Forest City, Iowa
7 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Forest Township. It lies in ZIP code area 50436. It stands on Buffalo Creek. The Survey maps it on the Forest City quadrangle. 4,285 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,257 feet above sea level.
Research this city
On record in Forest City
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 3 records
Charles J. Thompson Houselisted 1978
Winnebago County Courthouselisted 1981- Forest City Public Library
Population over time
2 figuresForest City grew from 4,151 to 4,285 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 | 4,151 | |
| 2020 | 4,285 | +134 (+3%) |
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
- 1972 USGS Forest City quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Mason City quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
1 since 2006Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 1 fire within 5 miles of Forest City in 2006, burning about 10 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 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 April 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 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 Forest City: 8 past producers, 3 producers, 3 unknowns. 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest City Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Friedman Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Hanna Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Laharv Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Laharve Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Leland Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Otis Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
60 of 71 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Forest City in 71 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 25 hail, 23 thunderstorm wind, 14 heavy rain, 3 flash 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 1997 | Hail | Forest City | $1,500,000 | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Forest City | $75,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Flash Flood | Forest City | $75,000 | no account filed |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Forest City | $50,000 | Emergency Manager reported trees downed and uprooted along with a camper destroyed by a fallen tree. Time radar estimated. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Forest City | $50,000 | High winds cause tree damage and damage to houses. |
| June 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Forest City | $50,000 | no account filed |
| August 1997 | Lightning | Forest City | $30,000 | no account filed |
| June 1997 | Hail | Forest City | $30,000 | no account filed |
| July 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Forest City | $25,000 | County dispatch reported multiple broken windows, power lines down, and trees downed in town. Time estimated from radar and this is a delayed report. |
| August 2007 | Flash Flood | Forest City | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Forest City | $25,000 | no account filed |
| June 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Forest City | $25,000 | no account filed |
| November 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Forest City | $15,000 | no account filed |
| June 2018 | Flash Flood | Forest City | $10,000 | Emergency manager reported 2 to 3 feet of water over Highway 9 and Highway 69 in Forest City and roads were going to be closed. |
| May 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Forest City | $10,000 | Power poles were downed near Forest City. |
| May 2003 | Hail | Forest City | $10,000 | no account filed |
| May 1999 | Lightning | Forest City | $10,000 | no account filed |
| June 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Forest City | $10,000 | no account filed |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Forest City | $5,000 | There was a report of a large tree blocking Highway 69. |
| June 2016 | Hail | Forest City | $5,000 | Quarter size hail was reported lasting a long time, and then heavy rain after. |
| September 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Forest City | $5,000 | A street sign was blown over and a large trampoline flipped. Several large limbs down. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Forest City | $5,000 | Numerous trees were blown over. |
| May 2005 | Hail | Forest City | $5,000 | no account filed |
| April 2001 | Hail | Forest City | $5,000 | no account filed |
| April 2001 | Hail | Forest City | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Forest City | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 1995 | Hail | Forest City | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 1994 | Tornado (F0) | Forest City | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 1994 | Hail | Forest City | $5,000 | no account filed |
| October 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Forest City | $5,000 | no account filed |
| August 2013 | Hail | Forest City | $3,000 | Hail up to the size of quarters covered the ground. |
| May 2012 | Hail | Forest City | $3,000 | no account filed |
| May 2012 | Hail | Forest City | $3,000 | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Forest City | $3,000 | no account filed |
| May 2005 | Hail | Forest City | $2,000 | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Forest City | $2,000 | no account filed |
| November 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Forest City | $2,000 | no account filed |
| July 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Forest City | $2,000 | no account filed |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Forest City | $1,000 | Corn stalks blown over and tree limbs down. |
| May 2004 | Hail | Forest City | $1,000 | no account filed |
| August 2022 | Heavy Rain | Forest City | - | A 24 hour rainfall total of 3.75 inches. |
| July 2022 | Hail | Forest City | - | A trained spotter reported a few hail stones up to half dollar sized. |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Forest City | - | Trees 12 inches in diameter down and power lines down. A few trees uprooted. Time estimated from radar. |
| July 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Forest City | - | Several spotters reported tree limbs, about 3 to 4 inches in diameter, have been downed. |
| June 2018 | Heavy Rain | Forest City | - | Public reported heavy rainfall of 4 inches. |
| June 2018 | Heavy Rain | Forest City | - | Coop observer reported heavy rainfall of 2.88 inches over the last 24 hours. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Forest City | - | Trained spotter reported branches down around town up to about 6 inches in diameter. This is a delayed report and time estimated from radar. |
| September 2018 | Heavy Rain | Forest City | - | Coop observer recorded heavy rainfall of 2.34 inches over the last 24 hours. |
| September 2018 | Heavy Rain | Forest City | - | Coop observer recorded heavy rainfall of 4.32 inches over the last 24 hours. |
| October 2017 | Heavy Rain | Forest City | - | Trained spotter reported heavy rainfall of 3.1 inches measured since midnight. |
| July 2016 | Heavy Rain | Forest City | - | Coop observer measured heavy rainfall of 2.60 inches over the last 24 hours. |
| September 2016 | Heavy Rain | Forest City | - | Coop observer KIOW Radio recorded heavy rainfall of 3.05 inches over the last 24 hours. |
| September 2016 | Heavy Rain | Forest City | - | Trained spotter reported heavy rainfall of 2.30 inches. |
| September 2016 | Heavy Rain | Forest City | - | Coop observer reported heavy rainfall of 2.70 inches over the last 24 hours. |
| September 2016 | Heavy Rain | Forest City | - | Coop observer reported heavy rainfall of 2.25 inches. |
| June 2015 | Hail | Forest City | - | Public reported quarter size hail and relayed by the Sheriff's office. |
| December 2015 | Heavy Rain | Forest City | - | Coop observer reported heavy rainfall of 1.72 inches over the last 48 hours/storm total so far. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Forest City | - | Several power lines down and tree limbs down throughout town. |
| May 2013 | Heavy Rain | Forest City | - | Rainfall of 2.20 inches recorded. |
| July 2013 | Funnel Cloud | Forest City | - | A trained spotter and member of the public both reported a funnel cloud just west to southwest of Forest City. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leland | 5.2 miles | 7 | |
| Ratna (historical) | 6.2 miles | 8 | |
| Thompson | 10.4 miles | 7 | |
| Lake Mills | 12.1 miles | 7 | |
| Scarville | 14.4 miles | 7 | |
| Vinje | 14.7 miles | 7 | |
| Amund (historical) | 16.7 miles | 7 | |
| Norman (historical) | 17.5 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 Forest City | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q1913741 | 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 456667. 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.




