Hardin County was formed in 1851. It was named after Colonel John J. Hardin, who died in the Mexican–American War. In its history the county has had three courthouses. The first was a small wood framed building, which burned down in the 1850s. The second courthouse was a two-story building and stood on the site of the current office of the county sheriff. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1892 and opened on September 19, 1893. The structure was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. Hardin County, along with Story County, was also a primary filming location for the 1996 movieTwister, starring Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.
The 2010 census recorded a population of 17,534 in the county, with a population density of. There were 8,224 housing units, of which 7,296 were occupied.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 18,812 people, 7,628 households, and 5,087 families residing in the county. The population density was 33 people per square mile. There were 8,318 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 97.14% White, 0.62% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.24% from other races, and 0.50% from two or more races. 2.42% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 7,628 households out of which 29.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.10% were married couplesliving together, 6.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.30% were non-families. 29.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.91. In the county, the population was spread out with 24.70% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 23.80% from 25 to 44, 22.40% from 45 to 64, and 20.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 95.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.10 males. The median income for a household in the county was $35,429, and the median income for a family was $41,891. Males had a median income of $30,515 versus $21,068 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,537. About 5.50% of families and 8.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.90% of those under age 18 and 6.20% of those age 65 or over.
The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Hardin County. †county seat
Rank
City/Town/etc.
Municipal type
Population
1
Iowa Falls
City
5,238
2
†Eldora
City
2,732
3
Ackley
City
1,589
4
Hubbard
City
845
5
Alden
City
787
6
Radcliffe
City
545
7
Union
City
397
8
Steamboat Rock
City
310
9
New Providence
City
228
10
Whitten
City
149
11
Buckeye
City
108
12
Garden City
CDP
89
13
Owasa
City
43
Politics
For most of its history, Hardin County has primarily supported the Republican Party in presidential elections, with only five of the party's candidates failing to win the county in the period from 1896 to 1984. The only Democrat since 1996 to win the county has been Barack Obama in 2008, winning by only 78 votes.
