Cheney, Iowa
10 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1903 and the latest in 1984. It stands in Polk Township. It lies in ZIP code area 52349. The Survey maps it on the Cheney quadrangle.
Topographic sheets covering this place
7 surveys from 10 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.
- 1903 USGS Winthrop quadrangle1:125000, 2 printings
- 1959 USGS Dubuque quadrangle1:250000
- 1961 USGS Dubuque quadrangle1:250000
- 1962 USGS Dubuque quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1973 USGS Cheney quadrangle1:24000
- 1976 USGS Dubuque quadrangle1:250000
- 1984 USGS Anamosa quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
21 since 2006Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 21 fires within 5 miles of Cheney between 2006 and 2018, burning about 140 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 | 14 |
| Debris and open burning | 7 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 July 2017 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 13 May 2017 | Debris and open burning | 5.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 9 April 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 9 April 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 8.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 9 April 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 6 April 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | 2915 55TH ST. URBANA, IA 52345, IA |
| 5 April 2015 | Debris and open burning | 20 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 5 April 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | 2815 BING MILLER LANE URBANA, IA 52345, IA |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
2 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Cheney: 1 past producer, 1 producer. 1 still produces. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hertzberg Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Unknown | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
9 since 2007Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Cheney in 9 storm reports between 2007 and 2023: 5 thunderstorm wind, 4 tornado. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cheney | $10,000 | Wind gusts estimated to be 70 mph blew eight small utility sized trailers over on Interstate 380 near Urbana, IA around 516 am CDT July 11. Some farm fields were also damaged or flattened in the vicinity. |
| March 2023 | Tornado (EFU) | Cheney | - | A small, distinct tornado path was identified northwest of Urbana, Iowa, after analyzing post-event Sentinel satellite data. There was no observable damage to assign an EF-scale rating. |
| March 2023 | Tornado (EF2) | Cheney | - | An NWS Storm Survey found a EF-2 tornado with estimated peak winds of 115 mph. A tornado produced a short path of significant tree and farm outbuilding damage, as well as damage to a home. The tornado crossed into Buchanan County along Benton-Buchanan Road at the Bearbower Sand Prairie County Park. The final tornado path was confirmed during a review of Sentinel satellite data. |
| December 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cheney | - | A tree was reported blown down over Highway 150. |
| June 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cheney | - | The Emergency Manager reported a barn, silo, and power lines damaged at 2526 51st Street about 3 miles south of Brandon. The time of the event was estimated using radar. |
| June 2016 | Tornado (EF0) | Cheney | - | Emergency management confirmed that a brief tornado touchdown occurred in a field. No damage occurred. Emergency manager confirmed video taken of the tornado shows the location and full duration of just less than 30 seconds before lifting. This tornado was seen by a large area that afternoon and was reported by numerous funnel cloud reports. |
| June 2014 | Tornado (EF1) | Cheney | - | A tornado developed on the leading edge of a rapidly advancing and intensifying squall line. Witnesses described seeing a funnel cloud and debris as the tornado approached. The tornado tracked through a neighborhood outside Urbana, unroofing a home, destroying 2 other garages, and causing less damage to about 9 homes. |
| July 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cheney | - | Winds estimated to be 75 mph flattened some corn fields between Mount Auburn and Urbana. |
| December 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cheney | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urbana | 3.5 miles | 14 | |
| Manatheka (historical) | 3.5 miles | 14 | |
| Spencers Grove | 3.7 miles | 11 | |
| Benton City (historical) | 6.6 miles | 13 | |
| Vinton | 7.8 miles | 9 | |
| Mount Auburn | 8.8 miles | 10 | |
| Eden | 10.3 miles | 13 | |
| Shellsburg | 11.4 miles | 16 |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 464496. 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.






