Clarion, Iowa

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Coordinates: 42°43′52″N 93°43′52″W / 42.73111, -93.73111
Clarion, Iowa
Location of Clarion, Iowa
Country	United States
State	Iowa
County	Wright
Area
- Total	2.7 sq mi (7.1 km²)
- Land	2.7 sq mi (7.1 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation	1,171 ft (357 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	2,968
- Density	1,081.6/sq mi (417.6/km²)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes	50525-50526
Area code(s)	515
FIPS code	19-13620
GNIS feature ID	0455428

Clarion is a city in and the county seat of Wright County, Iowa, United States.^[1] The population was 2,968 at the 2000 census.

Clarion is the birthplace of the four-leaf clover emblem used by the 4-H Clubs of America, conceived of in 1907 by the local school superintendent.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
- 2.1 Population trends
3 Housing
4 Industry
5 Tourism
6 Commerce
7 Education
8 Healthcare
9 Recreation
10 Internet access
11 Religion
12 References
13 External links

[edit] Geography

Clarion is located at 42°43′52″N, 93°43′52″W (42.731112, -93.731095)^[2].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.7 square miles (7.1 km²), all of it land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 2,968 people, 1,255 households, and 786 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,081.6 people per square mile (418.2/km²). There were 1,355 housing units at an average density of 493.8/sq mi (190.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.67% White, 0.20% African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 5.53% from other races, and 0.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.80% of the population.

There were 1,255 households out of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.5% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.3% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.0% 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 2.89.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 23.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 90.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $37,026, and the median income for a family was $47,083. Males had a median income of $28,281 versus $23,077 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,431. About 5.3% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.4% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Population trends

From 1990 to 2000 the population of Clarion increased from 2,703 to 2,968. School enrollment is at the highest levels it has been for the past 25 years.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Housing

The city offers a wide array of housing. The city is in the process of annexing over 300 acres (1.2 km²) of land into the city limits to be used for housing developments. There is currently a Southpointe Housing Subdivision that has a couple lots remaining for new housing in a newly developed area of Clarion.

[edit] Industry

Clarion has seen industrial expansion creating additional jobs. The development of the Clarion Industrial Park has led to the opening of a new factory, Clarion Packaging LLC, that has built a 114,000 sq ft (10,600 m²). egg carton factory that manufactures egg cartons out of recycled paper. The project added 80 new jobs to the community. There is a 12,000 sq ft (1,100 m²). speculative building available. The industrial park features a new paved access road, sewer and water on site, railroad on site, and is conveniently located just 2 blocks south of Highway 3.

Hagie Manufacturing is located on Central Avenue. The company, incorporated by Ray Hagie, is responsible for designing and building the first high clearance sprayer. Today, the Clarion company boats of manufacturing the fastest self-propelled sprayers in the world. The sprayers also feature 120-foot (37 m) long booms, the new standard in the industry. Just in the last three years the company has more than doubled sales and the number of employees, currently at 260. They are expanding with a 75,000 sq ft (7,000 m²). addition being built to the north to allow for another assembly line. The expansion will add 60 more jobs and is anticipated to be complete by January 1, 2008.

Some of the other industrial companies in Clarion include EDS, Monsanto, Team Effort, Sports Graphics, Stronghold, Wright County Egg, and North Central Cooperative.

[edit] Tourism

Heartland Museum is located on the western edge of Clarion on Highway 3. Features include the large agriculture hall with lots of antique farm equipment, balcony level farm toy displays, and displays from other communities in Wright County. One of the newest exhibits is the Early Farming display. The museum is home to Alvina Sellers' Iowa Hat Lady collection of over 6,000 hats. Alvina was from Clarion and gave 5,636 programs including an appearance in the David Letterman Show. The Artist Teddy Bear Museum was completed in 2005 to accommodate the fourth Teddy Bear Reunion in the Heartland in Clarion. The celebration has been held every 5 years since 1990. Another feature of the museum is the period streetscapes that recreate businesses in Clarion from years gone by. The Wright County Historical Library in the museum is a history and research library of information all about Wright County located in the 1920s-1930s streetscape. The Heartland Museum also has a newly renovated community room available for rent and is home to the Clarion Historical Society and Clarion Arts Council.

