Durant, Iowa
city in Cedar County, Iowa, United States
Durant is a city in Cedar, Muscatine, and Scott counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 1,871 at the time of the 2020 census.
The Scott County portion of Durant is part of the Davenport–Moline–Rock Island, IA-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the Muscatine County portion of the city is part of the Muscatine Micropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Durant was platted in 1854 by Benjamin Brayton. The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad was built through Durant in 1855. The settlement was first named Brayton for its founder, but the name was later changed to Durant for Thomas C. Durant, one of the pioneers of the Transcontinental Railroad and an individual who contributed the bulk of the funds needed to build the town's first public school.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.15 square miles (2.98 km2), all land.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, there were 1,871 people, 760 households, and 504 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,500.4 inhabitants per square mile (579.3/km2). There were 795 housing units at an average density of 637.5 per square mile (246.2/km2).
The public source identifies “Durant, Iowa” as city in Cedar County, Iowa, United States. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Durant, Iowa and city.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Durant, Iowa”, the useful work is to connect “city in Cedar County, Iowa, United States” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 17, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1933124. VIAF identifies the subject as 137239814. The Library of Congress control number is n83017411. Authority coordinates are 41.601, -90.914. 4 of 5 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2020, 1854 and 1855.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Durant, Iowa”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Durant, Iowa primary sources, Durant, Iowa archive and Durant research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Durant, Iowa”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Durant, Iowa” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.