Montgomery County, Iowa
Montgomery County | |
|---|---|
Montgomery County Courthouse | |
Location within the U.S. state of Iowa | |
Iowa's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 41°01′45″N 95°09′05″W / 41.029166666667°N 95.151388888889°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Iowa |
| Founded | 1851 |
| Named after | Richard Montgomery |
| Seat | Red Oak |
| Largest city | Red Oak |
| Area | |
• Total | 425 sq mi (1,100 km2) |
| • Land | 424 sq mi (1,100 km2) |
| • Water | 0.9 sq mi (2 km2) 0.2% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 10,330 |
| • Density | 24/sq mi (9.4/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
| Website | montgomerycountyia |
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. 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.