BlockBefore

Fostoria, Iowa

8 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Summit Township. It lies in ZIP code area 51340. The Survey maps it on the Spencer quadrangle. 230 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,457 feet above sea level.

Fostoria within Clay County

Population over time

2 figures

Fostoria fell from 231 to 230 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.

YearPeople Change
2010231
2020230-1 (-0%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

4 surveys from 8 printed sheets

Matched 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.

Fires near this place

13 since 2006

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 13 fires within 5 miles of Fostoria between 2006 and 2020, burning about 322 acres in total. None started naturally. 1 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/undetermined9
Debris and open burning3
Arson/incendiarism1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
6 September 2019Debris and open burning200 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
17 August 2020Debris and open burning6.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
5 July 2006Missing data/not specified/undetermined2.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
10 July 2012Debris and open burning8.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
13 April 2009Missing data/not specified/undetermined60 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
10 April 2006Missing data/not specified/undetermined4.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
30 March 2018Arson/incendiarism15 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
28 March 2010Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreIowa Department of Natural Resources2014 260TH STREET MILFORD, IA 51351, IOWA

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Clay County

Mines and quarries near this place

7 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 7 workings within 5 miles of Fostoria: 6 past producers, 1 producer. 1 still produces. 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 SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
BradburySand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Fostoria PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
UnknownSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
UnknownSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
UnknownSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
UnknownSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
UnknownSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer

