Cherokee, Iowa
9 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Cherokee Township. It lies in ZIP code area 51012. It stands on Railroad Creek. The Survey maps it on the Cherokee South quadrangle. 5,199 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,194 feet above sea level.
Research this city
On record in Cherokee
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 8 records
Boughton, Lemuel C. and Mary (Vaughn), Houselisted 2019
Cherokee Commercial Historic Districtlisted 2005
Cherokee Public Librarylisted 1985
Gillette, Guy M. and Rose (Freeman), Houselisted 2019
Illinois Central Railroad Yard-Cherokeelisted 1990
Lewis Hotellisted 1997
Mill Creek Bridgelisted 1998
Seaman, Roy C. and Lena (Johnson), Houselisted 2019
Population over time
2 figuresCherokee fell from 5,253 to 5,199 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 | 5,253 | |
| 2020 | 5,199 | -54 (-1%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
5 surveys from 9 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 Fort Dodge quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1957 USGS Fort Dodge quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Fort Dodge quadrangle1:250000
- 1969 USGS Cherokee South quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Storm Lake quadrangle1:100000, 3 printings
Fires near this place
27 since 2009Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 27 fires within 5 miles of Cherokee between 2009 and 2020, burning about 76 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 burning | 13 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 4 |
| Smoking | 2 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 September 2020 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 14 September 2020 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 3 August 2020 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 3 August 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 24 August 2020 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 14 May 2013 | Smoking | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 4 April 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 28 April 2018 | Debris and open burning | 4.0 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 29 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 29 workings within 5 miles of Cherokee: 20 past producers, 9 producers. 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bugh Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Cherokee County Hwy Dept | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Cherokee Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Cherokee Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Corbett Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Ext Brewer Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Hyndman and Freeman | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Lundell Const | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Maudlin Const Co | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Maudlin Const Co | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
Storms near this place
60 of 71 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Cherokee in 71 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 37 hail, 16 thunderstorm wind, 10 flash flood, 4 heavy rain. 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 1994 | Hail | Cherokee | $500,000 | no account filed |
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cherokee | $200,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused widespread tree damage, including several large trees blown down. Several homes and businesses were damaged by falling trees, and other had shingle and other roof damage. Several vehicles were also damaged by falling trees and tree debris. A storage shed full of sports equipment at the high school was destroyed, with the equipment damaged. Signs and power lines were blown down, and a power outage resulted. A semi was blown over near town. |
| August 2002 | Flash Flood | Cherokee | $200,000 | Heavy rain amounting to over four inches caused flooding of roads and basements. Maple creek rose out of its banks and up to the bottom of a bridge on Iowa Highway Seven. |
| July 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cherokee | $100,000 | no account filed |
| June 1994 | Hail | Cherokee | $50,000 | no account filed |
| June 1994 | Hail | Cherokee | $50,000 | no account filed |
| July 2010 | Flash Flood | Cherokee | $30,000 | Heavy rain caused flash flooding of numerous streets in the town of Cherokee. Basements and parkland were also flooded. |
| June 2003 | Lightning | Cherokee | $20,000 | Lightning caused a house fire which damaged the roof and ceiling of a home. |
| June 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cherokee | $20,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused tree and power line damage, resulting in power outages. Several trees were blown completely down, including one which damaged the porch of a house. |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cherokee | $10,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including large limbs blown down. The winds also blew down power lines. |
| September 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cherokee | $10,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage and blew down power lines. |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cherokee | $10,000 | no account filed |
| June 1994 | Hail | Cherokee | $5,000 | no account filed |
| August 2025 | Flash Flood | Cherokee | - | Pictures showed significant street flooding in lower areas on the southeast side of Cherokee. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cherokee | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts brought several large limbs down. As a result of limbs coming down on powerlines around Cherokee, up to 1800 electrical customers were without power. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cherokee | - | Thunderstorm winds downed several large tree branches in Cherokee. |
| August 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cherokee | - | Thunderstorm winds produced damage to large tree limbs. |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cherokee | - | Strong winds caused tree to split. |
| May 2016 | Heavy Rain | Cherokee | - | Rainfall of 3.75 inches was measured. |
| June 2014 | Heavy Rain | Cherokee | - | Thunderstorms produced rainfall of 2.15 inches. |
| June 2014 | Heavy Rain | Cherokee | - | Rainfall of 3.70 inches was measured. |
| June 2014 | Heavy Rain | Cherokee | - | Thunderstorms produced heavy rainfall of 4.08 inches. |
| May 2012 | Hail | Cherokee | - | Hail covered the ground. |
| May 2012 | Flash Flood | Cherokee | - | Heavy rain caused flash flooding of rural fields and roads. |
| May 2012 | Hail | Cherokee | - | Hail was accompanied by heavy rain. |
| April 2011 | Hail | Cherokee | - | Large hail was estimated at 4 inches in diameter with one stone measured at 3.5 inches. The hail caused an unknown amount of damage to vehicles. |
| April 2011 | Hail | Cherokee | - | Large hail caused an unknown amount of vehicle, siding, and roof damage. |
| July 2010 | Flash Flood | Cherokee | - | Heavy rain caused flash flooding of several roads in the town of Cherokee. |
| March 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cherokee | - | Thunderstorm winds blew over a semi truck. |
| May 2008 | Hail | Cherokee | - | Large hail covered the ground. |
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cherokee | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including several branches blown down. |
| June 2007 | Flash Flood | Cherokee | - | Heavy rain caused flooding of roads and fields. |
| June 2005 | Flash Flood | Cherokee | - | Heavy rain caused flooding of numerous streets and several basements. |
| August 2005 | Hail | Cherokee | - | Large hail was accompanied by winds gusting to 50 mph. |
| September 2004 | Flash Flood | Cherokee | - | Rainfall of 4.5 inches caused flooding of streets. |
| July 2003 | Flash Flood | Cherokee | - | Heavy rains caused rapid flooding of city streets and low areas, including a park. |
| June 2003 | Flash Flood | Cherokee | - | Heavy rain caused the Little Sioux River to rise rapidly to just out of its banks. Other low areas including some roads were also flooded. |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cherokee | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including trees of unknown size blown down. |
| July 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cherokee | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including some trees down. |
| April 2025 | Hail | Cherokee | - | no account filed |
| April 2025 | Hail | Cherokee | - | no account filed |
| August 2025 | Hail | Cherokee | - | no account filed |
| June 2019 | Hail | Cherokee | - | no account filed |
| September 2019 | Hail | Cherokee | - | no account filed |
| August 2018 | Hail | Cherokee | - | no account filed |
| August 2018 | Hail | Cherokee | - | no account filed |
| May 2012 | Hail | Cherokee | - | no account filed |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cherokee | - | no account filed |
| June 2010 | Funnel Cloud | Cherokee | - | no account filed |
| April 2006 | Flood | Cherokee | - | no account filed |
| August 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cherokee | - | no account filed |
| August 2005 | Hail | Cherokee | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Cherokee | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Cherokee | - | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Hail | Cherokee | - | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Hail | Cherokee | - | no account filed |
| August 2004 | Hail | Cherokee | - | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Hail | Cherokee | - | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Hail | Cherokee | - | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Hail | Cherokee | - | 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 Cherokee | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q595297 | 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 455370. 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.




