View source for Walcott, Iowa

{{Short description|City in Iowa, United States}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Walcott, Iowa
|settlement_type          = [[City]]
| motto = {{force singular}} "Heart & Hands Working Together"<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.cityofwalcott.com/|title=  City of Walcott, Iowa |publisher=  City of Walcott, Iowa |access-date=August 31, 2012}}</ref>
|image_skyline            = Walcott, Iowa 01.jpg
|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = Buildings along E. Bryant Street 
|image_map = Scott_County_Iowa_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Walcott_Highlighted.svg
|image_blank_emblem       = WalcottIAlogo.png
|blank_emblem_type        = [[Wordmark]]
|blank_emblem_size        = 155
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location of Walcott, Iowa
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Iowa]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Iowa|Counties]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Scott County, Iowa|Scott]] and [[Muscatine County, Iowa|Muscatine]]
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = Mayor
|leader_name              = John Kostichek
|established_title        = 
|established_date         =
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_19.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=March 16, 2022}}</ref>
|area_total_km2           = 8.12
|area_land_km2            = 8.06
|area_water_km2           = 0.06
|area_total_sq_mi         = 3.14
|area_land_sq_mi          = 3.11
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.02
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States Census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 1551
|population_metro  = 382,630 ([[Table of United States Metropolitan Statistical Areas|135th]])
|population_density_km2   = 192.47
|population_density_sq_mi = 498.55
|timezone                 = [[North American Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
|utc_offset               = -6
|timezone_DST             = CDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -5
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
|elevation_ft             = 725
|coordinates              = {{coord|41|36|25|N|90|46|28|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 52773
|area_code                = [[Area code 563|563]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 19-81705
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 2397169<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2397169}}</ref>
|website                  = {{URL|https://cityofwalcott.com/}}
|footnotes                = 
}}

'''Walcott''' ([[Help:IPA/English|/ˈwɔlkɔt/]] [[Help:Pronunciation respelling key|''WAWL-cawt'']], {{Small|sometimes locally}} [ˈwɔlkət]) is a city in [[Muscatine County, Iowa|Muscatine]] and [[Scott County, Iowa|Scott]] counties in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Iowa]]. The population was 1,551 at the time of the [[2020 United States Census|2020 census]].<ref name=cen2020>{{cite web |title=2020 Census State Redistricting Data |url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/data/01-Redistricting_File--PL_94-171/Iowa/ |website=census.gov |publisher=United states Census Bureau |access-date=12 August 2021}}</ref> Walcott's interchange on [[Interstate 80 in Iowa|Interstate 80]] is home to an enormous complex of restaurants, motels and truck stops, including the [[Iowa 80]] truck stop, which is the world's largest.

Most of Walcott is part of the [[Davenport, Iowa|Davenport]]&ndash;[[Moline, Illinois|Moline]]&ndash;[[Rock Island, Illinois|Rock Island]], IA-[[Illinois|IL]] [[Quad Cities|Metropolitan Statistical Area]], but the Muscatine County portion of the city is considered part of the [[Muscatine, Iowa|Muscatine]] [[Muscatine micropolitan area|Micropolitan Statistical Area]].

==History==
[[Image:Iowa80TruckStop.JPG|thumbnail|The Iowa 80 Truck Stop main building.]]
[[File:Watertower Walcott, Iowa.JPG|thumb|upright|Walcott water tower]]
[[File:Walcott, Iowa 02.jpg|thumb|Walcott City Hall]]
Walcott was incorporated on July 10, 1894.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.city-data.com/city/Walcott-Iowa.html |title= Walcott, Iowa |publisher= City-Data.com|access-date=August 31, 2012}}</ref>

The City of Walcott was originally platted in 1854. The first passenger train route west of the [[Mississippi River]] began service in 1855 and helped Walcott grow. William Walcott, who was a director of Chicago and Rock Island Railroad, donated $500 in 1855 for the construction of a school building, with the stipulation that the fledgling town along the railroad tracks near [[Davenport, Iowa|Davenport]] be named after him.

