Whitten, Iowa

Whitten is a city in Hardin County, Iowa, United States.

Whitten,[3] an official for the Northwestern Railway System, platted the town in 1880.

In fact, Whitten was never without a doctor until 1973 when Dr. George Blaha died after serving the community for 60 years.

In the early 20th century, the city experienced several devastating fires which destroyed much of the town.

The Whitten Renagades semi-pro baseball team, managed by James Speas, played for over 2 decades with their final season in 1996.

[5] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.54 square miles (1.40 km2), all land.

The racial makeup of the city was 95.3% White, 1.3% African American, and 3.4% from other races.

None of the families and 1.3% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 13.3% of those over 64.

Part of the 1996 movie Twister starring Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton was shot just outside Whitten.

The famous scene with Hunt and Paxton taking cover in a farm pumphouse and strapping themselves down with a leather belt to avoid being blown away was filmed at an old Whitten farmhouse owned by the Haywood family.

The Union-Whitten school district served Whitten until July 1, 1992, when it merged into BCLUW.

Map of Iowa highlighting Hardin County