The 4-H Schoolhouse Museum is another attraction located on Highway 3 in Gazebo Park. The restored Rock Island Depot is home to the Clarion Partnership for Growth (Chamber and Development Commission).

[edit] Commerce

Clarion's downtown features several buildings built in the 1800s. The center of the business district is the Wright County Courthouse, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Clarion's downtown includes several businesses of various types.[1]

[edit] Education

The Clarion-Goldfield Community School District has an enrollment of over 950 students in grades K-12 and 100 preschool students. The Clarion and Goldfield School Districts first entered into whole grade sharing from 1981 to 1993 and merged into Clarion-Goldfield in 1993. Since 2005 the Dows Community School District has been in a whole grade sharing arrangement sending their students in grades 6-12 to Clarion-Goldfield. The combined districts serve 1,100 students.

The school district has nearly completed an extensive expansion and renovation project. At the high school, a new addition and renovations were completed to provide new and renovated facilities for the Library Media Center, 7 additional classrooms, ICN Room, Computer Lab, new Chemistry/Physics Lab, new Offices and extensive remodeling of the building. The building is heated and cooled with geothermal technology. The other project completed in 2007 was the extensive remodeling of the middle school. That project also included an addition and renovations adding new offices and 3 additional classrooms. A high school addition was also built in 2004 and new weight room was built in 2003. In 2007 a wind turbine was built on the high school campus. The next phase in the district's facility plan includes a new 650-seat auditorium addition to the high school. The elementary building was renovated and expanded in 1994.

Clarion-Goldfield is a Class 2A school in the North Central Conference and is the largest school district in Wright County. Together, the Clarion-Goldfield and Dows Community Schools serve nearly 1,100 students. Enrollment at Clarion-Goldfield steadily increased in the 90's and remains steady while most districts in Iowa have experienced severe declining enrollment. Many students from surrounding school districts open enroll to Clarion-Goldfield which has also fueled the increased enrollment in recent years.

[edit] Healthcare

Wright Medical Center is located in the city and was recently been awarded such prestigious awards as the Firestarter Award by the Studer Group and the Summit Award by Press Ganey Associates. In 2006 a major expansion and renovation project was completed making facilities state-of-the-art. The hospital enjoys patient satisfaction ratings of 99% and serves patients from a 75-mile (121 km) radius of Clarion. WMC employs about 300 people and has continued to experienced siginificant growth making it the busiest healthcare facility in rural Iowa. Wright County Public Health & Hospice is another healthcare provider in Clarion.

[edit] Recreation

In 2006 the new Clarion Aquatic Center was completed and opened in June. The aquatic center features 2 large slides, 2 deep-water drop-slides, zero-depth beach-style entrance with play features, 6-lane lap swimming area, and 2 diving boards. Clarion has several city parks, with planned improvements. Lake Cornelia is located just North of town and features a natural glacier lake, large conservation park including modern camping sites. There is a new walking/biking trail around Lake Cornelia with another one, the Vita Course, located in Northeast Clarion. Clarion also has a skating rink, bowling alley and movie theatre.

[edit] Internet access

Clarion Wireless, the Information Technology Team of the Clarion Partnership for Growth, is working to provide broadband internet access throughout the community. The wireless service was recently added downtown and will soon be available at the Aquatic Center Park/Football Stadium Area.

[edit] Religion

Clarion is home to such Christian churches as First United Methodist Church, First Lutheran Church, Clarion Church of Christ, United Church of Christ Congregational, St. John's Catholic Church, Church of the Nazarene, United Presbyterian Church, Holmes Baptist Church, Holmes Evangelical Lutheran Church, Immanuel Missouri-Synod Lutheran Church, Wright Christian Reformed Church (between Clarion and Kanawah), and St. Olaf Lutheran Church (between Clarion and Belmond) are located in the Clarion area. The Mary's and Martha's (M&M's) are a Christian organization. They have received national recognition for their annual "60 Days to Make a Difference". Another Christian organization in Clarion is ECHO.