Western, Iowa
14 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1887 and the latest in 1994. It stands in College Township. It lies in ZIP code area 52404. The Survey maps it on the Swisher quadrangle.
Topographic sheets covering this place
9 surveys from 14 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.
- 1887 USGS Cedar Rapids quadrangle1:62500
- 1891 USGS Cedar Rapids quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1903 USGS Fairfax quadrangle1:125000, 2 printings
- 1958 USGS Davenport quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1961 USGS Davenport quadrangle1:250000
- 1962 USGS Davenport quadrangle1:250000
- 1968 USGS Swisher quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1984 USGS Iowa City quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
- 1994 USGS Swisher quadrangle1:24000
Fires near this place
60 since 2006Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 60 fires within 5 miles of Western between 2006 and 2020, burning about 209 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 |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 29 |
| Debris and open burning | 24 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 4 |
| Natural | 1 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 1 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 September 2012 | Natural | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 30 September 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 30 September 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 4 August 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 25 August 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 19 August 2016 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | JEFFERSON-MONROE FD |
| 9 July 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 6 July 2006 | 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
4 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 4 workings within 5 miles of Western: 4 past producers. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schultz Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| W.J. Turecek Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Wray Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
13 since 2012Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Western in 13 storm reports between 2012 and 2026: 9 hail, 4 thunderstorm wind. 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 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Western | $25,000 | Wind gusts estimated to be 60 mph damaged the Kirkwood Community College outdoor stage and caused a power outage on the southwest side of Cedar Rapids, IA at 527 pm CDT June 29. |
| March 2026 | Hail | Western | - | A public report of 1.0 inch hail was received via social media. There was a picture of the hailstone next to a quarter. |
| March 2026 | Hail | Western | - | A trained spotter reported hail ranging in size from 1 to 2 inches in diameter. The time of the event was estimated using radar. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Western | - | A trained spotter reported a 3.5 inch tree limb down. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Western | - | Large tree limb was snapped. |
| November 2022 | Hail | Western | - | A public report of quarter sized near Kirkwood Community College received via Facebook. |
| September 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Western | - | A trained spotter estimated wind speeds of 60 mph with heavy rain on the southwest side of town. They also reported seeing possible rotation in the clouds. |
| September 2013 | Hail | Western | - | A trained spotter reported that penny to nickel sized hail fell near the GE Building on Highway 30 and C St. SW. |
| March 2026 | Hail | Western | - | no account filed |
| March 2026 | Hail | Western | - | no account filed |
| March 2026 | Hail | Western | - | no account filed |
| March 2026 | Hail | Western | - | no account filed |
| April 2020 | Hail | Western | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Konigsmark | 3.1 miles | 16 | |
| Ely | 3.1 miles | 16 | |
| Summit | 3.9 miles | 16 | |
| Lincolnway Village | 4.0 miles | 16 | |
| Kirkwood Estates | 4.1 miles | 16 | |
| Worthington Acres | 4.5 miles | 16 | |
| Perrys Rollin' Homes Manor | 4.9 miles | 16 | |
| Otis | 6.0 miles | 15 |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 462931. 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.








