Welcome to Elma ...
The city of Elma is located in Howard County<1>.
While we don't have a date for the founding of Elma, you might get a feel for it by knowing that during our research the earliest mention that we found (so far) was in a book dated 1895.
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Elma has a population of 527 people<2> (see below for details).
Elma is 1,170 feet [357 m] above sea level.<3>.
Time Zone: Elma lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time
Elma is within the (641) area code.
The ZIP code for Elma: 50682<4>
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Elma had an population of 527 people. This is a decrease of 3.48% since the 2010 Census (or a decrease of 11.87% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Elma had a population of 546 people (which is 5.71% of the total population of Howard County). This makes Elma the county's 3rd most populous community.
The population of Elma represents 0.02% of the population of Iowa (which has 3,046,355 people), making it the state's 431st most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 546 people, the population of Elma decreased 8.7% from the 2000 Census (with a count of 598 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Elma.
Communities Also Named Elma ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 8 communities that are also named Elma - they are located in Kansas, Manitoba, Mississippi, New York, Ontario, Quebec, Virginia and Washington.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Elma.
Communities near Elma ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Elma.
- Charles City
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Charles City have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charles City
- Charles City is located in Floyd County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,217 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Charles City <6>
- Cresco
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cresco
- Cresco is located in Howard County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,744 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cresco <6>
- Osage
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osage
- Osage is located in Mitchell County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,549 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Osage <6>
- New Hampton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Hampton have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hampton
- New Hampton is located in Chickasaw County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,382 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Hampton <6>
- Le Roy
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Le Roy have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Le Roy
- Le Roy is located in Mower County (MN)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 932 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Le Roy <6>
- Riceville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Riceville have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riceville
- Riceville is located in Howard County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 762 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Riceville <6>
- Lime Springs
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lime Springs
- Lime Springs is located in Howard County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 476 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lime Springs <6>
- Lawler
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lawler have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawler
- Lawler is located in Chickasaw County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 422 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lawler <6>
- Floyd
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Floyd
- Floyd is located in Floyd County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 313 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Floyd <6>
- Ionia
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ionia
- Ionia is located in Chickasaw County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 273 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ionia <6>
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Elma. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Elma.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Elma. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Elma.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Elma. See our Newspapers Page for Elma.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Elma ...
Looking for more information about Elma? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Elma, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Elma.
Adding Elma to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Elma in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Elma was in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
We also found Elma on a map titled Rand McNally Map of Iowa (1911).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Elma.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Elma. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Iowa: https://www.iowa.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Iowa's counties, including Howard, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Elma. |
| <3> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Elma - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <4> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a city (such as Elma). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Elma or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <5> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <6> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |