Calmar, Iowa
12 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1906 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Calmar Township. It lies in ZIP code area 52132. The Survey maps it on the Calmar quadrangle. 1,125 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,260 feet above sea level.
On record in Calmar
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 1 record
Calmar Passenger Depotlisted 2011
Population over time
2 figuresCalmar grew from 978 to 1,125 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 | 978 | |
| 2020 | 1,125 | +147 (+15%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
8 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.
- 1906 USGS Decorah quadrangle1:125000, 3 printings
- 1958 USGS La Crosse quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1961 USGS La Crosse quadrangle1:250000
- 1965 USGS La Crosse quadrangle1:250000
- 1975 USGS Decorah 3 NE quadrangle1:24000
- 1976 USGS La Crosse quadrangle1:250000
- 1981 USGS Calmar quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Decorah quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
14 since 2008Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 14 fires within 5 miles of Calmar between 2008 and 2020, burning about 414 acres in total. 1 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 |
| Natural | 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 August 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 4 July 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 10 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 13 May 2014 | Debris and open burning | 15 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 26 April 2020 | Debris and open burning | 50 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 25 April 2020 | Debris and open burning | 10 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 21 April 2020 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 19 April 2020 | Debris and open burning | 50 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 17 April 2015 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
4 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 4 workings within 5 miles of Calmar: 3 past producers, 1 producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Bullerman Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Ft Atkinson Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Horseshoe Bend Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer |
Storms near this place
55 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Calmar in 55 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 27 hail, 15 thunderstorm wind, 4 flash flood, 3 funnel cloud. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2016 | Flash Flood | Calmar | $1,800,000 | Runoff from heavy rains caused flooding to occur in and around Calmar, Fort Atkinson and Spillville. The flood waters caused the basement of one house to collapse in Calmar. Cars became stranded near U.S. Highway 52 around Calmar with one person having to stand on top of a car to get out of the flood waters. Rogers Creek near Fort Atkinson went out of its banks with water over several secondary roads. Flooding also occurred along Bohemian Creek in the western part of the county. Flood waters were knee deep in some residences and caused evacuations to occur near Ludwig County Park and County Highway B16 was closed due to the flood waters northwest of Spillville. Sandbagging efforts in Spillville had to be stopped because the water was rising too fast on Bohemian Creek and the Turkey River. The flood waters from the Turkey River isolated Spillville and prevented anyone from leaving or entering the town. One bridge near Spillville sustained damage from a tree swept up in the flood waters. Early estimates by the mayor of Spillville indicated 9 homes were seriously affected with water on the first floor and another 20 to 25 sustained less damage with water mainly in the basements. |
| July 2009 | Hail | Calmar | $900,000 | Hail lasted approximately 10 minutes and broke windows and damaged siding. |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Calmar | $840,000 | In and near Calmar, several buildings sustained wind damage and numerous trees were blown down. The roof was blown off a house, a business lost part of its roof, a system to move grain between storage silos was destroyed, a metal silo collapsed, the side of another silo was blown in, and a portion of the roof was removed from a large barn. At the community college, numerous buildings sustained roof and siding damage with doors blown in, windows broken, and a couple of vehicles were also blown over. The public schools sustained damage to their athletic fields. Metal bleachers at the softball field were blown over and pushed through a chain link fence. At the football field, the new press box was blown off the top of the stadium and two metal light poles were downed. Some rooftop air conditioning units were flipped over on the high school building. |
| July 2009 | Hail | Calmar | $770,000 | This was the second round of large hail today. |
| July 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Calmar | $50,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Calmar | $45,000 | no account filed |
| September 2016 | Lightning | Calmar | $30,000 | A house fire in Calmar was started by a lightning strike. The fire was contained to the attic with the house suffering moderate damage. |
| August 2025 | Flash Flood | Calmar | $20,000 | Emergency management reported basements flooded in Calmar. |
| July 2009 | Flash Flood | Calmar | $20,000 | Numerous small streams and drainage areas were flooded. A few roads south of Calmar had water over them. |
| July 2009 | Hail | Calmar | $20,000 | Hail was 8 to 9 inches deep in places and crops were shredded. |
| May 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Calmar | $15,000 | Some houses in Calmar had siding and shingles ripped off and numerous trees were snapped off. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Calmar | $10,000 | Several large trees were blown down in Calmar. One tree landed on a pickup truck. |
| June 2014 | Hail | Calmar | $10,000 | Golf ball sized hail fell in Calmar. |
| August 2012 | Hail | Calmar | $10,000 | Hail up to the size of quarters fell two miles northeast of Calmar. The hail stripped corn of its leaves and created drifts in road ditches. |
| July 2009 | Hail | Calmar | $10,000 | Hail the size of golf balls was reported along Highway 52. |
| October 2006 | Hail | Calmar | $10,000 | no account filed |
| May 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Calmar | $8,000 | A wind gust to 82 mph occurred in Calmar. Several trees were blown down and one building suffered damage to the siding. |
| May 2000 | Hail | Calmar | $6,000 | no account filed |
| July 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Calmar | $5,000 | Trees were snapped, which were 12 to 18 inches in diameter. |
| August 2009 | Tornado (EF0) | Calmar | $5,000 | A tornado touch down one mile northeast of Calmar with sporadic tree and corn field damage. |
| October 2006 | Hail | Calmar | $5,000 | no account filed |
| May 2017 | Tornado (EF0) | Calmar | $4,000 | A short-lived EF0 tornado occurred west of Calmar. The tornado started west of 265th Ave between 160th and 175th Streets and traveled southeast across Lake Meyer. A NWS Storm Survey Team found a broken line of tree damage along the path of the tornado. |
| June 2009 | Hail | Calmar | $4,000 | no account filed |
| August 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Calmar | $3,000 | Power lines were blown down in Calmar. |
| July 2009 | Hail | Calmar | $3,000 | Some street flooding was reported as well. |
| July 2009 | Hail | Calmar | $3,000 | no account filed |
| June 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Calmar | $3,000 | no account filed |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Calmar | $2,000 | A tree branch was blown down onto a garage in Calmar. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Calmar | $2,000 | A shed was blown over in Calmar. |
| July 2009 | Hail | Calmar | $2,000 | Three inch diameter branches were also knocked down. |
| July 2004 | Hail | Calmar | $1,500 | no account filed |
| June 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Calmar | $1,000 | A large tree was snapped in Calmar. |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Calmar | $1,000 | A tree was snapped off in Calmar. |
| August 2009 | Flash Flood | Calmar | $1,000 | A trained spotter reported torrential rainfall rates causing water to flow over sections of Highway 150 between Calmar and the Fayette County line. |
| June 2008 | Hail | Calmar | $1,000 | A trained spotter reported penny to nickel size hail covering the ground. They also reported small branches down and extensive crop damage. |
| July 2009 | Hail | Calmar | $1,000 | no account filed |
| August 2025 | Hail | Calmar | - | The public reported quarter sized hail near Calmar. |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Calmar | - | A few large tree limbs of up to 10 inch diameter were broken off near Calmar. |
| May 2017 | Hail | Calmar | - | Egg sized hail fell in Calmar. |
| June 2014 | Heavy Rain | Calmar | - | Near Spillville, 4 inches of rain fell. |
| June 2014 | Funnel Cloud | Calmar | - | A funnel cloud was sighted in Calmar. |
| May 2013 | Funnel Cloud | Calmar | - | Funnel clouds were sighted in Calmar. |
| June 2013 | Heavy Rain | Calmar | - | In Calmar, 3.5 inches of rain was reported. |
| September 2012 | Hail | Calmar | - | Quarter sized hail fell in Calmar. |
| September 2012 | Hail | Calmar | - | Hail the size of walnuts fell in Calmar. |
| August 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Calmar | - | An estimated a wind gust of 70 miles per hour occurred just outside of Calmar. |
| August 2009 | Heavy Rain | Calmar | - | An observer reported 2.32 inches of rain during the preceding 24-hours. |
| April 2014 | Hail | Calmar | - | no account filed |
| April 2014 | Hail | Calmar | - | no account filed |
| June 2011 | Hail | Calmar | - | no account filed |
| May 2003 | Hail | Calmar | - | no account filed |
| April 2002 | Hail | Calmar | - | no account filed |
| May 2000 | Hail | Calmar | - | no account filed |
| August 1999 | Funnel Cloud | Calmar | - | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Hail | Calmar | - | 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.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conover | 2.9 miles | 12 | |
| Twin Springs | 4.0 miles | 12 | |
| Festina | 4.4 miles | 11 | |
| Fort Atkinson | 4.6 miles | 12 | |
| Spillville | 4.8 miles | 12 | |
| Ossian | 5.9 miles | 12 | |
| Nordness | 6.0 miles | 12 | |
| Decorah | 9.2 miles | 12 |
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 Calmar | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q1933872 | 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 455057. 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.







