Russell was incorporated as a city on April 25, 1887. The town was originally settled by German and Irish settlers in the 1850s. By the early 1860s the town of Russell had been made into a farming community and provided a source of food for surrounding communities. After being incorporated, a railway and railroad grain-tower were constructed along the town's edge allowing excess produce to be travelled elsewhere on the frontier. In the 1935, the town suffered a fire on the town square that burned down the eastern side and killed 3 people.
Geography
Russell is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, all land.
As of the census of 2010, there were 554 people, 212 households, and 146 families residing in the city. The population density was. There were 250 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 96.9% White, 0.4% African American, 2.2% Native American, and 0.5% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.0% of the population. There were 212 households of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% were married couplesliving together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.1% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.10. The median age in the city was 39.4 years. 29.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.7% were from 25 to 44; 23.7% were from 45 to 64; and 17.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.8% male and 50.2% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 559 people, 239 households, and 144 families residing in the city. The population density was 539.7 people per square mile. There were 265 housing units at an average density of 255.8 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 98.57% White, 0.18% Native American, 0.36% Asian, and 0.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.36% of the population. There were 239 households out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.7% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.97. In the city, the population was spread out with 27.0% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 22.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $28,125, and the median income for a family was $29,688. Males had a median income of $26,094 versus $16,406 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,093. About 16.5% of families and 23.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 42.6% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.
Schools
The city is within the Chariton Community School District, which operates Chariton High School. The Russell Community School District at one time maintained its own K-12 school, with a five-member board of education overseeing operation of the district. Athletic teams were known as the Trojans. The Russell School District was forced to close in 2008, making it the second time this happened in the state of Iowa; the other was Hedrick in 1990. The Iowa Board of Education cited the district's financial problems, which left Russell school officials unable to provide students with a first-rate education. Students were eventually sent to schools in the Albia, |Chariton and Wayne of Corydon school districts.
In the 1970s, author Richard Bach used to fly through the Midwest in a biplane, landing at various small towns and selling airplane rides. At the beginning of his autobiographical book, "The Bridge Across Forever", Bach lands at Russell, Iowa and sells rides to some of the residents. At the end of the day, he suddenly realizes that he has nothing more to learn from barnstorming and that the rides he has sold earlier that day in Russell are the last rides he will ever sell again.
