Clarion

History

Wright County held its first court sessions in 1855 in a privately owned log cabin west of present-day Eagle Grove. In 1858, the county seat was located at Liberty, where a two-story frame courthouse was built. The county seat moved to Clarion in 1866, and the county's first courthouse in Clarion was built across the street from the northeast corner of the public square. That building was later incorporated into the Avondale Hotel. The present Wright County Courthouse was constructed in 1891 and 1892 at a cost of about $50,000. The courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 as part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. Clarion is also the birthplace of the four-leaf clover emblem used by the 4-H Clubs of America, conceived of in 1907 by the local school superintendent, O.H. Benson.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Clarion has a hot-summer humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfa" on climate maps.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Elementary School
  Elementary · Clarion · 535 students · 15.7:1 ratio
• Clarion-Goldfield-Dows High School
  High · Clarion · 343 students · 15.6:1 ratio
• Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Middle School
  Middle · Clarion · 193 students · 17.5:1 ratio
• Belmond-Klemme Alternative School
  High · Belmond · 7 students · 7:1 ratio