Washington, northern cities grew while other towns shrank

Washington County was a microcosm of one population trend visible across Iowa: big communities generally got bigger while small communities got smaller.

Kalona added nearly 300 residents in the last decade, more than any other city in all three Union coverage area counties. Washington and Wellman grew by around 100 each. Other than Riverside and Crawfordsville, which had net gains of 73 and 13 residents, respectively, every other town in the county shrank.

Kalona City Administrator Ryan Schlabaugh said several factors were at play in the city’s unmatched growth.

“We’re always pretty steady in growth, this might be a little bit greater than what we see normally at 3-3.5% growth yearly,” he said. “We’ve got good, long-term employers here … It’s a wonderful school district, that’s really been an asset for our community … as well as CIVCO and EPC who maybe had to pivot a little bit from their business model here in Kalona, but they’ve done it well and kept a workforce.”

While it’s hardly the sole cause, Schlabaugh said ongoing housing developments were key to facilitate the population growth.

“We had some nice subdivisions come online, and we had some capacity for build-out in some others,“ he said. ”Valley View, for example, offered an opportunity for some of our long-term residents … and it opened up some of our single-family homes that were used by them for new residents.“

Census data confirms that Kalona has enjoyed steady, substantial growth for over a century, suffering no net population loss since 1910, when its population was 466.

Brighton and Ainsworth appeared to be shrinking the fastest in the county. Both lost around 50 residents since the last census, just under 10% of their populations.

Washington Economic Development Group Executive Director Mary Audia said small towns were up against a lot when it came to competing for residents in Washington County.

“I think along Highway 22 they’ve got a lot going on,” she said. “People go where the jobs are, people go where the good schools are, people go where there’s hospital systems.”

Of the three counties in the Union coverage area, Washington County remains the most white, but like the rest of the state it is gradually growing more diverse.

Washington County’s racial makeup went from over 95% identifying as white only in 2010 to 90.3% in 2020.

Most of that jump in diversity comes from a growing multiracial population, which increased from 318 to 1,058 people over the decade.

The number of residents identifying as only one race, but not white, Black, Asian, or Native American more than doubled, from 303 to 756.

“I think people don’t really understand that Washington County is becoming more diverse. It may be at a slower rate, but it is,” said Dan Henderson, a member of the racial equality advocacy group Washington for Justice. “Almost 25% of our kids in our school system are non-white. Now, when you look at the total population, it’s less than that, but when you look at the school system … that’s our future, that’s where we’re headed.”

Henderson said the county’s diversification was limited by factors like housing, despite potential opportunities.

“There is a shortage of housing here that makes it difficult for migrant families to find a place that is reasonably priced and a decent place to live,” he said. “But I think overall, what we’re going to find is it’s still going to grow, if at a slower rate than Waterloo or Des Moines or Cedar Rapids.”