Davis

Formed February 17, 1843 (24^th county)

Davis County (9,110), Bloomfield (2,681)

A stone Victorian, Second Empire and General Grant Gothic building was built in 1877.  It is on a city square at Washington, Franklin, Madison, and Jefferson streets.  United States Highway 63 is Washington Street in Bloomfield.  Thomas J. Tolan & Son are the designers of the courthouse.  The building features a tower, rot iron railing and Lady Justice on top.  The grounds have memorials and a gazebo.  The county was created on February 17, 1843 from Van Buren County as the 24^th county with Bloomfield as the only county seat.  It is named for Kentucky Senator Garrett Davis.  Bloomfield is presumably a geographical name.  Davis County was the birthplace of 1 Iowa Governor, Beryl F. Carroll. 

Davis County government consists of a sheriff, a recorder, an attorney, a treasurer, and an assessor (executive).  It has 3 Supervisors (legislative.)  Fifteen District Court Judges and Thirteen Magistrates serve Davis, Appanoose, Des Moines, Henry, Jefferson, Keokuk, Lee, Louisa, Mahaska, Monroe, Poweshiek, Van Buren, Wapello, and Washington counties (judicial.) The county is in southeast Iowa on the border with Missouri.  Des Moines, Iowa is northwest and Davenport, Iowa is northeast of the county.  The county center is in Bloomfield .8 miles Southwest of the city center.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Wapello, Jefferson and Van Buren counties and Missouri and Appanoose and Monroe counties. 

The county has an area of 503 square miles.  It is 70 of 99 in the state.  It ranks 81 out of 99 in population in the state.  It has a density of 18.1 persons per square mile making it 77 out of 99 in the state.  Davis County has 35.4% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 63 crosses north to south through the county from Wapello County to Missouri.  The county is a rectangle.  Bloomfield is near the center of the county.  Bloomfield is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 29.4% of the county population.

Pulaski