Butler County, Iowa
| Butler County, Iowa | |
|---|---|
|
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 Location in the U.S. state of Iowa |
|
 Iowa's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1851 |
| Named for | William Orlando Butler |
| Seat | Allison |
| Largest city | Parkersburg |
| Area | |
| • Total | 582 sq mi (1,507 km2) |
| • Land | 580 sq mi (1,502 km2) |
| • Water | 1.6 sq mi (4 km2), 0.3% |
| Population | |
| • (2010) | 14,867 |
| • Density | 26/sq mi (10/km²) |
| Congressional district | 4th |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
| Website | www |
Butler County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2010 census, the population was 14,867. Its county seat is Allison. The county was organized in 1854 and named for General William O. Butler.
Butler County was formed on January 15, 1851 from open land. It was named after Kentucky native William Orlando Butler, a general and hero of the Mexican–American War, who ran as Vice President of the United States in 1848. Until 1854, the county was governed by other counties. Only at this time did it have enough inhabitants to establish its own local government. The first court proceedings were conducted in a small log cabin of a settler. In 1858, the first courthouse was completed in Clarksville. After it was sold shortly thereafter to the local school district, it was used as a schoolhouse from 1863 until 1903.
Clarksville was the first county seat, from 1854 to 1860, after which Butler Center became the seat. Because locals became disenchanted with Butler Center (partially because of its inaccessibility during the winter), Allison was made the county seat on January 10, 1881.
When the tracks of the Dubuque and Dakota Railroad were laid through Allison, the seat was moved there on January 10, 1881. Allison was named after the Dubuque native Republican politician, lawyer and senator William B. Allison.
Butler County is the only county in Iowa that does not have any stop lights, a hospital, or a movie theatre. There are also no national fast food chains in Butler county.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 582 square miles (1,510 km2), of which 580 square miles (1,500 km2) is land and 1.6 square miles (4.1 km2) (0.3%) is water.
The 2010 census recorded a population of 14,867 in the county, with a population density of 25.63/sq mi (9.90/km2). There were 6,682 housing units, of which 6,120 were occupied.
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Wikipedia