Spirit Lake, Iowa
7 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Center Grove Township. It lies in ZIP code area 51360. The Survey maps it on the Spirit Lake quadrangle. 5,439 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,473 feet above sea level.
On record in Spirit Lake
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 4 records
Antlers Hotellisted 2007
Spirit Lake Public Librarylisted 1980- Mini-Wakan State Park Historic Districtlisted 2010
- Pikes Point State Park Shelter and Stepslisted 1990
Population over time
2 figuresSpirit Lake grew from 4,840 to 5,439 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 | 4,840 | |
| 2020 | 5,439 | +599 (+12%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
4 surveys from 7 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 Fairmont quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1958 USGS Fairmont quadrangle1:250000
- 1970 USGS Spirit Lake quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Iowa Great Lakes quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
27 since 2006Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 27 fires within 5 miles of Spirit Lake between 2006 and 2019, burning about 711 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/undetermined | 22 |
| Debris and open burning | 3 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 1 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 September 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Iowa Wetland Management District | BLOOPER |
| 29 August 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4.0 acres | Iowa Wetland Management District | KETTELSON |
| 31 July 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 27 June 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 5 May 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 52 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 9 April 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 7 April 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | 25271 182ND ST., CENTER GROVE TWP, SPIRIT LAKE, IA |
| 30 April 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 14 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 14 workings within 5 miles of Spirit Lake: 10 past producers, 4 producers. 4 still produce. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frey Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Herman Wedking | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Roth Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
60 of 81 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Spirit Lake in 81 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 34 hail, 33 thunderstorm wind, 12 flash flood, 2 tornado. 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2001 | Hail | Spirit Lake | $500,000 | Large hail caused severe damage to vehicles and also damaged buildings. Crop damage was suspected in the area but no estimates were available. |
| June 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spirit Lake | $500,000 | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spirit Lake | $300,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused widespread tree damage, including large trees blown down. Some of the trees landed on vehicles and houses and caused further damage. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spirit Lake | $50,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew the roof off a concrete plant and scattered the debris, resulting in damage to some vehicles. The winds also blew down power lines, resulting in a widespread power outage, and starting a small fire which damaged a house. Tree damage from the winds included several trees blown down. |
| July 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spirit Lake | $50,000 | no account filed |
| June 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spirit Lake | $50,000 | no account filed |
| June 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spirit Lake | $50,000 | no account filed |
| August 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spirit Lake | $20,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused tree and power line damage, resulting in a power outage in most of the town of Spirit Lake. |
| September 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spirit Lake | $20,000 | Thunderstorm winds damaged grain bins, outbuildings, and other farm equipment. |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spirit Lake | $20,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused tree and power line damage. At least one house was damaged when a tree was blown over onto the roof. |
| April 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spirit Lake | $20,000 | no account filed |
| December 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spirit Lake | $10,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed several power poles. Property damage costs are a rough estimate. |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spirit Lake | $10,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew the roof off a mobile home and also blew down power lines. |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spirit Lake | $1,000 | Thunderstorm winds damaged a small shed. |
| September 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spirit Lake | $1,000 | Thunderstorm winds moved two outbuildings off their foundations. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spirit Lake | - | Thunderstorms winds pushed a large tree onto a house, another tree fell across a city street, and a couple of power lines were downed from broken tree limbs. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spirit Lake | - | A tree and several three-inch tree limbs were blown down by thunderstorm wind gusts in Spirit Lake. |
