Sioux City

Sister cities

• Lake Charles
• Callao

History

Iowa is in the tallgrass prairie of the North American Great Plains, historically inhabited by speakers of Siouan languages. The area of Sioux City was inhabited by Yankton Sioux when it was first reached by Spanish and French furtrappers in the 18th century. The first documented US citizens to record their travels through this area were Meriwether Lewis and William Clark during the summer of 1804. Sergeant Charles Floyd, a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, died here on August 20, 1804, the only death during the two and a half-year expedition. Sioux City was laid out in the winter of 1854–1855. It became a major transportation hub to the western Plains, including Mormons heading to Salt Lake City and speculators heading to Wyoming goldfields. In 1891, the Sioux City Elevated Railway was opened and became the third steam-powered elevated rapid transit system in the world, and later the first electric-powered elevated railway in the world after conversion in 1892. However, the system fell into bankruptcy and closed within a decade. Russian Jewish immigrants founded Adath Yeshurun in 1896 and erected Sioux City's first Orthodox synagogue. Its members made several furnishings, including an elaborate 1899 wooden Torah ark carved by immigrant peddler Abraham Shulkin in an Eastern European style. The city gained the nickname "Little Chicago" during the Prohibition era due to its reputation for being a purveyor of alcoholic beverages. On July 19, 1989, United Airlines Flight 232 crash-landed at Sioux Gateway Airport. 112 people on board the aircraft were killed, but 184 survived the crash and ensuing fire due to outstandingly quick performances by fire and emergency local teams. According to a 2015 University of Iowa study for the Iowa Initiative for Sustainable…

Geography

Sioux City borders two states, South Dakota to the northwest and Nebraska to the southwest. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (1.93%) is water. The normal monthly mean temperature ranges from in January to in July. On average, there are 25 days that reach or higher, 52 days that do not climb above freezing, and 17 days with a low of or below annually. The average window for freezing temperatures is October 1 through April 26, allowing a growing season of 157 days. Extreme temperatures officially range from on January 12, 1912 up to on July 4, 1936 and July 17, 1936, as well as July 11, 1939; the record cold daily maximum is on February 8, 1899, while, conversely, the record warm daily minimum is on August 18, 1936. On 14 May 2013, the high temperature reached , setting a new all-time May record high, along with a rise from the morning of the 12th, just two weeks after the city’s first measurable snowfall ( on May 1) recorded in the month of May. Precipitation is greatest in May and June and averages annually but has ranged from in 1976 to in 1903. Snowfall averages per season, and has historically ranged from in 1895–1896 to in 1961–1962; the average window for measurable (≥) snowfall is November 8 through April 7, although snow in October occurs several times per decade.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  3,008
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,665
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  2,107
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  2,090
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,085
• White-breasted Nuthatch

  Sitta carolinensis Latham, 1790 · Aves
  1,995
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,840
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,789

Largest nearby schools

• North High School
  High · Sioux City · 1,634 students · 21.2:1 ratio
• East High School
  High · Sioux City · 1,495 students · 20.2:1 ratio
• West High School
  High · Sioux City · 1,252 students · 15.1:1 ratio
• North Middle School
  Middle · Sioux City · 1,224 students · 16.5:1 ratio
• East Middle School
  Middle · Sioux City · 1,067 students · 14.6:1 ratio
• West Middle School
  Middle · Sioux City · 864 students · 13.9:1 ratio
• Perry Creek Elementary School
  Elementary · Sioux City · 671 students · 17.2:1 ratio
• Spalding Park Elementary
  Elementary · Sioux City · 652 students · 12.3:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 3 — 2023-12-10
  11 km ESE of Wakonda, South Dakota