ZIP Code 50554

Laurens is a city in Pocahontas County, Iowa, United States. Its population was 1,264 at the 2020 census. It was named in honor of Henry and John Laurens, father and son, two French Huguenots who became residents of Charleston, South Carolina, and were loyal to the Colonies during the Revolution. It is home to the LaurensMarathon Community School District until its consolidation on July 1, 1976. All grades are located in Laurens High School, which is located in Pocontas Area 1, 1,000 feet above sea level. The city is located at 42°5050N 94°5058W (42.847105, -94.849542).According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.73 square miles (1.89 km²), all land. In 2000, there were 1,476 people in 656 households, including 400 families, in the city. In 2010, the town had a population of 1,258 people in 571 households. The racial makup of the city was 97.5% White, 0.3% African American,0.4% Native American, and 0.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.4%. The city was named after Henry Laurens and his son, John Lauren, who were French Hugus who lived in South Carolina during the American Revolution.

History

Laurens was platted in 1881. It was named in honor of Henry and John Laurens, father and son, two French Huguenots who became residents of Charleston, South Carolina, and were loyal to the Colonies during the Revolution. The town is located on the banks of the Little River, which runs through the center of the city. The city was named for Henry Laurens who was a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives in the early 19th century and served as mayor of Charleston from 1879 to 1883. It is named after Henry Lauren, who was one of the founders of Charleston in the late 1800s, and his son John Lauren who was also a South Carolina resident and mayor from 1881 to 1884. The community was named after the Laurens family, who were loyal during the French and Colonial Wars and fought in the Battle of Lexington and Concord in 1777. It has a population of 2,000. The village is located in the town of Laurens which is located near Charleston, S.C. and the city's downtown area, which is about 30 miles south of the town's main business district, Charleston City Hall. It also has a smallpox hospital, which was established in 1879, and a public school, which opened in 1883, and has since been expanded to accommodate the growing population. The neighborhood is named for Laurens' son John, who served in the U.S. Army during the Revolutionary War.

Geography

Laurens is located at 42°5050N 94°5058W (42.847105, -94.849542).According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.73 square miles (1.89 km²), all land. The city's population was 1,071 at the 2010 census. The town's population is 1,084 at the 2011 census. It has a population of 1,091. The area is less than 1 square mile (0.73 km²) and the city is more than 1,000 acres (3.2 km) in area. It is located in the state of New Mexico, and is located near the state's border with Wyoming. It was founded in 1858. The U.N. World Heritage Site is located on the shores of Lake Laurens, which was named after Laurens. The lake is home to the Laurens River, which is a tributary of the Colorado River. It also has a lakebed known as the Laurel River. The Laurel River flows through the city. The river is also known for being one of the few places in the United States where the word "lurens" is used to refer to the town's name. The word Laurens means "lucky" or "fortunate" in Spanish. It means "to live" in French and "laurent" in English.

Demographics

At the 2010 census there were 1,258 people in 571 households, including 332 families, in the city. 22% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.6% were from 25 to 44; 29.5% from 45 to 64; and 21.2% were 65 or older. The median household income was $33,188 and the median family income was$43,661. The per capita income for the city was $16,711. About 4.8% of families and 7.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.0% of those under age 18 and 8.6%, of those age 65 or over. The racial makup of the city is 98.68% White, 0.41% Asian, and 0.75% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.4%. The median age was 45.6 years. The gender makeup of theCity was 49.3% male and 50.7%. The population density was 1,999.4 inhabitants per square mile (772.0/km²). There were 711 housing units at an average density of 963.1 per squaremile (371.9/ km²). The city has a population of 1,476 people in 656 households. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size is 2.84.