| June 2024 | Flash Flood | Spirit Lake | - | After 2 to 4 inches of rain over a couple hours, flooding of roads resulted in multiple stalled vehicles in Spirit Lake and Okoboji. For a more comprehensive description of flood damage, please see other entries for areal and river flooding for Dickinson County. |
| June 2024 | Flash Flood | Spirit Lake | - | Three cars stalled in high water ponded in city streets. |
| June 2024 | Flash Flood | Spirit Lake | - | Significant street flooding was reported in Spirit Lake. |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spirit Lake | - | A tree fell on a power line just west of Spirit Lake. |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spirit Lake | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including a 12 inch diameter limb blown down. |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spirit Lake | - | Thunderstorm winds damaged a fence. |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spirit Lake | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including several large trees blown down. |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spirit Lake | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage. |
| May 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spirit Lake | - | Thunderstorm winds damaged a warehouse. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spirit Lake | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including at least one tree blown down. The winds were accompanied by marble size hail. |
| June 2014 | Flash Flood | Spirit Lake | - | Heavy rain caused flash flooding of streets, stalling cars. |
| September 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spirit Lake | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage. |
| July 2010 | Flash Flood | Spirit Lake | - | Heavy rain caused flash flooding of numerous streets. |
| October 2009 | Flash Flood | Spirit Lake | - | Heavy rain caused flooding of numerous streets, parkland, and low areas in the town of Spirit Lake. |
| July 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spirit Lake | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including at least one large tree blown down. |
| May 2009 | Hail | Spirit Lake | - | Hail covered a patio, and covered the ground up to several inches deep in a few spots. |
| July 2009 | Hail | Spirit Lake | - | Hail was accompanied by wind gusts to 59 mph. |
| August 2007 | Flash Flood | Spirit Lake | - | Heavy rainfall cuased street and yard flooding in Spirit lake. |
| July 2007 | Hail | Spirit Lake | - | Hail was mostly pea size with a few hailstones up to the size of pennies. |
| June 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spirit Lake | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including several large trees blown down. A few power lines were also blown down. |
| August 2006 | Flash Flood | Spirit Lake | - | Heavy rainfall...measured at 3.40 inches in less than an hour...caused widespread street flooding. |
| June 2005 | Flash Flood | Spirit Lake | - | Heavy rain caused flooding of numerous streets, especially at intersections. Basement flooding was also reported. |
| August 2005 | Flash Flood | Spirit Lake | - | Heavy rain caused widespread street flooding. |
| September 2005 | Flash Flood | Spirit Lake | - | Heavy rain caused flooding of streets at Spirit Lake, with Lake Street being the most severely flooded. |
| September 2004 | Flash Flood | Spirit Lake | - | Rainfall estimated at 3 to 6 inches caused flooding of streets and basements. |
| September 2004 | Tornado (F0) | Spirit Lake | - | A brief tornado caused no reported damage. |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spirit Lake | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage. |
| June 2001 | Tornado (F0) | Spirit Lake | - | A rope tornado was observed with dust or debris, but there were no reports of damage available. |
| June 2000 | Hail | Spirit Lake | - | Large hail was reported along Highway 71 just south of the state line. |
| July 1995 | Hail | Spirit Lake | - | Hail caused extensive but undetermined crop damage. |
| June 2025 | Hail | Spirit Lake | - | no account filed |
| June 2022 | Hail | Spirit Lake | - | no account filed |
| May 2018 | Hail | Spirit Lake | - | no account filed |
| June 2014 | Hail | Spirit Lake | - | no account filed |
| May 2009 | Hail | Spirit Lake | - | no account filed |
| May 2009 | Hail | Spirit Lake | - | no account filed |
| July 2006 | Hail | Spirit Lake | - | no account filed |
| March 2005 | Hail | Spirit Lake | - | no account filed |
| May 2005 | Hail | Spirit Lake | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Spirit Lake | - | no account filed |
| May 2005 | Hail | Spirit Lake | - | no account filed |
| May 2005 | Hail | Spirit Lake | - | no account filed |
| May 2005 | Hail | Spirit Lake | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orleans | 1.8 miles | 7 | |
| Village East Resort | 2.8 miles | 8 | |
| Okoboji | 3.5 miles | 8 | |
| Crows Nest Resort | 3.6 miles | 7 | |
| Arnolds Park | 3.6 miles | 7 | |
| Beaches Resort | 3.8 miles | 8 | |
| Triboji Beach | 3.9 miles | 8 | |
| Egralharve | 4.0 miles | 8 |
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 Spirit Lake | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q989683 | 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 461851. 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.



