Knoxville, Iowa
| Knoxville, Iowa | |
|---|---|
| City | |
"Knoxville" sign found on the north side along IA 14
|
|
 Location of Knoxville, Iowa |
|
| Coordinates: 41°19′9″N 93°6′5″W / 41.31917°N 93.10139°WCoordinates: 41°19′9″N 93°6′5″W / 41.31917°N 93.10139°W | |
| Country |
 United States
|
| State |
 Iowa
|
| County | Marion |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4.63 sq mi (11.99 km2) |
| • Land | 4.63 sq mi (11.99 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 909 ft (277 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 7,313 |
| • Estimate (2012) | 7,296 |
| • Density | 1,579.5/sq mi (609.8/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP codes | 50138, 50197, 50198 |
| Area code(s) | 641 |
| FIPS code | 19-42015 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0458137 |
| Website | www.discoverknoxville.com |
Knoxville is a city in Marion County, Iowa, United States. The population was 7,313 at the 2010 census, a decrease from 7,731 in the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Marion County. Knoxville is home of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum, located next to the famous Knoxville Raceway dirt track.
The site for the future county seat of Marion County was selected because it was within a mile of the geographic center of the county, reasonably level and near a good source of timber. The first town lots were sold in 1845, and the town was named after Knoxville, a small town in Iowa which was created in 1845 to be the county seat for Marion County.
In early 1853, the citizens of Marion County created a committee to attract railroad development to the county and to Knoxville, promising to buy shares in any railroad that reached town. The first contender was the Muscatine, Oskaloosa & Council Bluffs, proposing an east-west line that would pass through Knoxville, the line being suggested in January of 1868 by the proposed Muscatine, Oskaloosa & Council Bluffs. By 1875, when this line reached Knoxville, it was the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad. The second railroad to reach Knoxville was the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific, which completed a line from Oskaloosa in 1876, it being the second railroad to reach Knoxville, the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific which completed a line from Oskaloosa in 1876.
Systematic coal mining in Marion County began with the Union Coal Company's mine in Flagler, 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Knoxville in around 1874 or 1875. For several years, the Number 5 mine in Flagler was one of the most productive in Iowa, employing around 150 men and working a coal vein over 8 feet (2.5 m) thick. The Oak Hill coal company also had mines in Flagler. Systematic coal mining Marion County Union Coal Company Flagler mine productive Iowa employing 150 Coal Company Knoxville, Systematic coal mining Marion Iowa County Iowa Iowa Coal Flagler 1874 or 1875 Knoxville Raceway dirt track mining.
...
Wikipedia