Every working recorded in Clay County

Storms near this place

60 of 69 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Fostoria in 69 storm reports between 2001 and 2025: 58 flood, 8 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind. 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
June 2014FloodFostoria$500,000Persistent heavy rains caused moderate to major flooding of the Little Sioux River. Farmland, other lowlands including parks, and several roads near the river were flooded, including in the city of Spencer. Some homes were flooded, mainly in basements. The river crested at 5.18 feet above flood stage at Spencer on June 20th.
March 2019FloodFostoria$300,000Snow melt and heavy rainfall (measured 1.78 inches 4 miles northwest of Milford and 1.59 inches 3 miles south southeast of Lake Park) resulted in significant flooding of agricultural lands and several county roads. Little Sioux River near Milford (gage site MIFI4) reached the second highest stage on record cresting 6.02 feet above flood stage on March 18.
July 2010Thunderstorm WindFostoria$50,000Thunderstorm winds caused widespread tree and power line damage. Shingles were blown off roofs, and several roofs and vehicles were damaged by tree debris.
October 2019FloodFostoria$5,000Rainfall from October 1-5 totaled 4.81 inches at Lake Park, 4.61 inches at Spirit Lake, 3.85 inches 3 miles south-southeast of Lake Park and 3.34 inches 4 miles northwest of Milford. The Little Sioux River near Milford (gage site MIFI4) climbed into minor flood and crested 1.24 feet above flood stage on October 6. Flooding impacts were generally to agricultural areas near the river, however, water did briefly inundate 190th Avenue near 240th Street. Property and crop damage costs are rough estimates.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindFostoria-Two trees were blown down along 280th Street west of Fostoria.
April 2024FloodFostoria-The Little Sioux River near Milford, IA rose above flood stage on the evening of April 30th with minor flooding continuing into May.
July 2024FloodFostoria-Flooding continued from June on the Little Sioux River near Milford, with declining river levels. The river fell below flood stage on the morning of July 8th.
July 2024FloodFostoria-Flooding continued from June on the Little Sioux River above Spencer, with declining river levels. The river fell below flood stage on the afternoon of July 17th.
May 2024FloodFostoria-The Little Sioux River rose above Spencer rose above flood stage midday on May 2nd, cresting around 1.38 feet above flood stage (1323.38 feet) on May 9th. The river then fell below flood stage on the afternoon of May 14th.
May 2024FloodFostoria-Flooding on the Little Sioux River near Milford continued from late April, cresting around 2.28 feet above flood stage (14.28 feet) on May 9th. This crest is in the Moderate Stage. The river then fell below flood stage during the early morning of May 15th.
May 2024FloodFostoria-The Little Sioux River near Milford rose above flood stage the morning of May 24th, and continued to rise into early June.
May 2024FloodFostoria-The Little Sioux River above Spencer near Hwy 18 rose above flood stage the afternoon of May 24th, and continued to rise into early June.
June 2024FloodFostoria-The Little Sioux River near Milford continued above flood stage from May, cresting around 3.67 ft above flood stage (15.67 ft) on June 4th. This crest is in the Moderate Stage. The river then fell below flood stage on the afternoon of June 11th.
June 2024FloodFostoria-The Little Sioux River above Spencer at Hwy 18 continued above flood stage from May, cresting around 1.99 ft above flood stage (1323.99 ft) on June 6th. The river then fell below flood stage on the afternoon of June 12th.
June 2024FloodFostoria-The Little Sioux River near Milford rose above flood stage the evening of June 15th, cresting around 8.41 feet above flood stage (20.41 feet) on June 22nd. This crest is in the Major Stage and broke the previous record. The river stayed above flood stage into July. For a more comprehensive description of flood damage, please see other entries for Clay County.
June 2024FloodFostoria-The Little Sioux River above Spencer rose above flood stage the morning of June 17th, cresting around 6.1 feet above flood stage (1328.1 feet) on June 22nd. This crest is in the Major Stage and broke the previous record. The river stayed above flood stage into July. For a more comprehensive description of flood damage, please see other entries for Clay County.
April 2023FloodFostoria-The Little Sioux River near Milford, IA rose above flood stage on the evening of April 1st before cresting around 1.59 feet above flood stage (13.59 feet) on April 5th. The river then fell below flood stage on the morning of April 8th.
March 2023FloodFostoria-The Little Sioux River near Milford rose above flood stage on the evening of March 28th before cresting around 0.03 feet above flood stage (12.03 feet) early in the morning on March 29th and then quickly falling below flood stage.
May 2023FloodFostoria-The Little Sioux River above Spencer, IA rose above flood stage on the morning of May 14 before cresting around 0.59 feet above flood stage (1322.59 feet) on May 15th. The river then fell below flood stage on the morning of May 18th.
May 2023FloodFostoria-The Little Sioux River near Milford, IA rose above flood stage on the morning of May 14 before cresting around 1.49 feet above flood stage (13.49 feet) on May 16th. The river then fell below flood stage on the afternoon of May 19th.
July 2022FloodFostoria-Rainfall from 1 to 2 inches fell across Dickinson and northern Clay Counties on July 5, which resulted in minor flooding of the Little Sioux River near Spencer/Highway 18 (gage site SPII4) and a crest at 0.81 feet above flood stage on July 13. Some agricultural and pasture land was flooded.
July 2022FloodFostoria-Heavy rainfall of 1 to 2 inches across Dickinson County on July 5 brought a rapid rise to the Little Sioux River near Milford (gage site MIFI4), with a crest into moderate flooding at 2.93 feet above flood stage on July 12. A significant amount of rural land was flooded.
