Sigourney ( ) is a city and 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 ...

Keokuk County, Iowa Keokuk County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 10,033. The county seat is Sigourney, Iowa, Sigourney. History Keokuk County was formed in 1837. It ...

, United States. The population was 2,004 at the time of the 2020 census. Keokuk County Courthouse is located in the Public Square Historic District. Both are on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

History

Keokuk County was opened for Euro-American settlement in 1843, and the town got its start in 1844 when S.A. James built the first cabin there. Other families began to settle there as well, and in 1844, the town was named by county commissioner Dr. George H. Stone in honor of popular poet

Lydia Sigourney Lydia Huntley Sigourney (September 1, 1791 – June 10, 1865), Lydia Howard Huntley, was an American poet, author, and publisher during the early and mid 19th century. She was commonly known as the "Sweet Singer of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartfor ...

. A large oil-painted portrait of her still graces the foyer of the county courthouse.

Geography

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 , all of it land.

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, Sigourney 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. The hottest temperature recorded in Sigourney was on July 22, 1901, while the coldest temperature recorded was on January 31, 2019.

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 2,004 people, 880 households, and 513 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 926.3 inhabitants per square mile (357.6/km²). There were 972 housing units at an average density of 449.3 per square mile (173.5/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 94.6%

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 ...

, 0.9% Black or African American, 0.1%

Native American Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States. Related terms and peoples include: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...

, 0.2% 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 ...

, 1.0% from other races and 3.2% from two or more races.

Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While many use the terms interchangeably, for example, the United States Census Bureau ...

persons of any race comprised 1.9% of the population. Of the 880 households, 24.5% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% 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, 7.7% were cohabitating couples, 30.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 18.4% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 41.7% of all households were non-families. 36.2% of all households were made up of individuals, 20.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 45.7 years. 22.1% of the residents were under the age of 20; 5.1% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 22.1% were from 25 and 44; 24.3% were from 45 and 64; and 26.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.5% male and 52.5% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 2,059 people, 878 households, and 537 families living in the city. The

was . There were 987 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.2%

, 0.7%

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 ...

, 0.2%

, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 0.4% 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 people of any race were 0.4% of the population. There were 878 households, of which 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.5% were

living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.8% were non-families. 34.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.85. The median age in the city was 45.1 years. 22.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.8% were from 25 to 44; 24.9% were from 45 to 64; and 25.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.0% male and 53.0% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,209 people, 903 households, and 567 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 992 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.09%

, 0.14%

, 0.45% Asian, 0.14% from other races, and 0.05% from two or more races.

or Latino people of any race were 0.54% of the population. There were 903 households, out of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% were

living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.1% were non-families. 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.5% 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 2.93. Age spread: 23.9% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 18.8% 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 79.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $29,803, and the median income for a family was $43,519. Males had a median income of $29,783 versus $21,078 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 $17,218. About 8.5% of families and 10.8% 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 14.0% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Sigourney is represented by Rep.

Mariannette Miller-Meeks Mariannette Jane Miller-Meeks (born September 6, 1955) is an American physician and politician who has served as a U.S. representative from Iowa since 2021. A member of the Republican Party, she represents the state's 1st congressional distric ...

in the United States House of Representatives.

Education

The

Sigourney Community School District Sigourney Community School District is a rural public school district headquartered in Sigourney, Iowa. The district is completely within Keokuk County and serves Sigourney, Delta, and Hayesville. It operates a preschool/elementary school a ...

encompasses nearly a radius, drawing students from smaller surrounding communities. Approximately 700 students are enrolled yearly, with an average of 350 attending elementary (K-6) and 350 students attending junior/senior high (7-12). The average graduating class is 50 students with 80% moving on to college. The school system's mascot is the Sigourney Savage. The public library is the Sigourney Public Library.

Notable people

* William Lawrence Adrian (1883–1972),

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

bishop *

Ambrose Burke Monsignor Ambrose J. Burke (November 27, 1895 – October 6, 1998) was an English professor and Catholic priest who served as the eighth president of Saint Ambrose University (then Saint Ambrose College) from 1940 through 1956. A native of Iowa, ...

(1895–1998),

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

and educator * John Burke (1859–1938) tenth

Governor of North Dakota The governor of North Dakota is the head of government of North Dakota and serves as the commander-in-chief of the state's North Dakota National Guard, military forces. The Constitution of North Dakota specifies that "the executive power is ves ...

, United States Treasurer, North Dakota Supreme Court justice * Katharine Goeldner, opera singer * S.J. Mathes (1849–1927), newspaperman * Ernest L. Parker (1864–1934), 13th

Lieutenant Governor of Idaho The Lieutenant governor (United States), lieutenant governor of Idaho is a constitutional statewide elected office in the U.S. state of Idaho. According to the Idaho Constitution, the officeholder is elected to a four-year term. The current lieu ...

Dan Peiffer Daniel William Peiffer (born March 29, 1951) is an American former professional football center in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Bears and Washington Redskins. Peiffer played for the Florida Blazers of the World Football Lea ...

(born 1951)

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

football player *

Ezekiel S. Sampson Ezekiel Silas Sampson (December 6, 1831 – October 7, 1892) was a lawyer, prosecutor, Civil War officer, judge, and two-term Republican Congressman from Iowa's 6th congressional district. Early life Born in Huron County, Ohio, Sampson move ...

(1831–1896),

district judge District Judge may refer to: * A United States federal judge, appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate * A judge in a state court (United States), where the state is divided into judicial districts * * A judge in the district courts ...

and

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

References

External links

Sigourney-iowa.com
official city website
Sigourney News-Review
comprehensive statistical data and more about Sigourney {{authority control Cities in Keokuk County, Iowa Cities in Iowa County seats in Iowa Populated places established in 1844 1844 establishments in Iowa Territory