Solon is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

located in Johnson 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. Part of the

Iowa City Iowa City is the largest city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. At the time of the 2020 census the population was 74,828, making it the state's fifth-most populous city. The Iowa City metropolitan area, which enc ...

, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area, it is located a few miles from Lake MacBride State Park and the larger cities of Coralville and Iowa City. The population was 3,018 at the time of the 2020 census.

History

Solon was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...

ted in 1840. It is named for the classical Athenian statesman, lawmaker, and lyric poet

Solon Solon (; ; BC) was an Archaic Greece#Athens, archaic History of Athens, Athenian statesman, lawmaker, political philosopher, and poet. He is one of the Seven Sages of Greece and credited with laying the foundations for Athenian democracy. ...

. Ironically, the local high school's mascot is the Spartans;

Sparta Sparta was a prominent city-state in Laconia in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (), while the name Sparta referred to its main settlement in the Evrotas Valley, valley of Evrotas (river), Evrotas rive ...

was famously an enemy of

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

, Solon's home. 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 ...

-listed Stone Academy is just north of town.

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 land. Jordan Creek flows through the city.

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 3,018 people, 1,067 households, and 738 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 2,277.8 inhabitants per square mile (879.5/km²). There were 1,126 housing units at an average density of 849.8 per square mile (328.1/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 95.4%

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 ...

, 0.4% Black or African American, 0.0% Native American, 0.5% 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 ...

, 0.5% from other races and 3.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino persons of any race comprised 1.7% of the population. Of the 1,067 households, 42.0% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% 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, 5.7% were cohabitating couples, 25.2% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 14.8% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 30.8% of all households were non-families. 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals, 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 37.5 years. 32.3% of the residents were under the age of 20; 4.2% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 25.3% were from 25 and 44; 21.7% were from 45 and 64; and 16.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.4% male and 51.6% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 2,037 people, 759 households, and 528 families living in the city. The

was . There were 832 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.8%

, 0.3%

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 ...

, 0.3% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 0.8% 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 1.5% of the population. There were 759 households, of which 46.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% were

living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 30.4% were non-families. 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.17. The median age in the city was 35.4 years. 32.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 29% were from 25 to 44; 20.9% were from 45 to 64; and 13.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.3% male and 51.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,177 people, 457 households, and 304 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 496 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.73%

, 0.25%

, 0.08% Native American, 0.25%

, 0.17% from other races, and 0.51% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.17% of the population. There were 457 households, out of which 37.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% were

living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.04. 26.2% are under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $46,953, and the median income for a family was $58,289. Males had a median income of $38,352 versus $26,111 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 $18,029. About 0.3% of families and 2.3% 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 ...

, including 0.6% of those under age 18 and 1.5% of those age 65 or over.

Architecture

* Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church (1916-1917),

Education

The Solon area is served by the Solon Community School District.

Notable people

Leo Beranek Leo Leroy Beranek (September 15, 1914 – October 10, 2016) was an American acoustics expert, former MIT professor, and a founder and former president of Bolt, Beranek and Newman (now BBN Technologies). He authored ''Acoustics'', considered a cl ...

, acoustics expert involved in the improvement of the

Hush-a-Phone The Hush-A-Phone was a device designed to attach to the transmitter of a telephone to reduce noise pollution and increase privacy. Sold by the Hush-A-Phone company, the device was frequently described in its commercial advertisements as "a voice ...

Lisa Bluder Lisa Marie Bluder (, born April 16, 1961) is the former head coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball, Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball program. Formerly, she served as coach of St. Ambrose University and the Drake Bulldogs women's basketba ...

, former

NCAA women's basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athletic bodies, including the National Collegiate Athletic ...

head coach resides in Solon * Tyler Linderbaum, American football player * James Morris, American football player * Robin Lord Taylor, actor/director

References

External links

City of Solon

{{authority control Cities in Johnson County, Iowa Cities in Iowa Iowa City metropolitan area 1840 establishments in Iowa Territory