Long before Walcott was even a vision to William Walcott, it was a great expanse of open prairie inhabited by the [[Kaskaskia]] people. The Kaskaskias were later driven out of the [[Quad Cities]] area by the renegade [[Meskwaki]] tribe. This tribe, a splinter of the Canadian [[Iroquois]], was America's largest Indian nation.

In 1857, much of the Walcott land was sold for as low as 75 cents an acre, enabling many German and [[Scotch-Irish Americans|Scotch-Irish]] immigrants to settle in the area. Many of the Scotch-Irish worked for the railroad builders and settled on the farmland south and west of the town. While they contributed much to the early development of Walcott, circa 1871 they began to move farther west. Most of the German settlers were from [[Schleswig-Holstein]] in northern Germany, and some came from eastern and southern Germany. By 1910, nearly 90 percent of the farmland in Scott County was owned by German immigrants or their descendants.

A petition for incorporation was signed and presented to Judge [[Charles M. Waterman (judge)|C.M. Waterman]] of the District Court at Davenport on June 5, 1894. At that time, the total population was 354. The election was held on July 7, 1894, and of the 81 votes cast, 54 were in favor of the incorporation. The result of the election was approved and filed by the District Court on July 14, 1894.

Long before most small towns thought of supplying their citizens with water, Walcott had plans for an efficient and adequate water system. Walcott was the first rural Scott County community to build a water system and water tower. The installation was completed in 1897, and provided the citizens of Walcott with inexpensive water service, good drinking water, and improved fire protection. In 1914, the first sewage disposal system was built. Lagoons for the sanitation system were installed in the late 1960s and three cells were added to the lagoon system in 1975.

As early as 1897, the people of Walcott banded together to provide an organized way of fighting the terror and destructiveness of fire. In those early days, the department consisted of a small number of [[Volunteer fire department|volunteer firemen]] and two hand-pulled hose carts. In 1931, the town built a fire station and city hall. Today, that same building houses the Fire Department and City Hall.

The Walcott Savings Bank was organized in 1894 with a capital stock of $30,000. On April 1, 1904, the Farmers Savings Bank began business with at capital stock of $25,000. In 1911, Walcott was declared the richest town in the US in consideration of the bank deposits for its population of 300, according to Dunn & Co. in the Bankers' Journal of New York. During the [[Great Depression in the United States|depression]] year of 1931, the two banks were consolidated and Walcott Trust and Savings Bank was formed.

The original town was expanded in 1962 to include Highway 6. Additional ground was annexed in 1973 to include the Interstate 80 interchange area and the French and Hecht Building, which currently houses FirstCo Inc. In the early 1990s, quadrants adjacent to and near the Interstate 80 interchanged were also annexed in. The annexation of the area near Interstate 80 has increased the area's valuation significantly. Many businesses, including the world's largest truck stop, Iowa 80 Truck Stop, are located within the city limits.

In 1997, Walcott joined in a sister city partnership with [[Bredenbek]], Germany.

==Geography==

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|3.49|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|3.47|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|0.02|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.<ref name ="Gazetteer files">{{cite web|title=US Gazetteer files 2010|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2012-05-11}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{Historical populations
|title= Historical populations
|type= USA
|align= left
|1900|362
|1910|416
|1920|384
|1930|398
|1940|440
|1950|480
|1960|664
|1970|989
|1980|1425
|1990|1356
|2000|1528
|2010|1629
|2020|1551
|source={{center|U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref><ref name=cen2020/>}}|footnote=Source:{{cite web|url=http://factfinder.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|title=American FactFinder|access-date=2020-03-29|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212063637/http://factfinder.census.gov/|archive-date=2020-02-12|url-status=dead}} and [http://data.iowadatacenter.org/datatables/PlacesAll/plpopulation18502000.pdf Iowa Data Center]
}}

===2020 census===
As of the [[United States census|census]] of 2020,<ref>{{cite web |title=2020 Census |url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade/2020/2020-census-main.html |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> there were 1,551 people, 664 households, and 417 families residing in the city. The [[population density]] was 498.5 inhabitants per square mile (192.5/km<sup>2</sup>). There were 711 housing units at an average density of 228.5 per square mile (88.2/km<sup>2</sup>). The [[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|racial]] makeup of the city was 94.2% [[White Americans|White]], 0.5% [[African Americans|Black or African American]], 0.1% [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]], 0.1% [[Asian Americans|Asian]], 0.0% [[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]], 1.0% from other races and 4.2% from two or more races. [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] persons of any race comprised 2.8% of the population.

Of the 664 households, 30.1% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.6% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 6.6% were cohabitating couples, 26.2% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 19.6% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 37.2% of all households were non-families. 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals, 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older.

The median age in the city was 43.2 years. 25.2% of the residents were under the age of 20; 4.2% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 22.6% were from 25 and 44; 26.2% were from 45 and 64; and 21.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.8% male and 52.2% female.

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name ="FactFinder">{{cite web|title=American FactFinder|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212234628/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=2020-02-12|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2012-05-11}}</ref> of 2010, there were 1,629 people, 694 households, and 456 families living in the city. The [[population density]] was {{convert|469.5|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 806 housing units at an average density of {{convert|232.3|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 97.5% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.2% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.2% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.3% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.5% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 1.2% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 2.5% of the population.

There were 694 households, of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.3% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.86.

The median age in the city was 40.3 years. 24.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.6% were from 25 to 44; 26.7% were from 45 to 64; and 15.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.5% male and 50.5% female.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=http://factfinder.census.gov|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212221153/http://factfinder.census.gov/main.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2020-02-12|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2008-01-31|title=American FactFinder}}</ref> of 2000, there were 1,528 people, 623 households, and 437 families living in the city. The population density was {{convert|516.2|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 644 housing units at an average density of {{convert|217.6|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 97.38% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.33% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.07% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.52% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.92% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.79% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.11% of the population.

There were 623 households, out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.5% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.7% were non-families. 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.94.

26.0% are under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $45,281, and the median income for a family was $52,625. Males had a median income of $40,296 versus $22,067 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $20,018. About 4.0% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 7.1% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==
[[Davenport Community School District]] serves almost all of Walcott.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://educateiowa.gov/sites/files/ed/documents/FY20_DAVENPORT.pdf|title=Davenport|publisher=[[Iowa Department of Education]]|access-date=2020-03-28}}</ref> Zoned schools include Walcott Elementary School,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.davenportschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/DCSD-Intermediate-School-Boundary-Map.pdf|title=DCSD Intermediate Schools (Map)|publisher=[[Davenport Community School District]]|access-date=2020-03-28}} - [http://www.davenportschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Walcott-Elementary-School.pdf Walcott Elementary School detail map]</ref> Walcott Intermediate School,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.davenportschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/DCSD-Intermediate-School-Boundary-Map.pdf|title=DCSD Intermediate Schools (Map)|publisher=[[Davenport Community School District]]|access-date=2020-03-28}} - [http://www.davenportschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Walcott-Intermediate-School.pdf Walcott Intermediate School detail map] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170609214737/http://www.davenportschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Walcott-Intermediate-School.pdf |date=June 9, 2017 }}</ref> and [[Davenport West High School]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.davenportschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/DCSD-High-School-Boundary-Map.pdf|title=DCSD High Schools (Map)|publisher=[[Davenport Community School District]]|access-date=2020-03-28|archive-date=June 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170609194955/http://www.davenportschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/DCSD-High-School-Boundary-Map.pdf|url-status=dead}} - [http://www.davenportschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/West-High-School.pdf West High School detail map] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170609204422/http://www.davenportschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/West-High-School.pdf |date=June 9, 2017 }}</ref>

==Town twinning==
* {{flagicon|Germany}} [[Bredenbek]] in [[Germany]]

==References==

{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.city-data.com/city/Walcott-Iowa.html City-Data.com]
*[http://www.cityofwalcott.com/ City of Walcott, Iowa  Website]

{{Muscatine County, Iowa}}
{{Scott County, Iowa}}

 <!-- applies only to the Muscatine County portion of Walcott -->

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Iowa]]
[[Category:Cities in Muscatine County, Iowa]]
[[Category:Cities in Scott County, Iowa]]
[[Category:Cities in the Quad Cities]] <!-- applies only to the Scott County portion of Walcott -->
[[Category:Muscatine, Iowa micropolitan area]]
[[Category:1894 establishments in Iowa]]