Ashton, Iowa
7 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Gilman Township. It lies in ZIP code area 51232. The Survey maps it on the Ashton quadrangle. 436 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,457 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresAshton fell from 458 to 436 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 458 | |
| 2020 | 436 | -22 (-5%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
4 surveys from 7 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1954 USGS Fairmont quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1958 USGS Fairmont quadrangle1:250000
- 1972 USGS Ashton quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Iowa Great Lakes quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
16 since 2007Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 16 fires within 5 miles of Ashton between 2007 and 2020, burning about 48 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7 |
| Debris and open burning | 6 |
| Smoking | 2 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 September 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | HWY 60 AND 250TH ST., IA |
| 22 September 2020 | Equipment and vehicle use | 10 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 9 June 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | ASHTON FD |
| 9 May 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 31 May 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 30 May 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 15 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 24 May 2014 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 4 April 2015 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 11 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 11 workings within 5 miles of Ashton: 6 producers, 5 past producers. 6 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashton Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Ashton Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Ashton Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Estherville S and G | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Hagedorn | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Hogan Const Co | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Maudlin Const Co | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Osceola County Pits | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Sheldon Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
37 since 2001Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Ashton in 37 storm reports between 2001 and 2025: 14 hail, 10 thunderstorm wind, 6 tornado, 3 flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 2019 | Flood | Ashton | $2,560,000 | Flooding resulted in extensive damage to public infrastructure including numerous county and township roads, culverts, and some bridges. |
| June 2024 | Flood | Ashton | $2,150,000 | Rainfall amounts across Osceola County from June 20-22 ranged from 7 to 9 inches. This rain resulted in widespread overland flooding across the county. ||A shelter in Sibley was opened after approximately 25 homes were evacuated due to flood waters. There was at least one swift water rescue. No homes or businesses were destroyed, but there were many reports of water up to the first level with significant water damage in basements. ||Numerous roads were damaged across the county. Two pump motors were destroyed at the Sibley Wastewater Treatment Plant. The May City water wells were contaminated. The Ashton water main from rural water was destroyed and a rural bridge near Ashton was also destroyed. Preliminary damage assessments estimate loss to public infrastructure across the county to be 2.15 million dollars. |
| June 2001 | Hail | Ashton | $100,000 | no account filed |
| June 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashton | $75,000 | A grain silo was toppled, a portion of a barn roof removed and several large tree limbs were downed by thunderstorm wind gusts. Property damage costs are a rough estimate. |
| March 2018 | Lightning | Ashton | $75,000 | A lightning strike early in the morning of March 5 started a fire which burned down a corn crib. The resulting fire damaged an auger and two farm trailers. |
| August 2021 | Tornado (EF0) | Ashton | $30,000 | A tornado developed one mile north of Ashton, just north of the intersection of Nuthatch Avenue and 220th Street. The tornado moved northeast across farmland with a track identified on Sentinel satellite imagery. The tornado then turned after around one mile to move largely parallel to State Highway 60, briefly crossing to the east side of the road where it overturned a small shed and snapped several branches on a large tree. As the tornado tracked between Highway 60 and the Sibley Municipal Airport, an RV was tossed into a utility shed which resulted in the collapse of the shed. The tornado then turned north and moved back across Highway 60, where it destroyed a road sign shortly before it lifted one-half mile north of 190th Street. The path along and east of Highway 60 was documented on drone video. The average path width was 30 yards. Property damage costs are a rough estimate. |
| August 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashton | $20,000 | Thunderstorm winds ripped off portions of the roofs on two hog barns. Property damage costs are a rough estimate. Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashton | $10,000 | Trees and a power pole were taken down by the strong wind. Property damage costs are rough estimates. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashton | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts knocked down a large tree on a house and two trees onto the garage. |
| July 2023 | Hail | Ashton | - | Hail ranged in size from pea to golf ball size. A few smaller tree limbs were also downed by thunderstorm winds. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashton | - | A mobile mesonet station measured a 62 mph wind gust. Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| July 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashton | - | Several tree limbs up to six inches in diameter were broken by wind gusts. |
| September 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashton | - | Iowa RWIS site near Ashton measured thunderstorm wind gusts. |
| June 2019 | Flood | Ashton | - | During crop planting season, prolonged flooding led to the loss of or inability to plant crops across the area. Crop loss estimates provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| September 2015 | Heavy Rain | Ashton | - | Heavy rainfall of 2.50 inches was measured. |
| August 2011 | Hail | Ashton | - | Large hail was accompanied by estimated 60 mph wind gusts. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashton | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including up to 3 inch diameter branches blown down. The winds were accompanied by quarter size hail. |
| May 2011 | Tornado (EF0) | Ashton | - | A brief tornado caused no reported damage. |
| September 2010 | Hail | Ashton | - | Large hail dented at least one vehicle. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashton | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage. The winds were accompanied by marble size hail. |
| September 2010 | Hail | Ashton | - | Large hail cracked windows and dented vehicles. |
| June 2010 | Tornado (EF0) | Ashton | - | A brief tornado caused no reported damage. |
| June 2010 | Tornado (EF0) | Ashton | - | A brief tornado caused no reported damage. |
| May 2008 | Tornado (EF0) | Ashton | - | A brief tornado caused no reported damage. |
| June 2008 | Tornado (EF0) | Ashton | - | A brief tornado caused no reported damage. |
| July 2023 | Hail | Ashton | - | no account filed |
| May 2019 | Hail | Ashton | - | no account filed |
| July 2016 | Hail | Ashton | - | no account filed |
| June 2010 | Funnel Cloud | Ashton | - | no account filed |
| July 2009 | Hail | Ashton | - | no account filed |
| May 2007 | Hail | Ashton | - | no account filed |
| August 2006 | Hail | Ashton | - | no account filed |
| May 2005 | Hail | Ashton | - | no account filed |
| September 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashton | - | no account filed |
| April 2004 | Hail | Ashton | - | no account filed |
| July 2004 | Hail | Ashton | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Flash Flood | Ashton | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Ashton | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q1914871 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 454259. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.



