The land on which Worthington is currently located was originally purchased by David Lovelace from the United States Government. The Dubuque South-Western Railroad — the local branch of the Chicago-Milwaukee and St. Paul lines — was contracted to establish a line from Farley to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In 1858, an Englishman named Amos Worthington came to the area to establish a general store. By November of that year, the area became an unincorporated town known as the village of Worthington. By May of the following year regular rail service was established. A plat of Worthington was established with the Dubuque county recorder in 1858. In 1861, Worthington sold his store to a William Moore and left for Cincinnati, Ohio. Eventually this store became known as the Heffner and Lattner Store. Settlers also began arriving in the area, with a number of people setting up businesses. Soon a Baptist church was established in Worthington, with James Hill as Pastor. In 1868 Father Kortenkamp of St. Francis parish in Dyersville decided that Worthington was large enough to merit its own Catholic parish, and St. Paul's Catholic Church was begun. On October 1, 1892, a number of local citizens filed a petition in the District Court of Iowa in and for Dubuque County asking for Worthington to be formally incorporated as a town. On November 23, the court called for village inhabitants Peter Baum, W. Lattner, G.A. Dando, Louis Hoppleu, and Theodore Ament to act as commissioners. As commissioners they were to call for a special election of all qualified people in the proposed area to vote on the matter of being incorporated. This election was held on January 2, 1893. There were 42 votes cast — 32 were for the proposal and ten were against. On January 10, 1893, the Clerk of the District Court reported that the election was held. The notice of the incorporation election was posted in the Dyersville Commercial for several weeks, with the last notice being published on February 17, 1893. Then on March 6, 1893 the results of the election were formally certified by the District Court Clerk — finalizing the incorporation of Worthington, Iowa. The formal date of incorporation of Worthington was set as January 2, 1893 when the special election had taken place.
Geography
Worthington is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, all land.
As of the census of 2010, there were 401 people, 160 households, and 109 families residing in the city. The population density was. There were 162 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 98.5% White, 0.2% African American, and 1.2% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.5% of the population. There were 160 households of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.9% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.05. The median age in the city was 38.9 years. 26.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.6% were from 25 to 44; 27.9% were from 45 to 64; and 13% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.6% male and 49.4% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 381 people, 144 households, and 112 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,228.9 people per square mile. There were 147 housing units at an average density of 474.1 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 99.48% White, 0.52% from other races. There were 144 households out of which 39.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.6% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.2% were non-families. 20.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.08. In the city, the population was spread out with 27.6% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was US$36,250, and the median income for a family was $42,500. Males had a median income of $29,167 versus $18,846 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,119. About 4.1% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 11.6% of those age 65 or over.
