Moville, Iowa
9 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1955 and the latest in 1986. It stands in Arlington Township. It lies in ZIP code area 51039. It stands on McElhaney Creek. The Survey maps it on the Moville quadrangle. 1,687 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,178 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresMoville grew from 1,618 to 1,687 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 | 1,618 | |
| 2020 | 1,687 | +69 (+4%) |
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.
- 1955 USGS Sioux City quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1958 USGS Sioux City quadrangle1:250000
- 1959 USGS Sioux City quadrangle1:250000
- 1964 USGS Moville quadrangle1:24000
- 1986 USGS Sioux City South quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
52 since 2007Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 52 fires within 5 miles of Moville between 2007 and 2019, burning about 438 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 |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 26 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 22 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 3 |
| Smoking | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 September 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 24 September 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 20 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 22 September 2012 | Smoking | 12 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 21 September 2013 | Debris and open burning | 35 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 21 September 2013 | Debris and open burning | 13 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 9 August 2012 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 5 August 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 9 July 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.5 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
5 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 5 workings within 5 miles of Moville: 4 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 | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moville Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Rundal Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Tom Flewelling Pit and Plant | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Wright Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
43 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Moville in 43 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 20 hail, 17 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado, 2 heavy rain. The reports record 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Moville | 2 hurt, $150,000 | Thunderstorm winds tore roofs off 3 homes and damaged the roofs of at least 40 other homes. The winds also caused widespread tree damage and overturned four campers. There were 2 people injured in the overturned campers. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Moville | $500,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused widespread tree damage, including several trees blown down. The winds also destroyed two machine sheds, damaged roofs and siding on homes, blew down power lines, and damaged equipment at a construction project. The winds flattened some crops in the area, but the amount of crop damage was not known. |
| December 2021 | Tornado (EF1) | Moville | $200,000 | This tornado formed around 4 miles east-northeast of Moville, one-quarter mile east of the intersection of Jasper Avenue and 140th Street. The tornado traveled north-northeast for slightly over 4 and one quarter miles before exiting Woodbury County two miles south of Kingsley, just east of the intersection of Knox Avenue and 100th Street. The tornado continued in Plymouth County for somewhat less than 4 miles before dissipating at 1642CST. In Woodbury County near the touchdown point, a barn roof was collapsed. The tornado continued northeast for around a mile and a half before removing most roof panels from another barn. Near the Plymouth County line, the tornado encountered another farmstead which suffered total destruction of a garage and outbuilding. Numerous larger trees were snapped, and debris from damaged buildings was deposited in the trees. The tornado was rated EF1 while in both Woodbury and Plymouth Counties. The average path width in Woodbury County was 50 yards and the maximum estimated wind speed was 110 mph. Property damage costs are a rough estimate. |
| July 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Moville | $50,000 | no account filed |
| June 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Moville | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Moville | $2,000 | Thunderstorm winds damaged a large fabric outbuilding. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Moville | - | A 70 mph wind gust was measured at the Woodbury County Fairgrounds. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Moville | - | Several moderate-sized branches were knocked down by thunderstorm wind gusts. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Moville | - | A thunderstorm wind gust of 58 mph was measured by Iowa Road Weather Information System site RSCI4 1 mile southwest of Moville. Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| August 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Moville | - | Iowa RWIS station RSCI4, 1 mile southwest of Moville, measured a peak wind gust of 58 mph. Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| June 2016 | Flash Flood | Moville | - | Heavy rain from thunderstorms caused flash flooding of several areas along and near Highway 20. Water was running over roads, forcing the closure of some roads. |
| August 2016 | Heavy Rain | Moville | - | Rainfall of 5 1/2 inches was reported by a viewer to a television station. |
| August 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Moville | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage. |
| June 2014 | Heavy Rain | Moville | - | Rainfall of 4.50 inches was measured. |
| June 2014 | Flood | Moville | - | Repeated heavy rains caused Flooding on the West Fork Ditch, ranging from minor near Moville, to moderate near Hornick. Agricultural land and a few roads were flooded. The stream crested at 2.69 feet above flood stage near Moville and 3.59 feet above flood stage near Hornick, both on June 17th. |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Moville | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including numerous branches blown down. |
| August 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Moville | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including large branches blown down. |
| August 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Moville | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including branches blown down. |
| July 2003 | Tornado (F0) | Moville | - | A brief tornado caused no reported damage. |
| July 2003 | Hail | Moville | - | Large hail caused an unknown amount of crop damage. |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Moville | - | Thunderstorm winds caused widespread tree and power line damage, with power lines blocking at least one road, and resulting power outages. The winds destroyed a shelter, garage, and outbuilding about halfway between Moville and Anthon. |
| August 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Moville | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage. |
| September 2023 | Hail | Moville | - | no account filed |
| November 2015 | Hail | Moville | - | no account filed |
| October 2013 | Hail | Moville | - | no account filed |
| July 2012 | Hail | Moville | - | no account filed |
| April 2011 | Hail | Moville | - | no account filed |
| May 2009 | Hail | Moville | - | no account filed |
| July 2008 | Hail | Moville | - | no account filed |
| July 2008 | Hail | Moville | - | no account filed |
| July 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Moville | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Moville | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Moville | - | no account filed |
| August 2005 | Hail | Moville | - | no account filed |
| August 2005 | Hail | Moville | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Moville | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Moville | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Moville | - | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Hail | Moville | - | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Hail | Moville | - | no account filed |
| June 2003 | Hail | Moville | - | no account filed |
| July 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Moville | - | no account filed |
| June 1996 | Hail | Moville | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawton | 5.9 miles | 9 | |
| Bronson | 9.2 miles | 9 | |
| Lucky Valley (historical) | 10.1 miles | 8 | |
| Climbing Hill | 10.2 miles | 9 | |
| Pierson | 11.5 miles | 9 | |
| Anthon | 12.9 miles | 8 | |
| Luton | 13.1 miles | 9 | |
| Glen Ellen | 14.0 miles | 12 |
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 Moville | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q1927489 | 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 459367. 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.