Education

LaurensMarathon High School was founded in 1976. It is located in the town of Laurens, New Hampshire. The school has about 40 full-time teaching staff. It was part of the Laurens Community School District until 1976. The district was merged into Laurens Marathon High School on July 1, 1976. In 2000, the school had 423 students in all grades. The high school was closed in 2007. It reopened in 2008. It now has about 200 students in the high school. It has been closed since 2009. It's now called Laurens High School. It closed in 2010. It became a private school in 2011. It will reopen in 2015. The current high school students are from Laurens. They are in the middle of their junior and senior high school years. They have been in the school since 2007. They were in the same school district for four years. It opened again in 2010, with the addition of a junior high. The senior high students are in their early 20s. The junior high students were in their late 20s and early 30s. There are about 40 students in each grade. There have been no students since 2008. There is no student population in the senior high. There has been no student enrollment in the junior high or high school since 2010. There was a student population of about 1,200 in the first year of the school. There were about 2,000 in the second year of school. The student population has grown to 3,000.

In popular culture

Laurens was the home of Alvin Straight, a 73-year-old man famous for travelling 240 miles (390 km) on a lawnmower. His story was made into the film The Straight Story (1999), directed by David Lynch and starring Richard Farnsworth and Sissy Spacek. It was filmed partly in Laurens. "Lauren, Iowa" is also the title of an instrumental song in the soundtrack of the film, which is set in the town. The song is called 'Laurent, Iowa' and was recorded by the band The Shirelles, who are based on the novel by the same name. The novel is about a man who travels 240 miles on a mower. The film is based on a true story about the same man, Alvin Straight. The Straight story was filmed in and around Laurens, Iowa, between 1997 and 1998. The soundtrack for the film was recorded in Lauren's town hall, which was also used as the setting for the movie 'The Shawshank Redemption', which was shot in the same place as the original novel. The movie was directed by Lynch, who also directed 'The Godfather' (1998) and 'The Lawnmower Man' (2000), both of which were filmed in the city of Laurens as well as elsewhere in the U.S. and were shot on location in the state of Iowa. It is also known as 'The Straight Story' in the film and the soundtrack for The Godfather (2001).

Sister city

Laurens, France, became a sister city to Laurens, Iowa, during the preparations for the 2007 quasquicentennial (125th anniversary) The city of Laurens is located in the Piedmont region of northern France. Laurens was founded in 1872. The city is located on the banks of the Rhine River. It is located near the border with France. It was founded by French Huguenots in 18th century. It has a population of about 2,000. The town has a history of being part of the U.S. state of Iowa since 1852. It also has a long-standing relationship with the state of New Hampshire, which it shares a border with. It became a Sister City with Laurens during the 2007 QuasQuicentennial celebrations. The two cities are sister cities for the first time in 2007. They are now on the same continent, the Pays de la Loire, France and the Rhône-Alpes region of France, and share a sisterhood of about 1,000 people. They also have a sister town in the town of Lapland, in the north of France. The sister city was established in 1852, and was named after the town's first mayor, Jean-Baptiste de Laurens. In 1883, Laurens became the first sister city with the city of La Planche, France. In 1886, the city was named Laurens. The twin cities were joined in 1883.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Laurens, Pocahontas County, Iowa = 97. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 47. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 99. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Laurens = 3.9 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 11,262 individuals with a median age of 47.2 age the population dropped by -13.95% in Laurens, Pocahontas County, Iowa population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,669.75 residents per square mile of area (644.79/km²). There are average 2.14 people per household in the 575 households with an average household income of $40,826 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 4.50% of the available work force and has growths 3.37% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 42.24%. The number of physicians in Laurens per 100,000 population = 38.3.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Laurens = 29.4 inches and the annual snowfall = 33.2 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 81. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 204. 85 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 5.5 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 45, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Laurens, Pocahontas County, Iowa which are owned by the occupant = 66.72%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 58 years with median home cost = $56,030 and home appreciation of 1.72%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $9.16 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $5,438 per student. There are 11.7 students for each teacher in the school, 211 students for each Librarian and 211 students for each Counselor. 6.86% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 9.14% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 4.57% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).