Fayette

Formed December 21, 1837 (14^th county)

Fayette County (19,511), West Union (2,484), Oelwein (5,929)

The Classical Revival masonry courthouse in West Union is located on Vine, Main, Walnut, and Elm streets.  United States Highway 18 is two blocks north of the site.  The courthouse was built in 1923.  John G. Ralston was the architect.  He designed a twin courthouse in Hand County, South Dakota.  The facility features faux pillars and stain glass on a hidden rotunda.  The grounds have a gazebo and amphitheater.  There was an 1874 courthouse also in West Union, the only county seat.  The county was created on December 21, 1837 as the 14^th county and named for the Marquis de la Fayette, Revolutionary War hero.  The county was taken from parts of Clayton County and Native American Territory.  West Union is named for West Union, Ohio. 

The county has an area of 731 square miles.  It is 7 of 99 in the state.  It ranks 35 out of 99 in population in the state.  It has a density of 26.7 persons per square mile making it 51 out of 99 in the state.  Fayette County has 69.2% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 18 crosses the county northeast to west from Clayton County to Chickasaw County.  The county is a rectangle.  West Union is in the northern third of the county.  Oelwein is near the southern border.  West Union is the county seat and Oelwein is the largest city.  West Union is 12.7% of the county population while Oelwein is 30.4% of the county population. 

Fayette County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Supervisors.  Twenty-seven District Court Judges and Sixteen Magistrates serve Fayette, Allamakee, Black Hawk, Buchanan, Chickasaw, Clayton, Delaware, Dubuque, Grundy, Howard, and Winneshiek counties.  Fayette County is in the northeast part of the state.  Waterloo, Iowa is directly southwest.  The county center is 7.2 miles Southwest of West Union nearer Hawkeye.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Winneshiek, Allamakee, Clayton, Delaware, Buchanan, Black Hawk, Bremer, and Chickasaw counties.  The largest city is pronounced OE-EL-WIEN.

Sumner