Decatur

Formed January 13, 1846 (33^rd county)

Decatur County (7,639), Leon (1,822), Lamoni (1,964)

The classic red brick and masonry Italianate courthouse for Decatur County is on a city square at Main, 2^nd, Idaho, and 3^rd streets.  United States Highway 69 is one block west of the site.  Built in 1908, Smith, Wetherell, and Gage were the designers.  The facility features a tower with a working clock.  The grounds have memorials, Lady Liberty, and a Freedom Rock.  The county was created on January 13, 1846 from Appanoose County as the 33^rd county with Leon as the only county seat.  It is named for War of 1812 hero Stephen Decatur.  Leon was named by a local settler who served in the Mexican War. 

Decatur County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Supervisors.  Fifty-nine District Court Judges and Twenty-one Magistrates serve Decatur, Adair, Adams, Clarke, Dallas, Guthrie, Jasper, Lucas, Madison, Marion, Polk, Ringgold, Taylor, Union, Warren, and Wayne counties.  The county is situated in south Iowa on the border with Missouri.  Des Moines, Iowa is north and Council Bluffs, Iowa is northwest of the county.  The county center is 2.2 miles Northwest of Leon.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Clarke and Wayne counties and Missouri and Ringgold County. 

The county has an area of 532 square miles.  It is 65 of 99 in the state.  It ranks 86 out of 99 in population in the state.  It has a density of 14.4 persons per square mile making it 90 out of 99 in the state.  Decatur County has 63.7% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 35 travels north to south through the county from Clarke County to Missouri.  United States Highway 69 parallels Interstate Highway 35 from Clarke County to Missouri.  The county is a square with Leon near the county center.  Lamoni is in the southwest corner of the county.  Leon is the county seat and Lamoni is the largest city.  Leon is 23.9% of the county population while Lamoni is 25.7% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced LEE-ON.  The largest city is pronounced LA-MOE-NEE.

Weldon