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Centerville, Iowa

11 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1939 and the latest in 1981. It stands in Centerville City. It lies in ZIP code area 52544. It stands on Manson Branch. The Survey maps it on the Centerville East quadrangle. 5,412 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,007 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Centerville within Appanoose County

On record in Centerville

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 11 records

Population over time

2 figures

Centerville fell from 5,528 to 5,412 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.

YearPeople Change
20105,528
20205,412-116 (-2%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

7 surveys from 11 printed sheets

Matched 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.

Fires near this place

11 since 2011

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 11 fires within 5 miles of Centerville between 2011 and 2019, burning about 194 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
Debris and open burning8
Missing data/not specified/undetermined2
Recreation and ceremony1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
5 July 2015Debris and open burningunder an acreIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
4 April 2015Debris and open burning1.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
1 April 2015Debris and open burning5.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
1 April 2015Debris and open burningunder an acreIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
31 March 2011Missing data/not specified/undetermined30 acresIowa Department of Natural Resources20492 495TH ST., IA
30 March 2015Debris and open burning120 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
14 March 2015Debris and open burning20 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
6 February 2017Missing data/not specified/undetermined15 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Appanoose County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 15 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 15 workings within 5 miles of Centerville: 11 past producers, 4 producers. 4 still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, Clay, Zinc, Gypsum-Anhydrite. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Centerville Gypsum Co. MineGypsum-AnhydritePast Producer
Drill HoleZincPast ProducerSphalerite
Carter-Waters Corp. PlantClayProducer
Centerville Clay Products Co.ClayPast Producer
Centerville QuarryClayProducer
UnknownClayPast Producer
UnknownClayPast Producer
Centerville No. 2 QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Centerville QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Clarkdale QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer

