Webster City, Iowa
9 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1993. It stands in Webster City City. It lies in ZIP code area 50595. It stands on Lyons Creek. The Survey maps it on the Webster City quadrangle. 7,825 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,040 feet above sea level.
Research this city
On record in Webster City
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 5 records
Albright Bridgelisted 1998
Kendall Young Public Librarylisted 1983
Tremaine Bridgelisted 1998
Webster City Post Officelisted 1982
William J. and Hattie J. Zitterell Houselisted 1996
Population over time
2 figuresWebster City fell from 8,070 to 7,825 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 | 8,070 | |
| 2020 | 7,825 | -245 (-3%) |
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.
- 1954 USGS Waterloo quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1955 USGS Waterloo quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1978 USGS Webster City quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Ames quadrangle1:100000
- 1993 USGS Ames quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
15 since 2009Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 15 fires within 5 miles of Webster City between 2009 and 2020, burning about 17 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 | 9 |
| Debris and open burning | 4 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 1 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 August 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 29 July 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 30 May 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 23 May 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | WEBSTER CITY |
| 5 April 2018 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 4 April 2016 | Debris and open burning | 5.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | WEBSTER CITY |
| 30 April 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 3 April 2019 | 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
7 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 7 workings within 5 miles of Webster City: 5 past producers, 2 producers. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, 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 | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daniels Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Moberly Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Ahart Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Forrester Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Grandgeorge Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Pierce Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
60 of 83 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Webster City in 83 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 30 hail, 24 thunderstorm wind, 8 heavy rain, 6 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Webster City | $250,000 | Local law enforcement reports trees and power lines down at several locations around Hamilton County with the bulk of the damage in the Webster City and Kamrar areas. Widespread power outages after the storm had only been partly restored by morning. |
| April 2007 | Flood | Webster City | $250,000 | no account filed |
| August 1998 | Flash Flood | Webster City | $150,000 | no account filed |
| July 2010 | Flash Flood | Webster City | $100,000 | Local law enforcement reports manhole covers blown off and streets flooded in Webster City. At least 2 cars that attempted to drive through the water were flooded and stalled. |
| June 2010 | Flood | Webster City | $100,000 | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Flood | Webster City | $75,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Flash Flood | Webster City | $75,000 | no account filed |
| April 2001 | Tornado (F1) | Webster City | $70,000 | Two farm buildings blown down in rural area south of Webster City. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Webster City | $50,000 | Extensive tree damage throughout the town of Webster City. Multiple tree limbs down, each about a foot in diameter. |
| July 2010 | Flash Flood | Webster City | $50,000 | Webster City Police reported that the city campgrounds were closed and the intersection of Linn St and Oak Ave was also closed. Additionally...Hamilton County Sheriff reported a few gravel roads were flooded in the northern part of the county. |
| June 2008 | Flood | Webster City | $50,000 | Boone River was way out of its banks with numerous roads under water. Many homes had basement flooding and manhole covers blew off from the water pressure. |
| May 2005 | Lightning | Webster City | $50,000 | no account filed |
| April 1998 | Flood | Webster City | $50,000 | no account filed |
| September 2000 | Hail | Webster City | $40,000 | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Flash Flood | Webster City | $25,000 | Street flooding was reported in the city. |
| June 2004 | Hail | Webster City | $25,000 | no account filed |
| August 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Webster City | $25,000 | no account filed |
| July 2001 | Flood | Webster City | $25,000 | no account filed |
| August 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Webster City | $20,000 | Public reported trees down, power lines down and power outages. Some streets were partially blocked by trees with some damage to structures. Time estimated by radar. |