April 2020FloodFostoria-A continuation of minor flooding from March, the Little Sioux River near Milford (gage site MIFI4) began the month 0.83 feet above flood stage, with a slow and steady fall to below flood stage on April 3. Main impacts occurred with flooding of crop and pasture land.
April 2020FloodFostoria-A continuation of minor flooding from March, the Little Sioux River above Spencer Highway 18 (gage site SPII4) began the month at 0.44 feet above flood stage, with a slow and steady fall to below flood stage on April 3. Minor flooding of agricultural land occurred north of Spencer.
March 2020FloodFostoria-With rainfall of 1.11 inches at Lake Park, 1.06 inches 3 miles south-southeast of Lake Park and 0.90 inches at Spirit Lake, the Little Sioux River above Spencer Highway 18 (gage site SPII4) returned to flood at the end of the month. The river crested at 0.41 feet above flood stage on March 30, resulting in minor flooding of agricultural land north of Spencer. The river remained at minor flood stage at the end of the month.
May 2020FloodFostoria-The Little Sioux River near Milford (gage site MIFI4) spent much of the last half of the month in minor flood, but briefly climbed into moderate flooding with a crest of 2.25 feet above flood stage on May 21. Significant amounts of agricultural and pasture land near the river was flooded.
May 2020FloodFostoria-The Little Sioux River above Spencer Highway 18 (gage site SPII4) crested 0.83 feet above flood stage on May 22. Minor flooding of agricultural land occurred north of Spencer.
March 2020FloodFostoria-The Little Sioux River above Spencer Highway 18 (gage site SPII4) rose above flood stage on March 7, and crested 1.44 feet above flood stage on March 10. Significant amounts of agricultural land were flooded.
June 2019FloodFostoria-A continuation of flooding from May, the Little Sioux River near Milford (gage site MIFI4) began the month at 3.99 feet above flood stage. Water inundated 180th Street between 170th and 190th Avenues as well as 190th Avenue near 240th Street. Significant amounts of agricultural land remained flooded, and further impeded spring planting.
May 2019FloodFostoria-This is a continuation of flooding from April. The Little Sioux River near Milford (gage site MIFI4) had an early month crest at 1.71 feet above flood stage on May 1, before falling below flood stage on May 14. Late month rains pushed the river back over flood stage on May 24, reaching a crest in major flood stage of 4.28 feet above flood stage on May 31. Significant agricultural flooding persisted, with no opportunity for spring planting throughout the flood plain. Numerous county and township roads near the river were flooded. The river remained at major flood stage at the end of the month.
October 2019FloodFostoria-Rainfall from October 1-5 totaled 4.81 inches at Lake Park, 4.61 inches at Spirit Lake, 3.85 inches 3 miles south-southeast of Lake Park and 3.34 inches 4 miles northwest of Milford. The Little Sioux River above Spencer/Highway 18 (gage site SPII4) climbed into minor flood and crested 0.55 feet above flood stage on October 5. Flooding impacts were generally to agricultural areas near the river. Crop damage costs are rough estimates.
April 2019FloodFostoria-Runoff from occasional precipitation in early April returned significant flooding of agricultural lands. The Little Sioux River near Milford (gage site MIFI4) crested twice during the period. The first crest was 1.45 feet above flood stage on April 12. After a brief period below flood stage from April 24-27, a second crest occurred on April 30 at 1.36 feet above flood stage. The river remained in minor flood stage at the end of the month.
March 2018FloodFostoria-Snow melt runoff on top of already high river levels produced minor flooding of lowland agricultural areas along upper portions of the Little Sioux River. River levels reached 0.9 feet above flood stage near Milford (gage site MIFI4) by the end of the month.
April 2018FloodFostoria-A continuation of flooding from March 2018, the river crested at minor flood level at Milford (gage site MIFI4) 0.9 feet above flood stage on April 1.
March 2018FloodFostoria-Periods of rainfall along with snow melt through mid to late March caused minor flooding of lowland agricultural areas along upper portions of the Little Sioux River. The highest of multiple crests reached 1.6 feet above flood stage near Milford (gage site MIFI4) on March 19.
March 2018FloodFostoria-Heavy rainfall along with snow melt caused minor flooding of lowland agricultural areas along upper portions of the Little Sioux River. The river reached a crest of 1.3 feet above flood stage near Milford (gage site MIFI4) on March 5.
March 2018FloodFostoria-Additional rainfall along with snow melt caused minor flooding of lowland agricultural areas along upper portions of the Little Sioux River. The river reached a crest of 0.2 feet above flood stage near Milford (gage site MIFI4) on March 9.
May 2018FloodFostoria-Flooding continued from April, and was generally minor with impacts limited to near river agricultural areas until falling below flood stage near Milford (gage site MIFI4) on May 6. Rainfall over the first two weeks of May totalled from 3 to 5 inches in the upper Little Sioux Basin, including 5.01 inches at Lake Park, 4.85 inches 4 miles northwest of Milford and 4.69 inches in Spirit Lake. The river rose back above flood stage on May 9 and crested in moderate flood stage (2.7 feet above flood stage) on May 14, inundating a large amount of pasture and crop land along the flood plain. The river dropped below flood stage on May 20.
September 2018FloodFostoria-Rainfall throughout the Little Sioux Basin during the period of September 18-21 totaled generally 4 to 8 inches, resulting in major flooding. Significant crop and pasture land was flooded, and several roads were inundated including 170th Avenue south of State Highway 9, 190th Avenue near 240th St. and 180th Street between 170th and 190th Avenues. The Little Sioux River near Milford (gage site MIFI4) crested at 4.0 feet above flood stage on September 24. The river remained in minor flood at the end of the month.
