THE STORY OF GARWIN

Garwin owes its existence to the fact that in 1879, at the county seat in Toledo, which is southeast of Garwin’s location, the Toledo and Northwestern Railroad was sold to the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad. After the sale, the line was extended northwestward from Toledo. Other towns sprang up along the tracks, but Garwin was the first station beyond Toledo. There was difficulty in giving the townsite a name. The first name chosen was Maple, or some say, Myrcle. Neither was an overwhelming favorite. The next choice was Marvin in honor of Marvin Hewitt, an official of the North-western railroad, but another town already bore that name. When the site was being considered, several landowners were interested in selling their land for that purpose, among them being George Rider and John Galvizer. After much controversy, these two men won out and a message was sent to Toledo: “G (for Glavizer) and R (for Rider) win”. This was construed to be Garwin and the town had its name. Garwin City Hall 205 Main Street, Garwin, IA 50632 641-499-2307 garwincity@iowatelecom.net www.tamacountyiowa.org/garwin

POPULATION 565 DEMOGRAPHICS White……………….…...…98.6% African American……………0.0% American Indian:…………….0.0% Asian: ……………………….0.0% Native Hawaiian……………0.0% Other race……………….….0.9% Two or more races…………..0.5% Hispanic or Latino (of any race)....1.8%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2000

SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS High school grad or higher…...85% Bachelors degree or higher...... 8% Civilian veterans….....….……..14% Disability status…………..…...21%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2000

WORKFORCE In labor force (age 16+):.....72.3% Ave. travel time to work.....23.7 min Median family income:…..$45,938 Families below poverty level:.2.4%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2000

www.tamacountyiowa.org

GARWIN IOWA

GEOGRAPHY/CLIMATE: Gently rolling mid-continent fertile/high yield farmlands. Ave. High Low Precip. Snow Summer 83 61 13 0 Winter 31 14 4 21

Source: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, 2007

EMPLOYMENT: Corn, soybeans, cattle, & hogs anchor the agricultural economy. Larger payrolls: GMG School District ….………..60 Pronto Convenience Store…...…...5 Lincoln Savings Bank ……….…....4 FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS Lincoln Savings Bank ….$340 million total deposits

Source: Federal Deposit Ins. Corp., 2008

TAXES: Sales tax:……..….….……… 7% State income tax......0.36%-8.98% (plus a base rate)

Source: Iowa Department of Revenue, 2008

UTILITIES: Electric…………….....Alliant Energy Natural gas……..…...Alliant Energy Water……...…...…. City of Garwin Sewer…….…….…...City of Garwin Phone………………...Iowa Telecom Internet...........................Iowa Telecom Internet………....….…...Mediacom TV Cable……….….…...Mediacom EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS: Green Mountain-Garwin School District Elementary…………….Green Mtn. Middle school………..…….Garwin High school………………...Garwin Enrollment………………..…453 Graduation rate………....91.67% Curriculum units taught……..48.51 Total units required………...26.0 Marshalltown Comm College..19 mi Iowa State University………...50 mi Univ of Northern Iowa…...…..31 mi University of Iowa………........65 mi

Source: Iowa Department of Education, 2008

HOUSING median value of single family house….…...$51,100 median mortgage:…………..$684

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2000

HEALTH CARE: Volunteer EMS……..…..…...12 crew GARWIN PUBLIC LIBRARY: Books & serial volumes:…...8,457 Total circulation:……...…....6,856 Public internet terminals……..…..2

Source: National Center for Education Statistics, 2005

HOUSES OF WORSHIP Methodist Catholic Christian RECREATION: City park. Swimming, fishing, boating, camping at Union Grove State Park, northwest of Garwin.

GARWIN, IOWA FACTS | Page 2

Updated 07/2009

Green Mountain Garwin Secondary School was honored with a bronze medal as one of Iowa’s top 50 schools for provid-ing a well rounded educa-tion and preparation for college. U.S. News & World Report

“We offer a small, rural education and put a lot of priority on the students and their activities.” Mark Polich GMG Secondary School Principal