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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.

Madison County, Iowa

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

County Seat: Winterset
Year Organized: 1844
Square Miles: 561

Court House:

P.O. Box 152
County Courthouse
Winterset, IA 50273-0152

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Madison is named for James Madison, the fourth president of the United States.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

Madison County, established in 1846, was named for James Madison, the fourth president of the United States. The county originated in 1849.

Madison's first courthouse was a one-story log cabin built in Winterset in 1857. The second courthouse was built in 1868-69 completely with Madison County gray limestone, but was destroyed by fire in 1875.

The current Madison County courthouse was built by Andrew Piquenard, planner of both the Iowa and Illinois State Capitols. It was entered in the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.

In 1969, the courthouse and surrounding square were the setting of the movie "Cold Turkey" starring Dick Van Dyke.

President Ronald Reagan visited the courthouse in 1984.

Neighboring Counties:

North: Dallas County
Northeast: Polk County
East: Warren County
Southeast: Clarke County
Southwest: Union County
West: Adair County
Northwest: Guthrie County

Cities and Towns:

- Bevington	city	Incorporated Area
- Earlham	city	Incorporated Area
- East Peru	city	Incorporated Area
- Macksburg	city	Incorporated Area
- Patterson	city	Incorporated Area
- St. Charles	city	Incorporated Area
- Truro	city	Incorporated Area
- Winterset (County Seat)	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."