October 2018FloodFostoria-Water reached 190th Avenue near 240th Street, and low-lying agricultural lands were flooded as the Little Sioux River near Milford (gage site MIFI4) crested 1.1 feet above flood stage on October 14.
June 2018FloodFostoria-A week of prolific rainfall ending June 26 resulted in a widespread 6 to 11 inches of rainfall, much of which occurred on June 20 and 24. Specific weekly totals included 7.87 at Lake Park, 8.60 3 miles south southeast of Lake Park and 10.65 4 miles northwest of Milford. Major flooding occurred with significant amounts of crop and pasture land inundated. Numerous county roads were closed and damaged due to extremely high water, including 170th Avenue, 180th Street and 190th Avenue south of State Highway 9 as the river crested near Milford (gage site MIFI4) at a record 8.1 feet above flood stage on June 25. The river remained in major flood stage at the end of the month.
June 2018Thunderstorm WindFostoria-Strong winds downed a large tree and several power lines.
October 2018FloodFostoria-A continuation of flooding from September, river levels on the Little Sioux River near Milford (gage site MIFI4) continued to fall in early October. Impacts were limited to minor agricultural flooding.
April 2016FloodFostoria-Runoff from repeated rains caused minor lowland flooding of agricultural land and park land along the Little Sioux River. The river reached a peak stage 2.6 feet above flood stage at Spencer at the end of the month.
May 2013FloodFostoria-Heavy rain caused minor to moderate flooding of the Little Sioux River, with the greatest flooding effect in the southern part of the county. Farmland and a few roads were affected. The river crested at 2.10 feet above flood stage at Spencer on May 28th.
June 2013FloodFostoria-Heavy rain caused minor farmland and other lowland flooding along the Little Sioux River. The river crested at 1.7 feet above flood stage at Spencer on June 10th.
March 2013FloodFostoria-Runoff from rain and wet snow caused minor flooding of the Little Sioux River, with lowlands including the Spencer City park, some farmland and a few roads affected. The river crested at 2.46 feet above flood stage at Spencer on May 31st.
May 2012FloodFostoria-Runoff from heavy rain caused minor flooding of the Little Sioux River, with lowlands including some farmland and a few roads affected. The river crested at 1.9 feet above flood stage at Spencer on May 31st.
May 2011FloodFostoria-Heavy rain caused the Little Sioux River to rise again above flood stage, after spring snowmelt flooding subsided. Minor flooding was reported with some lowlands and a few roads flooded. The river crested at 1.3 feet above flood stage at Spencer on May 26th, then fell below flood stage at the end of the month.
February 2011FloodFostoria-Melting snow and resulting runoff caused minor flooding along the Little Sioux River, with unused lowlands mainly affected. The river crested at less than a foot above flood stage at Spencer on February 20th.
July 2011FloodFostoria-Major flooding of the Little Sioux River resulted from runoff caused by heavy rain. Considerable farmland, other lowlands, and several roads were flooded. The river crested at 6.5 feet above flood stage at Spencer on July 16th.
June 2011FloodFostoria-Minor to moderate flooding of the Little Sioux River resulted from runoff caused by heavy rain. Lowlands including some farmland along the river were flooded. The river crested at 3.9 feet above flood stage at Spencer on June 23rd.
April 2010FloodFostoria-Continued flooding of the Little Sioux River from March snowmelt abated and ended during the first few days in April. The minor flooding affected a few fields along the river. The river started the month at less than a foot above flood stage at Spencer, and fell below flood stage by the end of the first day, with minor flooding lingering to the 4th of April at the southern edge of the county.
October 2010FloodFostoria-Minor to moderate flooding of the Little Sioux River abated and ended during the first few days of the month. A few lowlands along the river and a few roads were flooded at the start of the month.
July 2010FloodFostoria-Heavy rain caused minor to moderate flooding along the Little Sioux River, with lowlands including some agricultural land along the river flooded. The river crested at 3.60 feet above flood stage at Spencer on July 25th.
August 2010FloodFostoria-Heavy rain caused moderate flooding along the Little Sioux River, with farmland, other lowlands, and a few roads flooded. The river crested at 4.28 feet above flood stage at Spencer on August 12th.
March 2010FloodFostoria-Rapid melting of a heavy winter snowpack resulted in moderate to major flooding of the Little Sioux River. Fields and other lowlands as well as roads near the river were flooded. The Little Sioux River crested at 5.6 feet above flood stage at Spencer on March 16th.
June 2010FloodFostoria-Heavy rain caused minor to moderate flooding along the Little Sioux River, with lowlands including some agricultural land along the river flooded. The river crested at 2.25 feet above flood stage at Spencer on June 28th.
September 2010FloodFostoria-Heavy rain caused minor flooding along the Little Sioux River, with farmland and other lowlands affected. The river crested at 1.5 feet above flood stage at Spencer on September 27th.
June 2008FloodFostoria-Heavy rain caused minor flooding along the Little Sioux River to continue from the start of June to June 19th. Minor flooding of the Ocheyedan River in the Spencer area was also reported from June 12th to June 14th. The flooding affected some farmland close to the river.

Every storm recorded in Clay County

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 PlaceDistance Sheets
Langdon4.0 miles7
Birchwood Estates5.7 miles8
Spencer7.0 miles8
Dickens10.4 miles7
Everly10.7 miles7
Royal14.0 miles7
Greenville15.6 miles7
Rossie15.9 miles7

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 FostoriaAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q1916176The 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 456695. 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.