Author Archives: Jeff

Jul 04

Liberty and law

Posted on Monday, July 4, 2016, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

September 2, 2008: Replica Statue of Liberty (1950) outside Buchanan County Courthouse (1939) in Independence, Iowa (1847).

Posted in Iowa Miscellaneous | Comments Off on Liberty and law
Jul 01

Moving IA 17 off Lincoln Highway

Posted on Friday, July 1, 2016, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

July 5, 2013: The original Lincoln Highway runs on IA 17 between E41 and 205th Street in Boone County. The elevator is part of West Central Cooperative. There is a mile-long east-west segment of IA 17 that runs along old … Continue reading →

Posted in Construction, Highway Miscellaneous | Comments Off on Moving IA 17 off Lincoln Highway
Jun 30

Map of Iowa school enrollment changes, 2001-2015

Posted on Thursday, June 30, 2016, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

I have created a color-coded map of Iowa that shows changes in certified enrollment between 2001-02 and 2015-16. Certified enrollment is not a direct correlation with head count, because of certain formulas, but it’s the number used for all state … Continue reading →

Posted in Iowa Miscellaneous, Schools | Comments Off on Map of Iowa school enrollment changes, 2001-2015
Jun 29

Iowa’s largest enrollment gainers, 2001-2015

Posted on Wednesday, June 29, 2016, at 10:10 AM by Jeff

Statewide student enrollment over the past decade and a half tells a different story than a district-by-district breakdown: Rural areas continue to be drained of students while the gains are concentrated in the suburbs. By the raw certified enrollment total, … Continue reading →

Posted in Iowa Miscellaneous, Schools | Comments Off on Iowa’s largest enrollment gainers, 2001-2015
Jun 28

Smallest districts of 1996 by enrollment — where are they now?

Posted on Tuesday, June 28, 2016, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

I have a map of the state of Iowa’s school districts as they were in the 1996-97 school year. As with any district map, it doesn’t reflect what sharing arrangements were at the time, but counting up the numbers then … Continue reading →

Posted in Schools | Comments Off on Smallest districts of 1996 by enrollment — where are they now?
Jun 27

Largest one-high school areas in Iowa

Posted on Monday, June 27, 2016, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

This is a list of the top 10 places in Iowa, by size, served by one high school, in five-year increments. In most cases, it involves whole-grade sharing followed some time later by consolidation, but in some cases there is … Continue reading →

Posted in Iowa Miscellaneous, Schools | Comments Off on Largest one-high school areas in Iowa
Jun 25

A note for summer parade organizers

Posted on Saturday, June 25, 2016, at 10:08 AM by Jeff

PUT THE HORSES LAST.

Posted in Tama County | Comments Off on A note for summer parade organizers
Jun 24

Updates to the index page on the blog’s fifth anniversary

Posted on Friday, June 24, 2016, at 10:04 AM by Jeff

May 10, 2005: IA 98 is expected to be turned over to Van Buren County July 1. There’s a front door to this place, although it has less action than the blog page. I haven’t done major work on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Highway Miscellaneous | Comments Off on Updates to the index page on the blog’s fifth anniversary
Jun 23

The rise of the 400-square-mile high school, part 4

Posted on Thursday, June 23, 2016, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

October 3, 2015: Harmony High School, a one-story building at the intersection of J46 and W46, will become the sole building for Harmony this fall, with all elementary students relocating here from Bonaparte. Junior high and high school students will go … Continue reading →

Posted in Iowa Miscellaneous, Schools | Comments Off on The rise of the 400-square-mile high school, part 4
Jun 22

The rise of the 400-square-mile high school, part 3

Posted on Wednesday, June 22, 2016, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

July 25, 2012: The cornerstone of the Boxholm school, last serving as Southeast Webster-Grand Junior High. The Boxholm school is not currently in use. By the summer of 2013, residents of the Corwith-Wesley district knew their high school was a … Continue reading →

Posted in Iowa Miscellaneous, Schools | Comments Off on The rise of the 400-square-mile high school, part 3