Superior, Iowa
7 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Richland Township. It lies in ZIP code area 51363. The Survey maps it on the Superior quadrangle. 132 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,499 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresSuperior grew from 130 to 132 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 | 130 | |
| 2020 | 132 | +2 (+2%) |
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
- 1972 USGS Superior quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Estherville quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
1 since 2004Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 1 fire within 5 miles of Superior in 2004, burning about 59 acres in total. 1 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 |
|---|---|
| Natural | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 May 2004 | Natural | 59 acres | Iowa Wetland Management District | HERMSEN |
Mines and quarries near this place
6 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 6 workings within 5 miles of Superior: 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frye Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| John Swanson | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Mauer Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Mcmullin and Hanson | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Walterman Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
18 since 2001Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Superior in 18 storm reports between 2001 and 2022: 9 thunderstorm wind, 8 hail, 1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Superior | $25,000 | Large branches were downed by thunderstorm wind gusts. Numerous shingles were blown off the roof, and the garage was blown off its foundation. Property damage costs are a rough estimate. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Superior | $10,000 | Thunderstorm winds snapped off 8 power poles. |
| July 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Superior | $10,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew down power lines. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Superior | $2,000 | Strong winds removed a few tree limbs up to 4 to 5 inches in diameter. Property damage costs are rough estimates. |
| August 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Superior | - | Tree branches were downed by thunderstorm wind gusts. |
| September 2018 | Tornado (EF1) | Superior | - | A tornado spun up near the apex of a QLCS segment southwest of Superior, touching down with minor crop damage south of Iowa Highway 9 east of 300th Avenue. The tornado tracked quickly to the east-northeast, crossing Highway 9 just west of Superior and causing its most significant damage (rated EF1) to an office building at an ethanol plant. Winds were measured to 99 mph at a nearby weather station at the plant, which displaced walls and partially collapsed some of the second story of the office building, as well as removing sections of the roof. The tornado then turned to a slightly more eastward track across the far northern edge of Superior where it continued to cause damage to trees and damaged or destroyed several small outbuildings. The tornado then tracked east of Superior causing damage to larger trees and crops until crossing over into Emmet county around one-half mile north of 150th Street. |
| August 2017 | Hail | Superior | - | The ground was covered by the hail. |
| August 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Superior | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage. |
| July 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Superior | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including up to 10 inch diameter branches blown down. |
| September 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Superior | - | Thunderstorm winds uprooted a large tree and caused other tree damage, including several large limbs blown down. |
| August 2019 | Hail | Superior | - | no account filed |
| August 2017 | Hail | Superior | - | no account filed |
| July 2009 | Hail | Superior | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Superior | - | no account filed |
| May 2002 | Hail | Superior | - | no account filed |
| May 2002 | Hail | Superior | - | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Hail | Superior | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Superior | - | 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 | 7.8 miles | 7 | |
| Spirit Lake | 8.3 miles | 7 | |
| Terril | 8.7 miles | 7 | |
| Village East Resort | 10.1 miles | 8 | |
| Crows Nest Resort | 10.2 miles | 7 | |
| Arnolds Park | 10.2 miles | 7 | |
| Okoboji | 11.1 miles | 8 | |
| Manhattan Beach Resort | 12.0 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 Superior | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q1911217 | 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 462121. 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.



