in

Tama County Tama County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,135. Its county seat is Toledo. The county was formed on February 17, 1843 and named for Taimah, a leader of the Meskwaki Indians. Geog ...

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. The population was 3,130 at the time of the 2020 census. Tama is situated two miles south of Toledo, the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

. The two towns are close enough to have nearly grown together over the years.

History

Tama got its start in the year 1862, following construction of the Cedar Rapids and Missouri River Railroad through the territory. Tama is located a few miles from the

Meskwaki Settlement The Meskwaki Settlement is an unincorporated community in Tama County, Iowa, United States, west of Tama. It encompasses the reservation lands of the Meskwaki Nation (federally recognized as the Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa), on ...

, Iowa's only significant Native American community. Tama was located on the historic

Lincoln Highway The Lincoln Highway is the first transcontinental highway in the United States and one of the first highways designed expressly for automobiles. Conceived in 1912 by Indiana entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, and formally dedicated October 31, 1913 ...

and is home to an original Lincoln Highway bridge, listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. Tama is named for

Taimah Taimah (1790-1830; var. ''Taiomah'', ''Tama'', ''Taima'', ''Tiamah'', ''Fai-inah'', ''Ty-ee-ma'', lit. "sudden crash of thunder" or "thunder") was a Meskwaki (Fox) leader in the early 19th century in present-day Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois. He wa ...

, the 19th century Meskwaki leader.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2010, there were 2,877 people, 1,092 households, and 708 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was . There were 1,234 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 78.4%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 0.5%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 5.8% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 9.7% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 5.2% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

or Latino of any race were 23.6% of the population. There were 1,092 households, of which 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.9% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.2% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.21. The median age in the city was 35.6 years. 28.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.5% were from 25 to 44; 22.3% were from 45 to 64; and 16.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.7% male and 51.3% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,731 people, 1,065 households, and 723 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,173 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 87.04%

, 0.40%

, 4.80% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 5.24% from

, and 2.12% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 9.63% of the population. There were 1,065 households, out of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.08. Age spread: 27.4% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $35,531, and the median income for a family was $43,750. Males had a median income of $33,672 versus $22,237 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $16,676. About 8.8% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 17.3% of those under age 18 and 16.9% of those age 65 or over.

Healthcare

Tama-Toledo area residents have access to healthcare services at MercyCare Tama, Deer Creek Health Center, or Unity Point Toledo Clinic. When hospitalization is required the closest and most convenient hospital for residents is Grinnell Regional Medical Center or Marshalltown Medical and Surgical Center.

Education

It is within the South Tama County Community School District.

Politics

Tama is the headquarters of the

Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa The Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa is one of three federally recognized Native American tribes of Sac and Meskwaki (Fox) peoples in the United States. The Fox call themselves ''Meskwaki'' and because they are the dominant people i ...

."Tribal Governments by Tribe: S."
''National Congress of the American Indian.'' (retrieved 11 April 2010)

Notable people

* Vivia Belle Appleton, physician, medical missionary * Paul Bradley, retired MMA fighter * Lance Horbach, member of the

Iowa House of Representatives The Iowa House of Representatives is the lower house of the Iowa General Assembly, the upper house being the Iowa Senate. There are 100 seats in the Iowa House of Representatives, representing 100 single-member districts across the state, formed ...

* Andre Roberts, retired MMA fighter * Bob Soth, long-distance runner who competed in the

1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( it, Giochi della XVII Olimpiade) and commonly known as Rome 1960 ( it, Roma 1960), were an international multi-sport event held ...

* Ska-ba-quay Tesson,

Meskwaki The Meskwaki (sometimes spelled Mesquaki), also known by the European exonyms Fox Indians or the Fox, are a Native American people. They have been closely linked to the Sauk people of the same language family. In the Meskwaki language, th ...

artist * Lewis Haines Wentz, businessman

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities in Tama County, Iowa Cities in Iowa