Eldora, Iowa
9 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1993. It stands in Eldora City. It lies in ZIP code area 50627. It stands on Pine Creek. The Survey maps it on the Eldora quadrangle. 2,663 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,086 feet above sea level.
On record in Eldora
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 6 records
Civilian Conservation Corps-Prisoner of War Recreation Halllisted 2012
Eldora Downtown Historic Districtlisted 2009
Eldora Public Librarylisted 1983
First Congregational Churchlisted 1996
Hardin County Courthouselisted 1981
Hardin County Home Historic Districtlisted 2010
Population over time
2 figuresEldora fell from 2,732 to 2,663 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 | 2,732 | |
| 2020 | 2,663 | -69 (-3%) |
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 Waterloo quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1955 USGS Waterloo quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1979 USGS Eldora quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Ames quadrangle1:100000
- 1993 USGS Ames quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
28 since 2006Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 28 fires within 5 miles of Eldora between 2006 and 2020, burning about 279 acres in total. None started naturally. 6 were 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 | 14 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 6 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3 |
| Smoking | 3 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 1 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 July 2012 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 31 July 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 1 July 2017 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 4 June 2018 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 9 April 2019 | Debris and open burning | 35 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 8 April 2013 | Debris and open burning | 5.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 7 April 2018 | Debris and open burning | 18 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 7 April 2018 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 7.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
8 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 8 workings within 5 miles of Eldora: 6 past producers, 2 producers. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Clay, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gifford Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Eldora Pipe and Tile Co. | Clay | Past Producer | ||
| Jonker Brick and Tile Co. | Clay | Past Producer | ||
| Crosser Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Hardin Aggregates Sand Pit & Plant | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Lloyd Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Mccormick Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
55 since 1993Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Eldora in 55 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 21 thunderstorm wind, 17 hail, 12 heavy rain, 3 funnel cloud. The reports record 22 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2009 | Hail | Eldora | 22 hurt, $20,000,000 | Large hail brok windows out of a residence and caused considerable crop damage. |
| August 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Eldora | $1,000,000 | Many Residences in town have broken windows. The Red Cross set up a shelter and treated several injuries. A communications tower was toppled by the high wind. |
| August 2009 | Hail | Eldora | $500,000 | Hail of at least golf ball size resulted in broken windows. |
| May 2013 | Flash Flood | Eldora | $200,000 | Water over many county roads in the east part of the county. |
| August 2009 | Hail | Eldora | $100,000 | no account filed |
| June 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Eldora | $75,000 | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Eldora | $50,000 | no account filed |
| August 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Eldora | $50,000 | no account filed |
| August 2009 | Hail | Eldora | $25,000 | Windows broken by hail. |
| May 2001 | Hail | Eldora | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 2001 | Hail | Eldora | $25,000 | no account filed |
| June 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Eldora | $25,000 | no account filed |
| March 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Eldora | $20,000 | Law enforcement reported power lines and trees down. This is a delayed report and time estimated by radar. |
| April 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Eldora | $20,000 | no account filed |
| June 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Eldora | $10,000 | Emergency manager reported trees down in Eldora. |
| July 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Eldora | $10,000 | no account filed |
| March 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Eldora | $10,000 | no account filed |
| May 2001 | Hail | Eldora | $10,000 | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Eldora | $10,000 | no account filed |
| April 2002 | Hail | Eldora | $7,000 | no account filed |
| July 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Eldora | $5,000 | Large tree down in a yard several feet in diameter. |
| August 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Eldora | $5,000 | Four foot diameter tree blown down and some power lines. |
| August 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Eldora | $5,000 | no account filed |
| May 2001 | Hail | Eldora | $5,000 | no account filed |
| September 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Eldora | $5,000 | no account filed |
| May 2001 | Hail | Eldora | $3,000 | no account filed |
| August 2009 | Hail | Eldora | $2,000 | One inch hail reported in Pine Lake State Park. |
| April 2014 | Hail | Eldora | $2,000 | no account filed |
| April 2006 | Hail | Eldora | $2,000 | no account filed |
| April 2006 | Hail | Eldora | $2,000 | no account filed |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Eldora | - | Delayed report of trees and powerlines down in Eldora, power is out. Relayed by KWWL media. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Eldora | - | Iowa DOT report of debris on Highway 175 in Eldora. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Eldora | - | Observed 60 mile per hour wind gust on an anemometer. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Eldora | - | Damage to multiple hog confinements, with time of occurrence estimated by radar. |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Eldora | - | Emergency manager reported trees down. |
| August 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Eldora | - | Emergency manager reported minor tree damage with one large limb on a car and power lines. Time estimated via radar. |
| June 2020 | Heavy Rain | Eldora | - | CoCoRaHS observer reported a 24 hour rainfall total of 2.63 inches. |
| June 2020 | Heavy Rain | Eldora | - | Public report of 3.25 inches of rain. Begin time estimated via radar. |
| September 2019 | Hail | Eldora | - | Trained spotter reported nickel sized hail. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Eldora | - | Public reported tree down with winds measured at 61 mph from home weather station. |
| August 2018 | Heavy Rain | Eldora | - | CoCoRaHS observer recorded heavy rainfall of 2.16 inches over the last 24 hours. |
| June 2018 | Tornado (EF0) | Eldora | - | Tornado from picture posted on social media. Brief path across agricultural land east southeast of Eldora. |
| June 2018 | Funnel Cloud | Eldora | - | At one time two funnels were observed descending from the cloud deck. Several reports came in about the funnel clouds on social media. |
| April 2017 | Heavy Rain | Eldora | - | CoCoRaHS report of 1.00 inches of rain in the past 24 hours and 1.34 inches in the past 48 hours. |
| August 2016 | Heavy Rain | Eldora | - | Coop observer recorded heavy rainfall of 3.38 inches over the last 24 hours. |
| August 2016 | Heavy Rain | Eldora | - | Trained spotter reported storm total heavy rainfall of 4.10 inches. |
| August 2015 | Heavy Rain | Eldora | - | Public reported heavy rainfall of 3.50 inches. |
| August 2015 | Heavy Rain | Eldora | - | Public reported heavy rainfall of 6.75 inches of rain in Eldora over the last 24 hours. |
| August 2015 | Heavy Rain | Eldora | - | Public reported heavy rainfall of 5.40 inches. |
| August 2015 | Heavy Rain | Eldora | - | Trained spotter reported heavy rainfall of 5.00 inches. |
| August 2015 | Heavy Rain | Eldora | - | Trained spotter reported heavy rainfall of 4.75 inches from last night and today. Report came in via social media. |
| September 2014 | Heavy Rain | Eldora | - | Rainfall of 2.10 inches reported. |
| April 2014 | Hail | Eldora | - | no account filed |
| June 2013 | Funnel Cloud | Eldora | - | no account filed |
| June 2010 | Funnel Cloud | Eldora | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xenia | 3.6 miles | 9 | |
| Secor (historical) | 3.7 miles | 9 | |
| Steamboat Rock | 3.8 miles | 9 | |
| Hughs | 4.0 miles | 9 | |
| Gifford | 5.0 miles | 9 | |
| Berlin | 5.1 miles | 9 | |
| Rough Woods Hill | 5.8 miles | 9 | |
| Lawn Hill | 5.8 miles | 9 |
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 Eldora | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q518929 | 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 456266. 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.




