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Mechanicsville, Iowa

12 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1891 and the latest in 1984. It stands in Pioneer Township. It lies in ZIP code area 52306. The Survey maps it on the Mechanicsville quadrangle. 1,020 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 922 feet above sea level.

Mechanicsville within Cedar County

Population over time

2 figures

Mechanicsville fell from 1,146 to 1,020 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
20101,146
20201,020-126 (-11%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

8 surveys from 12 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

6 since 2009

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 6 fires within 5 miles of Mechanicsville between 2009 and 2018, burning about 214 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/undetermined5
Debris and open burning1

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
23 April 2018Debris and open burning2.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
4 March 2009Missing data/not specified/undetermined150 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
30 March 2011Missing data/not specified/undetermined20 acresIowa Department of Natural ResourcesECHO AVE & 170TH ST., MECHANICSVILLE, IA
21 March 2009Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
18 March 2009Missing data/not specified/undetermined40 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
23 November 2009Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Cedar County

Mines and quarries near this place

1 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Mechanicsville: 1 past producer. None of them still produces. What was taken out: 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 SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
UnknownStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer

Every working recorded in Cedar County

Storms near this place

35 since 1993

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Mechanicsville in 35 storm reports between 1993 and 2024: 13 hail, 12 thunderstorm wind, 6 tornado, 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
April 2013Flash FloodMechanicsville$250,000Several rounds of heavy rains resulted in flash flooding across much of Cedar County from mid morning April 17 through the early morning April 18.
April 1996Thunderstorm WindMechanicsville$100,000no account filed
May 1995Tornado (F0)Mechanicsville$60,000A small tornado moved through a grove of trees just missing a home before striking two outbuildings. One of the buildings was newly constructed.
June 2010Flash FloodMechanicsville$25,000Heavy rains resulted in flash flooding of parts of Mechanicsville and Lowden during the afternoon of June 15. Flood waters covered the intersection of E Cedar Street and S Cherry Street in Mechanicsville. A basement was flooded in Lowden. In addition, a gravel road was washed out about 2 miles east of Sutiff, IA.
July 1995Thunderstorm WindMechanicsville$5,000no account filed
July 1994HailMechanicsville$5,000no account filed
August 1993Thunderstorm WindMechanicsville$5,000no account filed
September 2018Tornado (EF0)Mechanicsville$3,000A NWS storm survey team determined a brief tornado touched down and lofted two empty grain bins and damaged some corn. Max winds are estimated near 80 mph. The maximum width was 20 yards and the path length was .05 miles.
June 2005Thunderstorm WindMechanicsville$3,000Shingles off house; 2-2.5 foot diameter trees down.
March 2004HailMechanicsville$3,000Public report relayed by KCRG TV
May 2004HailMechanicsville$2,000no account filed
May 2004Thunderstorm WindMechanicsville$2,000no account filed
June 2015HailMechanicsville$1,000Spotter's windshield was broken.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindMechanicsville$1,000Wind gusts estimated to be 70 mph blew the end off an enclosed shed at the intersection of Highway 30 and X40 in Mechanicsville, IA around 1238 pm June 18.
April 2006HailMechanicsville$1,000On the Linn/Cedar county line.
May 2024Tornado (EFU)Mechanicsville-A trained spotter reported a tornado north of Sutliff in far southeast Linn County. Public video also showed a tornado south and east of Mechanicsville, IA. There was no known damage to assign a rating, so the tornado is classified as an EF-Unknown.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindMechanicsville-A utility pole was down, as reported by DOT, and the power lines were blocking both lanes of traffic.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindMechanicsville-A photo of large tree branches down was received. They also reported power lines blown down.
May 2020Tornado (EF1)Mechanicsville-A tornado developed southwest of Mechanicsville shortly before 1 pm, and tracked northeast through northern Cedar County. The tornado destroyed the porch of a home just west of Mechanicsville, and caused outbuilding damage at a farmstead just south of Cedar/Jones County line. The tornado crossed into Jones County about 3.5 miles NNE of Mechanicsville before dissipating. The tornado was rated EF1 in Cedar County with maximum winds estimated around 95 mph. The tornado is designated as EF-U in Jones County as there was no observable damage. The tornado was on the ground for about 16 minutes along an intermittent 7 mile path. Assistance with the survey was provided by Cedar County Emergency Management and the Mechanicsville Fire Department.
July 2017Thunderstorm WindMechanicsville-This report from local law enforcement is the measured high gust from a local wind sensor.
June 2014FloodMechanicsville-Heavy rains during the second half of June resulted in the Cedar River at Cedar Rapids going above the major flood stage level of 16 feet on June 24 around 1245 am CDT. It crested around 17.34 feet around 1215 am June 25. It fell below the major flood stage level around 9 pm CDT June 25.
June 2013Flash FloodMechanicsville-Widespread heavy rain fell across Cedar County from the early morning hours into the mid morning. The cooperative observer in Lowden reported 6.25 inches, while broadcast media reported 6.75 inches of rain in Clarence. There was also a public report from 1 mile east of Lowden with 6.25 inches of rain. Other reports included: 2 feet of water flowing over the road near Mechanicsville; a road and bridge were washed out near Lowden; water was over Highway 30 between Mechanicsville and Stanwood; water was up to the first floor windows at several homes in Lowden; and finally, the Cedar County Engineer reported 2 dozen roads closed across the county due to flash flooding.
May 2011HailMechanicsville-Golf ball sized hail fell in Mechanicsville, IA at 417 pm CDT May 22.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindMechanicsville-Wind gusts were estimated to be 70 to 80 mph in Mechanicsville, IA around 1 pm June 18. This report was relayed by KGAN.
July 2008Thunderstorm WindMechanicsville-Wind gusts estimated to be 60 mph were observed in Mechanicsville, IA at 511 pm July 7.
September 2007Thunderstorm WindMechanicsville-Winds estimated to be 60 mph blew down several branches in Mechanicsville, IA. Time estimated.
July 1999HailMechanicsville-Emergency management reported 3/4 inch hail in Mechanicsville.
May 1997Tornado (F1)Mechanicsville-Tornado passed across open country along highway 30.
May 2016HailMechanicsville-no account filed
May 2016HailMechanicsville-no account filed
May 2004HailMechanicsville-no account filed
April 2002HailMechanicsville-no account filed
May 2000HailMechanicsville-no account filed
June 1998Tornado (F0)Mechanicsville-no account filed
April 1996HailMechanicsville-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Cedar 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
Stanwood5.6 miles12
Wald7.9 miles12
Cedar Bluff8.7 miles12
Buchanan9.6 miles12
Clarence10.6 miles12
Tipton11.5 miles12
Plato11.8 miles12
Cedar Valley12.3 miles12

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 MechanicsvilleAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q1928311The 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 458943. 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.