Bedford is a city in Taylor County,

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

, United States. The population was 1,508 at the 2020 census. It is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Taylor County. Lake of Three Fires State Park is located several miles northeast of Bedford.

History

The community is believed to have gotten its name from Thomas J. Bedford, who was the first west bound

Pony Express The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company. During its 18 months of opera ...

rider to deliver the mail on its final leg from

Benicia, California Benicia ( , ) is a city in Solano County, California, located on the north bank of the Carquinez Strait in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. It served as the List of capitals in the United S ...

Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

on April 23, 1861. Bedford is believed to have operated Bedfords Store and Trading Post in 1848 within the city limits. He moved to

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

later that year, in the

California Gold Rush The California gold rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the U ...

. The community was called "Grove" when a post office was established on June 30, 1855. On June 24, 1856 it was changed to Bedford. Other histories have noted possible other sources of the name: *

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population was 106,940. Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire and seat of the Borough of Bedford local government district. Bedford was founded at a ford (crossin ...

in England (possible original home of early settlers) *

Bedford, Indiana Bedford is a city in Shawswick Township and the county seat of Lawrence County, Indiana, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 13,792. That is up from 13,413 in 2010. Bedford is the principal city of the Bedford, IN Micropo ...

(reputed home of the surveyor) *

Bedford, Pennsylvania Bedford is a borough, spa town, and the county seat of Bedford County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is located west of Harrisburg, the state capital, and east of Pittsburgh. Bedford's population was 2,865 at the 2020 census. History ...

(reputed home of a "government engineer") The community was formally established as the county seat of Taylor County by a legislative act in 1853. The town was formally laid out on lots sold on July 4, 1853 (which at the time identified the community as "Bedforde"). According to town legend, a barrel of whiskey was placed on the grounds and lots sold for $10 to $20 - although none of the lots were paid for at the time. The present Taylor County Courthouse was built in 1893. Bedford was served by a branch of the Burlington Northern Railroad (formerly Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad or "CB&Q") that ran from Creston, Iowa to St. Joseph, Missouri This line was removed along with almost all the branches in southwestern Iowa and northwestern Missouri in the late 1970s to early 1980s Bedford is also served by Iowa Highway 148 which runs north and south into Missouri, and Iowa Highway 2 runs east and west and connects most of the county seats in the southern tier of Iowa counties. There is an excellent series of farm to market road system, mostly paved, as well.

Geography

Bedford is located along the East Fork of the One Hundred and Two River. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

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

Climate

According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Bedford has a

hot-summer humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

, abbreviated "Dfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2020, there were 1,508 people, 620 households, and 376 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

was 939.4 inhabitants per square mile (362.7/km²). There were 701 housing units at an average density of 436.7 per square mile (168.6/km²). The

racial Race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 16th century, when it was used to refer to groups of va ...

makeup of the city was 94.2%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.1% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.0%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.4% from other races and 3.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino persons of any race comprised 1.5% of the population. Of the 620 households, 28.9% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 7.4% were cohabitating couples, 29.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 15.6% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 39.4% of all households were non-families. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals, 20.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 39.0 years. 28.2% of the residents were under the age of 20; 5.2% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 23.0% were from 25 and 44; 20.2% were from 45 and 64; and 23.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.9% male and 52.1% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 1,440 people, 614 households, and 382 families living in the city. The

was . There were 730 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.4%

, 0.5%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.1% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.8% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.3% of the population. There were 614 households, of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were

living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.8% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.91. The median age in the city was 43.9 years. 24.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.6% were from 25 to 44; 25.4% were from 45 to 64; and 23.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.2% male and 52.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,620 people, 691 households, and 422 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 769 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.15%

, 0.06%

, 0.25% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.74% from other races, and 0.68% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.67% of the population. There were 691 households, out of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.1% were

living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.9% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.95. Age spread: 23.0% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 26.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $28,125, and the median income for a family was $34,943. Males had a median income of $27,788 versus $18,125 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $14,313. About 10.4% of families and 13.7% 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 ...

, including 21.4% of those under age 18 and 12.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

It is within the Bedford Community School District.Bedford
."

Iowa Department of Education The Iowa Department of Education sets the standards for all public institutions of education in Iowa and accredits private as well as public schools. It is headquartered in Des Moines. Organization As of 2020, the Iowa Department of Education c ...

. Retrieved on June 20, 2018.

References

{{authority control Cities in Iowa Cities in Taylor County, Iowa County seats in Iowa Populated places established in 1855 1855 establishments in Iowa

History

Geography

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

2010 census

2000 census

Education

See also

References