Wapello

Formed February 17, 1843 (28^th county)

Wapello County (35,445), Ottumwa (25,538)

The stone Romanesque courthouse for Wapello County was built in 1892.  It is at 4^th and Court streets.  United States Highway 63 Business is three blocks to the northwest.  Foster & Liebbe are the architects.  A Native American statue sits on top of the building and veteran memorials are across the street.  The county was established on February 17, 1843 from Native American Territory as the 28^th county with Ottumwa as the only county seat.  It is named for a Native American chief.  The county seat name is Native American for “rippling water.” 

Wapello County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Supervisors.  Fifteen District Court Judges and Thirteen Magistrates serve Wapello, Appanoose, Davis, Des Moines, Henry, Jefferson, Keokuk, Lee, Louisa, Mahaska, Monroe, Poweshiek, Van Buren, and Washington counties.  The county is sited in southeast Iowa.  Cedar Rapids, Iowa is northeast and Des Moines, Iowa is northwest of the county.  The county center is 1.8 miles East of Ottumwa.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Keokuk, Jefferson, Van Buren, Davis, Appanoose, Monroe, and Mahaska counties. 

The county has an area of 432 square miles.  It is 86 of 99 in the state.  It ranks 20 out of 99 in population in the state.  Wapello County has 79.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  It has a density of 82.0 persons per square mile making it 14 out of 99 in the state.  United States Highway 34 crosses east to west through the county from Jefferson County to Monroe County.  United States Highway 63 goes north to south from Mahaska County to Davis County.  The county is a rectangle.  Ottumwa is located near the county’s center.  Ottumwa is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 72.1% of the county population.  The county is pronounced WA-PEL-OE.  The county seat is pronounced OE-TUM-WA.  This county is in the Ottumwa Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Eddyville