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North Liberty, Iowa

19 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1891 and the latest in 1994. It stands in Penn Township. It lies in ZIP code area 52317. The Survey maps it on the Iowa City West quadrangle. 20,479 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 781 feet above sea level.

North Liberty within Johnson County

On record in North Liberty

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

Population over time

2 figures

North Liberty grew from 13,374 to 20,479 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
201013,374
202020,479+7,105 (+53%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

9 surveys from 19 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 2009

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 13 fires within 5 miles of North Liberty between 2009 and 2020, burning about 32 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 burning8
Missing data/not specified/undetermined5

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
19 July 2009Missing data/not specified/undetermined2.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
4 June 2012Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
29 May 2012Debris and open burning5.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
4 April 2013Debris and open burning3.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
30 April 2013Debris and open burning4.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
21 April 2019Debris and open burningunder an acreIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
2 April 2014Missing data/not specified/undetermined2.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
16 April 2015Debris and open burning2.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Johnson 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 North Liberty: 5 past producers, 2 producers. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, Sand and Gravel, Construction, Limestone, Dimension. 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
Old State QuarryLimestone, DimensionPast Producer
UnknownSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Wagner PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Conklin Quarry and MillStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Klein QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Vogel QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Wray QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer

Every working recorded in Johnson County

Storms near this place

49 since 1994

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names North Liberty in 49 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 22 hail, 22 thunderstorm wind, 2 lightning, 1 flood. The reports record 1 injury. 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 2014Thunderstorm WindNorth Liberty1 hurtThe emergency manager reported a tree fell on a person in North Liberty, and was transported to the hospital.
September 2013Thunderstorm WindNorth Liberty$140,000Three properties were damaged on the northwest side of New Liberty. Two homes had their garage doors blown in and walls subsequently blown out of the houses. There were also house windows broken and a flagpole was ripped out of the ground and thrown over a house. A weather station operated by the City of North Liberty measured a peak gust of 73 mph.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindNorth Liberty$100,000Wind gusts estimated to be 60 mph blew down some trees onto houses in North Liberty, IA around 1240 pm June 18.
June 1994HailNorth Liberty$50,000no account filed
June 2011LightningNorth Liberty$25,000Lightning struck a house in North Liberty, IA around 1040 pm CDT June 8 causing a fire.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindNorth Liberty$25,000Wind gusts estimated to be 70 mph blew out the windows of several cars near Coralville Mall around 1225 pm June 18. In addition, trees and signs were blow down.
August 2010LightningNorth Liberty$10,000Lightning struck a civil defense siren in North Liberty, IA during the afternoon of August 13. The strike caused the siren to malfunction and activate.
May 2008Tornado (EF0)North Liberty$10,000A brief tornado spun up where two intersecting boundaries enhanced a strengthening updraft. A house incurred minor damage to the gutters and siding, and lost some shingles off the roof. The garage door was also blown in. Several trees were uprooted and a few were snapped off.
August 2006Thunderstorm WindNorth Liberty$5,000Sheriff department reported trees down along Scales Bend Road NE.
May 1999Thunderstorm WindNorth Liberty$5,000Severe thunderstorm winds, or possibly a gustnado, uprooted a tree and damaged several others at a residence. The house sustained minor damage.
April 2006HailNorth Liberty$5,000no account filed
August 2003Thunderstorm WindNorth Liberty$2,000Occurred with the gust front; 18 inch diameter trees down
May 2001Thunderstorm WindNorth Liberty$2,000Large dog kennel blown over and pieces of home siding blown off.
August 2025Thunderstorm WindNorth Liberty-A large downed tree approx. 2-2.5 ft diameter across.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindNorth Liberty-A public report of a tree blown down. The time of the event was estimated using radar.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindNorth Liberty-A public report of a tree blown down in North Liberty. The time of the event was estimated using radar.
May 2023Thunderstorm WindNorth Liberty-Estimated 60 mph wind gust from thunderstorm.
May 2023Thunderstorm WindNorth Liberty-Several large tree branches down in town, with multiple smaller limbs. Time estimated from radar.
July 2020HailNorth Liberty-Quarter to golf ball sized hail lasted 5 minutes.
May 2019Thunderstorm WindNorth Liberty-Estimated winds of 60 to 70 mph were reported.
August 2018Thunderstorm WindNorth Liberty-A trained spotter reported a 24 inch diameter tree was down in their front yard. Time of the event was estimated using radar.
February 2017HailNorth Liberty-Dime size hail was reported by a spotter.
May 2017Thunderstorm WindNorth Liberty-A public report was received of a tree blown over.
June 2016HailNorth Liberty-Trained spotters reported 5 to 6 minutes of dime size hail.
June 2014Thunderstorm WindNorth Liberty-A trained spotter reported 5 inch diameter trees snapped.
April 2013HailNorth Liberty-Quarter sized hail fell 1 mile south southwest of North Liberty, IA at 1022 am CDT April 17.
August 2012Thunderstorm WindNorth Liberty-Thunderstorm wind gusts snapped an aluminum flag pole and damaged several trees.
August 2012Thunderstorm WindNorth Liberty-Thunderstorm wind gusts were estimated between 60 and 65 mph.
April 2011Thunderstorm WindNorth Liberty-Wind gusts estimated to be 70 mph were observed 1 mile north of North Liberty, IA at 645 pm CDT April 3.
May 2011HailNorth Liberty-Quarter sized hail fell 2 miles north northwest of North Liberty, IA at 342 pm CDT May 22.
April 2010HailNorth Liberty-Quarter sized hail fell in North Liberty, IA at 542 pm April 5.
April 2010HailNorth Liberty-Non-severe hail (<1.0) fell in North Liberty, IA at 550 pm April 5.
April 2010HailNorth Liberty-Non-severe hail (<1.0) fell at Exit 4 on Interstate 380 near North Liberty, IA at 545 pm April 5.
April 2008Thunderstorm WindNorth Liberty-A few trees were blown down near North Liberty.
May 2006Funnel CloudNorth Liberty-Also seen and reported by law, media, and spotters.This funnel cloud and the second one near Solon caused great concern in Johnson County. Only three and a half weeks earlier Iowa City had been hit by a major tornado. The sighting of funnel clouds so soon and close to Iowa City had officials and the public erring on the side of caution. Numerous pictures and video were taken by eyewitnesses as the funnel crossed over I-380 and moved toward North Liberty. Although picture and video evidence shows the funnel within a few hundred feet of the ground, no debris cloud was observed and no evidence of a touchdown could be found in the empty fields it traveled over.
June 1999FloodNorth Liberty-Thunderstorms dumped over 2 inches of rain resulting in localized flooding of city streets.
June 2024HailNorth Liberty-no account filed
March 2023HailNorth Liberty-no account filed
May 2023HailNorth Liberty-no account filed
May 2023HailNorth Liberty-no account filed
July 2020HailNorth Liberty-no account filed
July 2020HailNorth Liberty-no account filed
July 2020HailNorth Liberty-no account filed
March 2017Thunderstorm WindNorth Liberty-no account filed
May 2014HailNorth Liberty-no account filed
June 2010HailNorth Liberty-no account filed
July 2009HailNorth Liberty-no account filed
June 2006HailNorth Liberty-no account filed
October 2002HailNorth Liberty-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Johnson 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
Oakdale3.0 miles19
Western Hills Mobine Estates3.5 miles17
Green Castle (historical)4.0 miles14
Vernon4.4 miles19
Twin View Heights4.4 miles16
Tiffin4.6 miles17
Curtis (historical)4.7 miles14
Coralville5.1 miles19

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 North LibertyAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q1913915The 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 465945. 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.