Cresco, Iowa
7 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Vernon Springs Township. It lies in ZIP code area 52136. The Survey maps it on the Cresco NE quadrangle. 3,888 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,293 feet above sea level.
Research this city
On record in Cresco
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 5 records
Cresco Opera Houselisted 1981
Howard County Courthouselisted 1981
Kellow Houselisted 1977- Polygonal Barn, New Oregon Townshiplisted 1986
- South Ward Schoollisted 1982
Population over time
2 figuresCresco grew from 3,868 to 3,888 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 | 3,868 | |
| 2020 | 3,888 | +20 (+1%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
5 surveys from 7 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 Mason City quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1957 USGS Mason City quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Mason City quadrangle1:250000
- 1981 USGS Cresco NE quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Charles City quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
15 since 2007Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 15 fires within 5 miles of Cresco between 2007 and 2020, burning about 178 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 | 10 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 May 2020 | Debris and open burning | 20 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 9 April 2019 | Debris and open burning | 6.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 5 April 2015 | Debris and open burning | 20 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 4 April 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 4 April 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 20 April 2019 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 19 April 2014 | Debris and open burning | 4.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 18 April 2014 | Debris and open burning | 10 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 14 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 14 workings within 5 miles of Cresco: 7 past producers, 6 producers, 1 unknown. 6 still produce. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eckerman Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Albertson | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Balk | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Bauer Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Daley Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| E Roberts | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Earl Roberts Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Eckerman Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
43 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Cresco in 43 storm reports between 1994 and 2020: 15 thunderstorm wind, 14 hail, 3 funnel cloud, 3 flood. 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 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cresco | $500,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cresco | $85,000 | no account filed |
| September 2018 | Lightning | Cresco | $50,000 | A fire at an assisted living facility in Cresco was started by a lightning strike. A portion of the building sustained heavy damage but all the residents were safely evacuated. |
| July 1997 | Tornado (F0) | Cresco | $35,000 | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cresco | $30,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cresco | $10,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Flash Flood | Cresco | $10,000 | no account filed |
| April 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cresco | $10,000 | no account filed |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cresco | $7,500 | no account filed |
| August 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cresco | $5,000 | Farm buildings north of Cresco were damaged by high winds. |
| October 2012 | Lightning | Cresco | $5,000 | A oak tree in Cresco, estimated to be at least 150 years old, had to be cut down after a lightning strike seriously damaged the tree. The lightning strike also took out the controller card to some nearby stoplights. |
| August 2007 | Flash Flood | Cresco | $5,000 | Sheriff deputy reported that gravel roads had washouts throughout the county. Time estimated. |
| September 1995 | Hail | Cresco | $5,000 | Two frontal systems were moving southeast across the central United States. The first cold front was Pacific in origin and was quite weak. A much stronger cold front dropped southeast from Canada and entered Iowa during the afternoon. The air mass was capped in the mid levels. CAPE values were in the 2000-3000 J-kg-1 range ahead of the Canadian cold front. Surface dew point temperatures in the lower 70s F. Strong thunderstorms developed over north central Iowa and moved into the northeast counties. The produced brief heavy rainfall and gusty winds for the most part. A few storms produced hail during the early evening hours as colder air moved in aloft. Three-quarter-inch diameter hail fell in several locations over northeast Iowa. Golf ball-size hail fell in a few locations. Both Applington, in Butler County, and New Haven, in Mitchell County, reported golf ball-size hail. |
| April 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cresco | $3,000 | Scattered thunderstorms moved across northern Iowa during the evening hours. There were numerous reports of pea- to marble-size hail with them, covering the ground in some locations. The gradient winds were quite strong during the evening. Minor damage occurred in Cresco as one storm produced winds of 58 mph. |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cresco | $3,000 | no account filed |
| August 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cresco | $2,500 | no account filed |
| July 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cresco | $2,000 | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cresco | $2,000 | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Hail | Cresco | $2,000 | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Hail | Cresco | $1,000 | no account filed |
| July 1995 | Hail | Cresco | $1,000 | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Hail | Cresco | $800 | no account filed |
| April 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cresco | $500 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cresco | $200 | no account filed |
| June 2020 | Funnel Cloud | Cresco | - | A funnel cloud was sighted near Cresco. |
| June 2018 | Heavy Rain | Cresco | - | The COOP observer near Cresco measured 3.37 inches of rain. |
| August 2016 | Heavy Rain | Cresco | - | The COOP observer near Cresco measured 6.04 inches of rain. |
| June 2015 | Hail | Cresco | - | Half dollar sized hail was reported near Cresco. |
| June 2015 | Flood | Cresco | - | Locally heavy rain caused street flooding to occur in Cresco, temporarily causing law enforcement to close off some streets. |
| June 2014 | Flood | Cresco | - | Runoff from heavy rains caused street flooding to occur in Cresco. |
| July 2012 | Flood | Cresco | - | Numerous streets were flooded in Cresco and the water was deep enough in the downtown area to go over the curbs and threatened to go into some businesses. The flooding was produced by 2.65 inches of rain that fell in an hour and a half. |
| July 2009 | Hail | Cresco | - | Hail was accompanied with wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph, which damaged crops. |
| July 2009 | Hail | Cresco | - | Dime size hail combined with strong winds damaged corn fields. |
| May 2012 | Hail | Cresco | - | no account filed |
| June 2009 | Hail | Cresco | - | no account filed |
| June 2007 | Hail | Cresco | - | no account filed |
| July 2005 | Funnel Cloud | Cresco | - | no account filed |
| June 2003 | Hail | Cresco | - | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Hail | Cresco | - | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Hail | Cresco | - | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cresco | - | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Tornado (F0) | Cresco | - | no account filed |
| July 1997 | Funnel Cloud | Cresco | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vernon Springs | 2.5 miles | 7 | |
| Bonair | 5.0 miles | 7 | |
| Schley | 7.7 miles | 7 | |
| Florenceville | 8.2 miles | 7 | |
| Forest City (historical) | 9.7 miles | 7 | |
| Davis Corners | 9.8 miles | 7 | |
| Lime Springs | 10.0 miles | 7 | |
| Lidtke Mill | 10.4 miles | 7 |
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 Cresco | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q1914623 | 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 455712. 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.




