Welcome to Leon ...
The city of Leon is located in Decatur County<1> and is the County Seat for Decatur County.
While we don't have a date for the founding of Leon, you might consider that their post office opened in 1855.
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Leon has a population of 1,828 people<2> (see below for details).
Leon is 1,040 feet [317 m] above sea level.<3>.
Time Zone: Leon lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time
The telephone area code for Leon: (641)
The ZIP code for Leon: 50144<4>
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Leon had an population of 1,828 people. This is a decrease of 7.54% since the 2010 Census (or a decrease of 7.82% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Leon had a population of 1,977 people (which is 23.38% of the total population of Decatur County). This makes Leon the county's 2nd most populous community.
The population of Leon represents 0.06% of the population of Iowa (which has 3,046,355 people), making it the state's 163rd most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 1,977 people, the population of Leon has remained roughly the same as the 2000 Census (which had a count of 1,983 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Leon.
Communities Also Named Leon ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 29 communities that are also named Leon - they are located in Alabama, Arkansas, California (2), Colorado (2), Florida (2), Idaho, Illinois, Kansas (3), Kentucky, Manitoba, Maryland, New Mexico (2), New York, North Carolina, Ohio (2), Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Leon.
Communities near Leon ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Leon.
- Lamoni
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lamoni have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamoni
- Lamoni is located in Decatur County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,196 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lamoni <6>
- Allerton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Allerton have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allerton
- Allerton is located in Wayne County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 507 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Allerton <6>
- Humeston
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Humeston
- Humeston is located in Wayne County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 483 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Humeston <6>
- Mercer
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mercer
- Mercer is located in Mercer County (MO)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 296 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mercer <6>
- Kellerton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kellerton have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellerton
- Kellerton is located in Ringgold County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 292 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kellerton <6>
- Lineville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast) - Grand River
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grand River have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand River
- Grand River is located in Decatur County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 215 people
- Van Wert
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north) - Garden Grove
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garden Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Grove
- Garden Grove is located in Decatur County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 200 people
- Davis City
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis City
- Davis City is located in Decatur County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 187 people
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 Leon. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Leon.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Leon. 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 Leon.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Leon. Our list includes 8 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Leon.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Leon ...
Looking for more information about Leon? 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 Leon, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Leon.
Adding Leon to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Leon 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 Leon was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<7>
From that list, the Leon post office opened in 1855.
We also found Leon in the book titled Iowa State Gazetteer (1865).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Leon.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Leon. 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 Decatur, 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 Leon. |
| <3> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Leon - 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 Leon). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Leon 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. |
| <7> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |