Grinnell, Iowa
8 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1984. It stands in Grinnell City. It lies in ZIP code area 50112. The Survey maps it on the Grinnell South quadrangle. 9,564 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,014 feet above sea level.
Research this city
On record in Grinnell
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 12 of 18 shown
Merchants' National BankNational Historic Landmark · listed 1976
Bowers and McDonald Office Buildinglisted 1990
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad-Grinnell Passenger Stationlisted 1976
Farmers Mutual Reinsurance Company Buildinglisted 2013
Goodnow Halllisted 1979
Grinnell Herald Buildinglisted 1991
Grinnell Historic Commercial Districtlisted 1991
Levi P. Grinnell Houselisted 1979
Interior Telephone Company Buildinglisted 1990
Marsh, E.A. and Rebecca (Johnson), Houselisted 1999
Mears Halllisted 1979
North Grinnell Historic Districtlisted 2008
Population over time
2 figuresGrinnell grew from 9,218 to 9,564 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 | 9,218 | |
| 2020 | 9,564 | +346 (+4%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
6 surveys from 8 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 Des Moines quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1956 USGS Des Moines quadrangle1:250000
- 1957 USGS Des Moines quadrangle1:250000
- 1969 USGS Des Moines quadrangle1:250000
- 1979 USGS Grinnell South quadrangle1:24000
- 1984 USGS Grinnell quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
26 since 2006Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 26 fires within 5 miles of Grinnell between 2006 and 2018, burning about 207 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 | 19 |
| Debris and open burning | 7 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 September 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | 20TH ST. , IA |
| 7 May 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 19 May 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 8 April 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 6 April 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 15 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 6 April 2013 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 5 April 2013 | Debris and open burning | 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 |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
60 of 87 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Grinnell in 87 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 29 thunderstorm wind, 29 heavy rain, 22 hail, 3 lightning. The reports record 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2010 | Hail | Grinnell | 6 hurt, $500,000 | no account filed |
| May 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | 1 hurt, $150,000 | no account filed |
| April 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $3,000,000 | On the north edge of Grinnell, cars were reported off the road and flipped. Power lines were down and roofs were blown off homes. |
| June 2010 | Lightning | Grinnell | $550,000 | no account filed |
| October 2018 | Flood | Grinnell | $100,000 | Emergency manager reported water over a few gravel roads near Grinnell north of Interstate 80 and other county roads closed near Searsboro due to flooding. |
| May 2013 | Flash Flood | Grinnell | $100,000 | Roads in the city covered with water and impassible. |
| April 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $100,000 | Two barns were blown down just west of Grinnell. |
| April 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $75,000 | Damage was caused to several homes in Grinnell. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $50,000 | Emergency manager reported damage to utility poles, power lines down including high voltage lines, and debris throughout the city blocking streets. Time estimated from AWOS gusts. |
| September 2018 | Flood | Grinnell | $50,000 | Law enforcement reported several county and rural roads across the county were under water from the heavy rainfall. |
| August 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $50,000 | Local newspaper reported at least 15 to 20 trees down across the northern side of Grinnell, some 3 to 4 feet in diameter. Multiple trees fell and damaged building and house roofs. At least 12000 people without power in the area. Delayed report, and time estimated from radar. |
| April 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $50,000 | Damage to outbuildings and a trailer was caused by high thunderstorm winds. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $50,000 | Trees down, transformers down, and power outages. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $50,000 | Numerous tree limbs down across town and the power was out. |
| May 2003 | Hail | Grinnell | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 2003 | Hail | Grinnell | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 2003 | Hail | Grinnell | $50,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Flood | Grinnell | $50,000 | no account filed |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $40,000 | The roof was blown off of the Farm Bureau Service building in Grinnell. |
| June 2010 | Lightning | Grinnell | $25,000 | no account filed |
| March 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $25,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $25,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $25,000 | no account filed |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $15,000 | Numerous trees uprooted and blown down by high winds. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $15,000 | Tree damage on the Grinnell College campus. |
| May 2003 | Hail | Grinnell | $15,000 | no account filed |
| May 2003 | Hail | Grinnell | $15,000 | no account filed |
| May 2003 | Hail | Grinnell | $15,000 | no account filed |
| June 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $10,000 | Three to four tree limbs three to five inches in diameter down. One branch was 20 feet long. |
| April 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $10,000 | Sheet metal was blown down and there was street sign damage. |
| May 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $10,000 | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Grinnell | $10,000 | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Grinnell | $5,000 | no account filed |
| September 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Lightning | Grinnell | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 1997 | Hail | Grinnell | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $3,000 | Estimated winds of 60 to 65 MPH from the Grinnell College Security personnel. |
| July 2014 | Hail | Grinnell | $3,000 | no account filed |
| April 2010 | Hail | Grinnell | $3,000 | no account filed |
| July 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $3,000 | no account filed |
| April 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $2,000 | Trees down in the area caused by high thunderstorm winds. |
| June 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $2,000 | A trained spotter estimated winds of 60 MPH. |
| April 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $2,000 | Two power poles were blown down and damage was reported to small buildings. |
| October 2004 | Hail | Grinnell | $2,000 | no account filed |
| October 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $2,000 | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Hail | Grinnell | $2,000 | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Hail | Grinnell | $2,000 | no account filed |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $1,000 | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Grinnell | $1,000 | no account filed |
| June 2003 | Hail | Grinnell | $1,000 | no account filed |
| June 2025 | Heavy Rain | Grinnell | - | Rain total of 3 inches from the morning storms. |
| June 2025 | Heavy Rain | Grinnell | - | Morning total of 5.1 inches from storms. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | - | Delayed report of tree damage, solar farm damage, and large branches downed mainly on the north side of Grinnell. |
| May 2023 | Hail | Grinnell | - | Report via social media. |
| June 2020 | Heavy Rain | Grinnell | - | CoCoRaHS observer recorded 3.70 inches of rainfall over the last 24 hours. |
| June 2020 | Heavy Rain | Grinnell | - | Public weather station measured 3.3 inches of rain. Beginning time estimated by radar. |
| October 2019 | Heavy Rain | Grinnell | - | Public reported heavy rainfall of 5.78 inches over the past 24 hours. |
| October 2019 | Heavy Rain | Grinnell | - | CoCoRaHS observer recorded heavy rainfall of 4.25 inches over the past 24 hours. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | - | Grinnell Airport AWOS recorded a 63 mph wind gust. |
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 Grinnell | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q1903250 | 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 457150. 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.
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.





