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Iowa Counties

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Iowa Counties

There are 99 Counties in Iowa. The first two counties, Des Moines County and Dubuque County, were created in 1834 when Iowa was still part of the Michigan Territory. In preparation for Michigan's statehood, part of Michigan Territory was formed into Wisconsin Territory in 1836]. Two years later, the western portion was split off to become Iowa Territory. The south-eastern part of Iowa Territory became Iowa, the 29th state in the union, on 28 December 1846, by which point 44 Counties had been created. Counties continued to be created by the state government until 1857, when the last county, Humboldt County, was created.

Johnson County, Iowa

Johnson County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Iowa City
Year Organized: 1837
Square Miles: 614

Court House:

913 S. Dubuque St.
County Administrative Building
Iowa City, IA 52240-4273

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Johnson is named for Richard Mentor Johnson, the ninth vice president of the United States.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

Johnson County is named for Colonel Richard Mentor Johnson and not Andrew Johnson, as some believe. Colonel Johnson was in the War of 1812, senator from Michigan and the vice-president of the US during the Van Buren administration.

Until the late 1830s the area known today as Johnson County was nothing more than wilderness and a hunting ground for the Fox and Sac Indians. Between 1832 and 1837 the Indians were stripped of their lands by treaty. Soon settlers began to move into the county. The county was established in 1837. By 1838 there were two towns competing for the county seat--Osceola and Napoleon. An Act of the Wisconsin Assembly selected Napoleon as the county seat on June 22, 1838. A two-story log cabin courthouse was then constructed at Napoleon.

When the First Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Iowa met at Burlington a bill was approved to locate the seat of government for the Territory of Iowa. The site was to be within the boundaries of Johnson County, and it was to be named Iowa City. Three commissioners met and selected a site two miles north of Napoleon on May 1, 1839.

On December 31, 1839, an Act was passed to relocate the county seat of Johnson County with orders to keep present and future populations in mind. The site of the new county seat was easily chosen as Iowa City, the "capital" of the Iowa Territory. In January 1855, the Fifth General Assembly voted to move the state capital to Des Moines.

The first courthouse built in Iowa City was a temporary two-story structure constructed of bricks. This courthouse burned to the ground in 1856. In 1857 this building was replaced by another courthouse, which was insured for $30,000. This brick building was used until 1899, when it was condemned.

The cornerstone of the present courthouse was laid on December 2, 1899. It was constructed by James Rowson and Son at a cost of $135,000. Bands, balloons and a parade were part of the dedication ceremonies held on June 8, 1901.

Neighboring Counties:

North: Linn County
Northeast: Cedar County
Southeast: Muscatine County; Louisa County
Southwest: Washington County
West: Iowa County
Northwest: Benton County

Cities and Towns:

- Coralville	city	Incorporated Area
- Hills	city	Incorporated Area
- Iowa City (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Lone Tree	city	Incorporated Area
- North Liberty	city	Incorporated Area
- Oxford	city	Incorporated Area
- Shueyville	city	Incorporated Area
- Solon	city	Incorporated Area
- Swisher	city	Incorporated Area
- Tiffin	city	Incorporated Area
- University Heights	city	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resources

The history of our nation was a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names given the counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of this country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."