~a column by Mary Weaver
Victoria Riley, publisher of GreeneCountyNewsOnline, is allowing me periodic opportunities to express views about events that are influencing Greene County. The first column two weeks ago generated dialogue. Thank you.
This column continues to be offered to create conversations about issues important to rural west central Iowa and its citizens.
This VIEW from my window occurred about two weeks ago, 1 mile south and 1/2 mile west of my rural Rippey home.
One hundred twenty acres of Iowa farmland in southeast Greene County sold for $16,500 per acre at an auction held at the Rippey Community Center. This transaction was $1,980,000, almost $2 million, right next door. One land broker interviewed for this article indicated the highest price per acre in Greene County occurred October 2, 2022, at $20,600 per acre.
Greene County measures 569.6 square miles. There are towns and parks and untillable land, but still, Greene County exhibits a lot of wealth. The Iowa State University website indicates the cost per acre for 2021 was in a range of $8,850-$14,400, while the average cost per acre for Greene County land in 2022 was $12,536.
This astonishing data seems contradictory with a poverty rate listed for Greene County in 2020 as 9.03 percent, along with an unemployment rate in November, 2022, of 2.2 percent. The unemployment rate is determined by the number of unemployed divided by the number of those seeking work. This is determined monthly. The median income (meaning half above and half below) for Greene Countians was $52,753.
Additional information readily available from Iowa State University and the State of Iowa website on economic development indicates in the 2021 census, that Greene County shows a population 8,717. The median age was 44.3 years, with 31 percent being over the age of 60. Greene County has a dismal fertility rate of 4.2 per cent, but the entire state rate is only 5.7 percent.
I couldn’t stop looking at the data available, and I want to further share:
Iowa’s minimum wage remains at $7.25, though most positions are paying higher.
9.6 per cent of Greene County are veterans.
94 per cent are Anglos.
53 per cent are married.
99 per cent are U.S. citizens.
93.2 per cent have a high school education or higher.
I continued:
Between the two schools in Greene County there are 1,498 students in K-12.
There are 3790 households.
Greene is the 53rd largest county in square miles, but only the 83rd most populated, having 15.5 persons per square mile.
So, this collection of data leads me to believe that if Greene County wants to remain viable, we must ALL work to revitalize. This means cleaning up our towns and rural areas, creating eye appeal to people driving through our communities. Assure the success of our students. This includes promotion of critical thinking, and development of skills so our young people can stay and be added to the workforce. Being welcoming to brown toned persons, and others unlike ourselves. Identification of houses that could be rehabilitated and made financially available for incoming Greene County residents to rent or purchase.
We must demonstrate that Greene County is a place to GROW.
