Buffalo Center, Iowa
Buffalo Center is a city in Winnebago County, Iowa, United States. The population was 857 at the time of the 2020 census. Its ZIP code is 50424. History. Buffalo Center was platted in 1892. It was incorporated as a city in 1892. It founded the school of North Iowa Community School in 1996. Located seven miles south of the Minnesota border and called Buffalo Center because it was midway between the north and south forks of Buffalo Creek, the town was originally built south of the present site and moved north when the Chicago and Iowa Western  Railroad set up lines in northern Iowa. It was settled in 1892 on mostly swampy ground, later dredged and tiled. One of the original settlers, Howard Pomeroy, took a mower and mowed through his wheat fields to show where the streets would be, and a hardware store and a blacksmith shop were the first stores in town. Buffalo Center has survived many fires which destroyed Main Street businesses over and over, a tornado or two on the edges of town, and several blizzards like the Armistice Day storm of November 11, 1940. On August 23, 1897, Buffalo Center became the  first school west of the Mississippi Rover to be consolidated, and it is believed to be the second one in the nation. Today, Buffalo Center is a thriving town of about 1000 people. We have a large new community center, our first museum, several new businesses and a K-12 consolidated school that educates students from Buffalo Center, Rake, Lakota and Thompson. Our 4th of July celebration is a well-known all-day holiday which features a 5K, a parade, music in the park, tournaments, games and contests for the kids, and a huge fireworks display. Other annual events include  the Winter Gala, the summer Meat & Music Festival, Crazy Days, the Firemen's Dance in July, and the Old-Fashioned Christmas Celebration in December. Geography. Buffalo Center is located at (43.386497, -93.948241). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. Demographics. 2010 census. As of the census of 2010, there were 905 people, 405 households, and 242 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 465 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.1% White, 0.6% African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.2 % Asian, 2.1% from other races, and 0.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.0% of the population. There were 405 households, of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.2% were non-families. 37.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the  average family size was 2.81. The median age in the city was 48.3 years. 23.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 17.9% were from 25 to 44; 24% were from 45 to 64; and 30.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.6% male and 53.4% female. 2000 census. As of the census of 2000, there were 963 people, 432 households, and 269 families living in the city. The population density was 879.3 people per square mile (338.0/km). There were 467  housing units at an average density of 426.4 per square mile (163.9/km). The racial makeup of the city was 98.44% White, 0.31% Asian, 1.04% from other races, and 0.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.60% of the population. There were 432 households, out of which 22.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.7% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 24.8% had someone living alone who  was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.70. 19.6% are under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 17.0% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 36.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,694, and the median income for a family was $43,333 . Males had a median income of $33,542 versus $21,875 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,944. About 6.5% of families and 9.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.6% of those under age 18 and 12.9% of those age 65 or over. Education. It is within the North Iowa Community School District, which was established on July 1, 1996, by the merger of the Buffalo Center–Rake–Lakota Community School District and the Thompson Community School District. An independent school district coinciding with the Buffalo township was established after a  vote on December 13, 1895. It was renamed in 1897 to the Buffalo Center Consolidated School District. The Buffalo Center Community School District was formed on July 1, 1954, by the merger of five one-room schoolhouse districts, with the establishment of a centralized school approved by the board in August of that year. The Buffalo Center district merged with the Rake Community School District to form the Buffalo Center–Rake district on July 1, 1978. On July 1, 1992, that district merged with the Lakota Community School District to form the Buffalo Center–Rake–Lakota district, and that district  merged into North Iowa in 1996. Buffalo Center has a high school, North Iowa Community School, located in the town. It was the first consolidated school west of the Mississippi River. North Iowa Community School consists of students from three other surrounding communities: Lakota, Rake, and Thompson. The school mascot is the North Iowa Bison.