Every working recorded in Appanoose County

Storms near this place

60 of 83 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Centerville in 83 storm reports between 1996 and 2025: 27 heavy rain, 24 hail, 23 thunderstorm wind, 3 flash flood. The reports record 2 injuries. 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
September 2001Thunderstorm WindCenterville1 hurt, $100,000no account filed
August 2007LightningCenterville1 hurt, $5,000no account filed
April 2007FloodCenterville$250,000no account filed
May 2003HailCenterville$100,000no account filed
December 2021Thunderstorm WindCenterville$50,000Public reported a large tree partially uprooted and on a home. Metal building flipped. Time estimated from radar.
July 2015Thunderstorm WindCenterville$50,000Appanoose County Sheriff reported power lines and trees down in the town of Centerville. Time was estimated via radar.
June 2011HailCenterville$50,000Quarter to golf ball size hail.
June 2015Thunderstorm WindCenterville$25,000Multiple trees of 3 to 4 feet in diameter were down.
July 2009Flash FloodCenterville$25,000Highway 2 was closed.
July 2008Flash FloodCenterville$25,000Water was reported over Highway 2.
July 2008Flash FloodCenterville$25,000Water was flowing over Highway 2 east of Centerville.
July 1997FloodCenterville$25,000no account filed
July 2015Thunderstorm WindCenterville$20,000A 10 inch diameter tree was snapped off at the top.
November 2015Thunderstorm WindCenterville$15,000Trained spotter reported numerous branches upwards of 6 inches in diameter down as well as a tree approximately 3 feet in diameter down. Time radar estimated.
May 2008Thunderstorm WindCenterville$15,000Reports of outbuildings blown down.
June 2019HailCenterville$10,000Law enforcement reported golf ball sized hail fell for several minutes before becoming smaller in size. A severe weather spotter reported small branches snapped at the same time as the hail.
June 2011Thunderstorm WindCenterville$10,000Trees damaged and power lines were down.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindCenterville$10,000Several large branches were downed and a few trees as well.
June 2005Thunderstorm WindCenterville$10,000no account filed
May 1996HailCenterville$10,000no account filed
July 2016Thunderstorm WindCenterville$5,000Law Enforcement reported 12 inch diameter trees downed in Centerville. Time and location estimated from radar, delayed report.
July 2015Thunderstorm WindCenterville$5,000Trained spotter reported estimated wind gust of 65 mph.
June 2011HailCenterville$5,000Nickel to quarter size hail covering the parking lot.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindCenterville$5,000Power lines were downed.
July 2008Thunderstorm WindCenterville$5,000no account filed
September 2005HailCenterville$5,000no account filed
May 2004Thunderstorm WindCenterville$5,000no account filed
August 2003Thunderstorm WindCenterville$5,000no account filed
September 2001Thunderstorm WindCenterville$5,000no account filed
August 2010Thunderstorm WindCenterville$3,000Winds was 40 MPH sustained, with gusts to 60 MPH.
June 2011HailCenterville$3,000no account filed
March 2006HailCenterville$3,000no account filed
June 1998Thunderstorm WindCenterville$3,000no account filed
June 2017HailCenterville$2,000Trained spotter reported 2 inch hail.
May 2004Tornado (F0)Centerville$2,000The tornado was a brief touchdown in open areas. The tornado itself was actually embedded within a large area of straight line winds.
May 2004HailCenterville$2,000no account filed
June 2001HailCenterville$2,000no account filed
May 1998Thunderstorm WindCenterville$2,000no account filed
May 1996LightningCenterville$2,000no account filed
May 2013Thunderstorm WindCenterville$1,000no account filed
March 2006HailCenterville$1,000no account filed
May 1997HailCenterville$1,000no account filed
August 2025Heavy RainCenterville-A 24 hour rain total of 4.8 inches.
June 2023Thunderstorm WindCenterville-Trained spotter reported tree limbs down.
June 2021Heavy RainCenterville-Coop observer reported 2.97 inches of rain in 24 hours.
June 2021Heavy RainCenterville-Coop observer reported 2.64 inches of rain in 24 hours.
August 2021Heavy RainCenterville-A 24 hour rain total of 2.91 inches.
August 2021Heavy RainCenterville-A 24 hour rain total of 3.05 inches.
July 2021Heavy RainCenterville-A 24 hour rainfall report of 2.07 inches.
December 2021Thunderstorm WindCenterville-Wind gusts of 60-70 mph near Centerville reported via social media. Time estimated via radar.
June 2020Heavy RainCenterville-Trained spotter measured 1.99 inches of rain. Beginning time estimated by radar.
May 2019Heavy RainCenterville-CoCoRaHS observer recorded heavy rainfall of 2.28 inches over the last 24 hours.
May 2019Heavy RainCenterville-Coop observer recorded heavy rainfall of 2.10 inches over the last 24 hours.
May 2019Heavy RainCenterville-CoCoRaHS observer recorded heavy rainfall of 2.14 inches over the last 24 hours.
September 2019Heavy RainCenterville-Coop observer recorded heavy rainfall of 3.60 inches over the last 24 hours.
September 2019Heavy RainCenterville-CoCoRaHS observer recorded heavy rainfall of 3.75 inches over the last 24 hours.
June 2017HailCenterville-Trained spotter reported jagged very large hail that was potentially 3-4 inches in diameter. Numerous leaves stripped off trees and small branches down due to the hail.
June 2017HailCenterville-Trained spotter reported half dollar sized hail.
June 2016Heavy RainCenterville-Trained spotter reported heavy rainfall of 1.10 inches. Heavies rain fell between 2129 and 2140 CDT.
June 2016HailCenterville-Penny to nickel hail was reported.

Every storm recorded in Appanoose County

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 PlaceDistance Sheets
Forbush2.4 miles9
Thirty2.6 miles11
Sunshine2.7 miles11
Streepy3.4 miles11
Clarkdale3.9 miles9
Brazil4.6 miles9
Rathbun4.7 miles9
Mystic4.8 miles9

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 CentervilleAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q1898089The 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 455310. 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.