Sioux

Formed December 15, 1853 (89^th county)

Sioux County (35,870), Orange City (6,274), Sioux Center (8,240)

The Romanesque stone courthouse in Orange City was erected in 1904.  It is at Central Avenue, 2^nd Street, 2^nd Avenue, and 3^rd Street.  Iowa State Highway 10 is six blocks to the south of the courthouse.  Kinney & Detweiler are the building architects.  The facility features a clock tower and Lady Justice.  The county was organized on December 15, 1853 from Plymouth County as the 89^th county.  It is named for the Native American tribe.  They are also the source name for the county seat of Woodbury County.  Calliope was the first county seat with a courthouse dating from 1860.  In 1872 Orange City became the county seat with a new courthouse.  The county seat is named for Prince William of Orange. 

Sioux County government consists of a sheriff and 5 Supervisors.  Twenty District Court Judges and Fourteen Magistrates serve Sioux, Buena Vista, Cherokee, Clay, Crawford, Dickinson, Emmet, Ida, Lyon, Kossuth, Monona, O’Brien, Osceola, Palo Alto, Plymouth, and Woodbury counties.  The county is located in northwest Iowa.  Sioux City, Iowa is southwest and Sioux Falls, South Dakota is northwest of the county.  South Dakota is on its western border.  The county center is 10.3 miles Northwest of Orange City nearer Sioux Center.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Lyon, Osceola, O’Brien, Cherokee, and Plymouth counties and South Dakota. 

The county has an area of 768 square miles.  It is 6 of 99 in the state.  It ranks 19 out of 99 in population in the state.  It has a density of 46.7 persons per square mile making it 24 out of 99 in the state.  Sioux County has 77.8% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 18 crosses east to west in the county from O’Brien County to Lyon County.  United States Highway 75 goes north to south from Lyon County to Plymouth County.  The county is rectangular except for the wavy western border.  Orange City is located in the southeast quarter of the county.  Sioux Center is near the center of the county.  Orange City is the county seat and Sioux Center is the largest city.  Orange City is 17.5% of the county population while Sioux Center is 23.0% of the county population.