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Sioux City is a city located in Western Iowa. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 85,013. It is the county seat of Woodbury County6.
Sioux City is at the navigational head of the Missouri River, about 100 miles northwest of Council Bluffs, Iowa. Sioux City and the surrounding areas of northwestern Iowa, northeastern Nebraska and southeastern South Dakota are sometimes referred to as Siouxland, especially by the local media.
History
Sioux City was laid out in 1854 by Dr. John K. Cook, sent by the United States Federal Government to survey northwestern Iowa, who was impressed by the location at the mouths of the Big Sioux and Floyd Rivers at the Missouri. Within 3 years it had a population of 400 people and incorporated as a city.
Steamboat traffic first arrived at Sioux City in 1865, and the railroad arrived in 1868.
 Sioux City at the start of the 1900s; 4th Street, looking east from Virginia In 1885 the city had a population of some 20,000. That decade the city had a building boom, and an elevated railroad and early "skyscrapers" were built. President Grover Cleveland visited in 1887.
In 1915 the Industrial Workers of the World staged free speech demonstrations which resulted in mass arrests, filling the city's jails to overflowing. Further major strikes shut down the city in 1921 and 1922, most notably protesting conditions in the packing house industry.
In 1932 and 1933 a farmers strike occupied the city for some time, preventing food shipments in protest of very low agricultural prices.
In 1950 Sioux City had a population of about 84,000.
On July 28, 1986 an F4 tornado struck areas west and south of Sioux City, destroying one of the four power generation plants at Port Neal, six miles south of the Sioux City airport. Fortunately, no one was killed and the tornado avoided heavily populated areas.
On July 19, 1989 a Douglas DC-10 carrying United Airlines flight 232 crashed in Sioux City killing 112 but due to extraordinary efforts by the pilot and his crew, 184 on board survived.
In 1990 Sioux City was named an All America City by the National Civic League.
On December 13, 1994, an explosion killed four and injured 18 at the Terra International ammonium nitrate plant at Port Neal. The explosion released a cloud of anhydrous ammonia and nitric acid, forcing evacuations in nearby areas such as Salix. Fortunately, the toxic cloud stayed south of the city of Sioux City.
Geography
Sioux City is located at 42°29'53" North, 96°23'45" West (42.497957, -96.395705)1. Sioux City is at an altitude of 1,135 feet above sea level.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 144.9 km² (56.0 mi²). 141.9 km² (54.8 mi²) of it is land and 3.0 km² (1.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 2.06% water.
Metropolitan area
As of the 2000 census, the Sioux City metropolitan area had 143,053 residents in four counties. As defined by the Office of Management and Budget, they are (in descending order of population):
Two of these counties -- Union and Dixon -- were added to the metro area in 2003. In reality, only Woodbury, Dakota, and Union counties contain any metropolitan character; Dixon County is entirely rural.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 85,013 people, 32,054 households, and 21,091 families residing in the city. The population density is 599.0/km² (1,551.3/mi²). There are 33,816 housing units at an average density of 238.3/km² (617.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 85.23% White, 2.41% African American, 1.95% Native American, 2.82% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 5.27% from other races, and 2.28% from two or more races. 10.89% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 32,054 households out of which 33.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% are married couples living together, 12.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 34.2% are non-families. 27.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.57 and the average family size is 3.14.
In the city the population is spread out with 27.1% under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100 females there are 95.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 92.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $37,429, and the median income for a family is $45,751. Males have a median income of $31,385 versus $22,470 for females. The per capita income for the city is $18,666. 11.2% of the population and 7.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 15.0% of those under the age of 18 and 7.8% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Neighborhoods and suburbs
City neighborhoods
- Leeds is a mostly residential neighborhood northeast of downtown Sioux City, centered near 41st Street at Floyd Boulevard.
- Morningside is the blanket term for the hilly southeast quadrant of Sioux City. It was originally a streetcar suburb in the late 19th century. It is home to Morningside College, founded in 1894. Today it is a mix of older residential neighborhoods and commercial corridors, as well as most of the city's new retail and residential growth.
- Riverside is a flat, low-income residential area on the west side of Sioux City, along the banks of the Big Sioux River.
- Springdale is a small neighborhood along 28th Street on the east side of Sioux City, near the Floyd River.
Suburbs
- South Sioux City, Nebraska is directly across the Missouri River in Dakota County. With nearly 12,000 residents, it is by far the largest suburb of Sioux City. It was an All America City in 2003. Two bridges -- the Veterans Memorial Bridge and the Interstate 129 bridge -- connect Sioux City with South Sioux City.
