Bedford, Iowa
12 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1940 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Bedford Township. It lies in ZIP code area 50833. The Survey maps it on the Bedford quadrangle. 1,508 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,129 feet above sea level.
Research this city
On record in Bedford
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 6 records
Bedford Commercial Historic Districtlisted 2002
Bedford Houselisted 1977
Bedford Oil Company Stationlisted 1999
Bedford Public Librarylisted 1983
Lenox Round Barnlisted 1999
Taylor County Courthouselisted 1981
Population over time
2 figuresBedford grew from 1,440 to 1,508 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 | 1,440 | |
| 2020 | 1,508 | +68 (+5%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
7 surveys from 12 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.
- 1940 USGS Bedford quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1943 USGS Bedford quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1955 USGS Nebraska City quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1957 USGS Nebraska City quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Nebraska City quadrangle1:250000
- 1980 USGS Bedford quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Mount Ayr quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
5 since 2006Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 5 fires within 5 miles of Bedford between 2006 and 2013, burning about 46 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 | 4 |
| Debris and open burning | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 April 2013 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 29 March 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 18 March 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.5 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 12 February 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 14 January 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
3 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 3 workings within 5 miles of Bedford: 2 producers, 1 past producer. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedford Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Nash Quarry and Mill | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| One Hundred and Two Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer |
Storms near this place
60 of 116 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Bedford in 116 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 39 thunderstorm wind, 36 hail, 31 heavy rain, 4 tornado. The reports record 1 injury. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | 1 hurt, $9,000 | no account filed |
| April 1999 | Tornado (F1) | Bedford | $100,000 | very intermittent track |
| August 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $75,000 | no account filed |
| August 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $75,000 | no account filed |
| July 2015 | Flash Flood | Bedford | $50,000 | Law Enforcement reported a pond in town has completely filled and is overflowing and running across the road. Depth of the water is unknown. |
| September 2010 | Hail | Bedford | $50,000 | Hail ranged from one half inch to two and one half inches in diameter. |
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $50,000 | no account filed |
| April 2002 | Hail | Bedford | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 1999 | Tornado (F1) | Bedford | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Flood | Bedford | $50,000 | no account filed |
| April 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $50,000 | no account filed |
| September 1993 | Hail | Bedford | $50,000 | no account filed |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $30,000 | Taylor County Emergency Manager relayed roof damage occurred south of Highway 2 on Highland Ave. |
| April 2002 | Hail | Bedford | $30,000 | no account filed |
| July 1999 | Flood | Bedford | $30,000 | no account filed |
| March 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $30,000 | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Flash Flood | Bedford | $25,000 | Rainfall of 1.75 inches was reported in less than an hour, causing extensive street flooding in Bedford. More than 6 inches of water was flowing through streets through the crossing of Highway 148. |
| July 2002 | Hail | Bedford | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Bedford | $20,000 | no account filed |
| August 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $20,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $15,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Bedford | $15,000 | no account filed |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $10,000 | Several tree limbs and power lines were downed throughout the town of Bedford. |
| August 2011 | Hail | Bedford | $10,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $10,000 | no account filed |
| July 2002 | Hail | Bedford | $10,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Hail | Bedford | $10,000 | no account filed |
| April 2024 | Tornado (EF0) | Bedford | $5,000 | This was a brief tornado which occurred west of Bedford moving due north just west of Highway 2 in Taylor County. This tornado did some low end damage to outbuildings before dissipating. |
| August 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $5,000 | High winds downed large tree branches in Bedford. |
| September 2010 | Hail | Bedford | $5,000 | Reported on Highway 2. |
| August 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $5,000 | Tree limbs and power lines were blown down in Bedford. |
| August 2011 | Hail | Bedford | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $5,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $5,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $5,000 | no account filed |
| August 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2002 | Hail | Bedford | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 2002 | Hail | Bedford | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 2002 | Hail | Bedford | $5,000 | no account filed |
| October 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $5,000 | no account filed |
| April 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $5,000 | no account filed |
| April 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $5,000 | no account filed |
| September 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $5,000 | no account filed |
| April 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $3,000 | no account filed |
| June 2006 | Hail | Bedford | $3,000 | no account filed |
| May 2006 | Hail | Bedford | $3,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Bedford | $3,000 | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Hail | Bedford | $3,000 | no account filed |
| April 2011 | Hail | Bedford | $2,000 | no account filed |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $2,000 | no account filed |
| May 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $2,000 | no account filed |
| March 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $2,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Bedford | $2,000 | no account filed |
| August 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $2,000 | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Lightning | Bedford | $2,000 | no account filed |
| April 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $2,000 | no account filed |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $1,000 | Social media report with top of a large tree snapped. Time estimated from radar. |
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.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ladoga | 6.5 miles | 11 | |
| Gravity | 6.6 miles | 8 | |
| Conway | 7.8 miles | 12 | |
| Platteville | 8.9 miles | 12 | |
| Siam | 9.1 miles | 11 | |
| Sharpsburg | 10.2 miles | 8 | |
| New Market | 10.4 miles | 11 | |
| Merle Junction | 10.4 miles | 8 |
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 Bedford | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q1922592 | 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 454471. 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.






