Prior to formation, the area of Manning was a swampy region occasionally used by local natives for hunting. There were no nearby rivers and few trees.
The Iowa Southwestern was completed in 1880 and some yards and a depot were constructed at the future location of Manning, in the summer of 1881. In 1881 the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad was also constructing a road across Iowa, south of and parallel to the Northwestern. These railroads interesected at what is now Manning.
Inhabitants of Manning were interviewed for a March 27, 2000 article, by Jennifer Dukes Lee and George Anthan, in the Des Moines Register.
Lee quoted Scott Dreier, "It's all about hurrying up to get the farming done so I can get to my job and get a paycheck. It becomes a rat race. It's a killer." Lee also interviewed Glen Ahrendsen who, having lost $30,000 on his hog operation as prices fell, had taken a second job at the Manning Regional Healthcare Facility. Lee notes, "On weekdays, the father sees his son for only 39 minutes." Lee spoke with farmer Andy Stangl who also works 52 hours a week at a feed mill in Arcadia. Stangl says, "I just want to be happy."
The article concluded with a quote by farmer Barry Kusel, "The family farm as we knew it, that's gone."
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.2 km² (2.4 mi²). 6.2 km² (2.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.42% is water.
There are 650 households out of which 23.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.8% are married couples living together, 7.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 39.7% are non-families. 37.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 22.8% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.18 and the average family size is 2.88.
In the city the population is spread out with 23.4% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 22.3% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 28.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 44 years. For every 100 females there are 83.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 80.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $32,083, and the median income for a family is $43,021. Males have a median income of $28,214 versus $19,432 for females. The per capita income for the city is $16,806. 7.9% of the population and 3.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 5.4% are under the age of 18 and 14.1% are 65 or older.
History of Manning, Iowa
Farmers cannot afford to give up their day job
Geography
Manning is located at 41°54'31" North, 95°3'48" West (41.908642, -95.063218)1.Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 1,490 people, 650 households, and 391 families residing in the city. The population density is 240.7/km² (624.0/mi²). There are 702 housing units at an average density of 113.4/km² (294.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 98.79% White, 0.00% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.60% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.27% from other races, and 0.13% from two or more races. 0.47% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.