Montgomery County, Iowa

Montgomery County
Montgomery County Courthouse
Montgomery County Courthouse
Map of Iowa highlighting Montgomery County
Location within the U.S. state of Iowa
Map of the United States highlighting Iowa
Iowa's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 41°01′45″N 95°09′05″W / 41.029166666667°N 95.151388888889°W / 41.029166666667; -95.151388888889
Country United States
State Iowa
Founded1851
Named forRichard Montgomery
SeatRed Oak
Largest cityRed Oak
Area
 • Total425 sq mi (1,100 km2)
 • Land424 sq mi (1,100 km2)
 • Water0.9 sq mi (2 km2)  0.2%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total10,330
 • Density24/sq mi (9.4/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district3rd
Websitemontgomerycountyia.gov

Montgomery County is a county located in the southwestern area of the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,330.[1] Its population has declined since a peak in 1900, since urbanization and decline of family farms. The county seat is Red Oak.[2] The county was founded by European-American migrants from eastern areas in 1851.[3] 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.

  1. ^ "2020 Census State Redistricting Data". census.gov. United states Census Bureau. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ William Walace Merritt (1906). A History of the County of Montgomery. The Express Publishing Company. montgomery county iowa founding.