- Dakota City, Nebraska is just south of South Sioux City. It is the county seat of Dakota County. Large beef-processing plants are located just north of Dakota City.
- North Sioux City, South Dakota is just across the Big Sioux River in Union County. It is home to a number of casinos.
- Dakota Dunes, South Dakota is an unincorporated "master-planned community" just west of Sioux City in the extreme southeast corner of South Dakota. Construction began circa 1989. Expensive new homes, suburban-style office parks, and a country club golf course designed by Arnold Palmer characterize this area.
- Sergeant Bluff, Iowa is a mainly residential suburb adjacent to the southern city limits of Sioux City, less than a mile east of the Sioux City airport.
Transportation
Highways
- Interstate 29 runs north-south, connecting Sioux City to Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Council Bluffs, Iowa.
- U.S. Highway 20 runs east-west, connecting Sioux City to O'Neill, Nebraska and Fort Dodge, Iowa.
- U.S. Highway 75 runs north-south, connecting Sioux City to Le Mars, Iowa and Omaha, Nebraska.
- U.S. Highway 77 begins (or ends, depending on your perspective) in Sioux City, running south to Lincoln, Nebraska.
- Iowa Highway 12 runs north from the Riverside area of Sioux City.
- Iowa Highway 982 runs southeast from the Morningside area of Sioux City.
Public transit
The Sioux City Transit System operates 11 bus routes throughout Sioux City and parts of South Sioux City and North Sioux City. It also provides para-transit service to the elderly, handicapped, and others with special transportation needs.
Aviation
Commercial air service is available via Sioux Gateway Airport/Colonel Bud Day Field (SUX). A smaller general-aviation airport, Martin Field (7K8), is located just west of South Sioux City.
Media
Television stations
- KTIV, Channel 4, NBC affiliate; ratings leader in the market
- KCAU, Channel 9, ABC affiliate (formerly KVTV)
- KMEG, Channel 14, CBS affiliate; infamous for refusing to air David Letterman's show when he moved to CBS; carried no news programming from the mid 1970s to late 1990s.
- KSIN, Channel 27, PBS affiliate
- KPTH, Channel 44, Fox affiliate; signed on in the late 1990s; Fox programming had aired on KMEG prior to KPTH's arrival
Radio stations
(Note: Not an all-inclusive list. Some low-power stations and stations audible from adjacent markets are excluded. Due to extremely high soil conductivity in the Midwest, many AM stations from other cities are audible in Sioux City.)
FM stations
- KMSC, 88.3, operated by Morningside College
- KWIT, 90.3, public radio, operated by Western Iowa Technical Community College
- KGLI, 95.5, "KG95" -- long-time top 40 station (since approximately 1983)
- KSEZ, 97.9, "Z98" -- plays rock music; was a top 40 station "Rock 98" in the 1980s
- KKMA, 99.5, "Kool 99.5" -- plays oldies; formerly adult contemporary "Magic 99"; call letters were KZZL in the early 1980s as an easy listening format
- KKYY, 101.3, "Y101.3" -- country music; the newest FM signal in the market
- KZSR, 102.3, "Star 102.3" -- a "hot adult contemporary" station; signed on in the mid-1990s
- KTFC, 103.3, religious ("Midwest Bible Radio")
- WNAX-FM, 104.1, country; broadcasts from Yankton, South Dakota; low-power translator K283AG broadcasts at 104.5 FM in Sioux City, but both frequencies are audible in Sioux City. Previously oldies/classic hits KCLH; was top 40 KQHU "Q104" in 1990
- KSUX, 105.7, "The SuperPig, K-Sioux 105.7"; has played country music since the signal went on-air in the fall of 1990; reportedly the station's first owners named the station after the airport abbreviation (SUX) and did not recognize the latent humor in the KSUX calls until it was too late.
- KSFT, 107.1, plays adult contemporary music; signed on in the mid-1990s
AM stations
- WNAX, 570, talk radio and farm news from Yankton, South Dakota; massive signal covering much of the upper Midwest
- KMNS, 620, talk radio; for a long time, was "62 Country"
- KSCJ, 1360, talk radio; call letters derive from the Sioux City Journal, which once owned the station
- KWSL, 1470, sports talk; was a top 40 station long long ago
Print
- Sioux City Journal, daily newspaper serving entire Siouxland region
- Dakota County Star, weekly newspaper serving northeast Nebraska
- Siox City Hispanos Unidos, bi-weekly spanish readers paper
Parks and recreation
External links
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