Montgomery County, Iowa
Montgomery County, Iowa | |
|---|---|
The Montgomery County Courthouse in Red Oak | |
Location within the U.S. state of Iowa | |
| Coordinates: 41°01′18″N 95°09′28″W / 41.021735°N 95.157790°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Iowa |
| Founded | January 15, 1851 (created) August 15, 1853 (organized) |
| Named after | Richard Montgomery |
| Seat | Red Oak |
| Largest city | Red Oak |
| Area | |
• Total | 425.028 sq mi (1,100.82 km2) |
| • Land | 424.097 sq mi (1,098.41 km2) |
| • Water | 0.931 sq mi (2.41 km2) 0.22% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 10,330 |
• Estimate (2024) | 10,063 |
| • Density | 24.36/sq mi (9.405/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Area code | 712 |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
| Website | montgomerycountyia.gov |
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Montgomery County is a county located in the southwestern area of the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 10,330, and was estimated to be 10,063 in 2024. Its population has declined since a peak in 1900, since urbanization and decline of family farms. The county seat is Red Oak. The county was founded by European-American migrants from eastern areas in 1851. It was named in honor of Richard Montgomery, an American Revolutionary War general killed in 1775 while trying to capture Quebec City, Canada.
The county has been largely rural and devoted to agriculture. The county was first surveyed in 1852. It is famous as the location of the unsolved Villisca axe murders committed in 1912. Clyde Cessna, the founder of the Cessna Aircraft Company was born here.