| March 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Webster City | $20,000 | Trained spotter reported a semi blown on its side on Highway 20 near Webster City. Time estimated via radar. |
| August 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Webster City | $15,000 | Large branches of 10 to 12 inch diameter snapped off trees. Some power lines down in town. |
| August 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Webster City | $15,000 | no account filed |
| May 1997 | Lightning | Webster City | $15,000 | no account filed |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Webster City | $10,000 | Public relayed a picture of a large tree down in town. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Webster City | $10,000 | Spotter reported multiple large tree branches down in town. |
| July 2013 | Hail | Webster City | $10,000 | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Hail | Webster City | $10,000 | no account filed |
| May 2001 | Hail | Webster City | $10,000 | no account filed |
| April 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Webster City | $10,000 | no account filed |
| September 2000 | Hail | Webster City | $10,000 | no account filed |
| July 1999 | Hail | Webster City | $10,000 | no account filed |
| June 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Webster City | $10,000 | no account filed |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Webster City | $5,000 | Ten to 15 inch tree branches down. |
| July 1995 | Hail | Webster City | $5,000 | A weak cold front moved southeast across Iowa. The air mass was quite unstable, but at the same time capped by warm temperatures aloft. The freezing level was around 14,300 MSL. One cell was able to develop over north central Iowa. It moved southeast across Franklin, Wright, and Hamilton Counties. The storm became severe and produced hail up to golf ball and slightly larger in size. Reports indicated the hail covered the ground in a few areas. One area was the area north of Jewell. Hail of golf ball size fell north of Ellsworth, breaking out the window in one house. A window was also broken out of a state police car as well. The damage to crops was serious. A survey of the area revealed an area about 12 miles long and two to three miles wide from east of Webster City south to near Ellsworth suffered substantial damage. About one quarter of the crop was destroyed with damage well in excess of $1 million. The WSR 88D pictures indicated a strong circulation in the cell. About that time a funnel cloud was reported southeast of Rowan in Wright County. Later as the storm passed through Hamilton County, another funnel cloud was observed near Blairsburg. The thunderstorm collapsed about as quickly as it formed. It dissipated over Story County. |
| July 2013 | Hail | Webster City | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Hail | Webster City | $5,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Webster City | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2002 | Hail | Webster City | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 1999 | Hail | Webster City | $5,000 | no account filed |
| August 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Webster City | $5,000 | no account filed |
| September 1994 | Hail | Webster City | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 2013 | Hail | Webster City | $3,000 | no account filed |
| July 2013 | Hail | Webster City | $3,000 | no account filed |
| May 2007 | Hail | Webster City | $3,000 | no account filed |
| June 2002 | Hail | Webster City | $3,000 | no account filed |
| September 2000 | Hail | Webster City | $3,000 | no account filed |
| September 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Webster City | $3,000 | no account filed |
| July 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Webster City | $2,000 | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Hail | Webster City | $2,000 | no account filed |
| June 2002 | Hail | Webster City | $2,000 | no account filed |
| June 2002 | Hail | Webster City | $2,000 | no account filed |
| July 1999 | Hail | Webster City | $2,000 | no account filed |
| August 2025 | Lightning | Webster City | $1,000 | A large tree was struck by lightning at 833 am. Delayed report. |
| November 2003 | Hail | Webster City | $1,000 | no account filed |
| June 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Webster City | $1,000 | no account filed |
| June 1994 | Tornado (F0) | Webster City | $500 | no account filed |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Webster City | - | Tree limbs up to 3 to 4 inches down in Webster City. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Webster City | - | No comments included in this report. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Webster City | - | Large tree branches down and power outages. Simi crashes along I-35. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Webster City | - | Local media reported power outages and tree limbs down. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highview | 4.7 miles | 9 | |
| Stonega | 5.4 miles | 9 | |
| Remicker (historical) | 6.1 miles | 9 | |
| Kamrar | 7.0 miles | 9 | |
| Homer | 8.7 miles | 9 | |
| Blairsburg | 9.2 miles | 9 | |
| Stanhope | 12.5 miles | 9 | |
| Williams | 14.4 miles | 9 |
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 Webster City | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q1914026 | 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 462774. 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.




