Iola Illinois Map

About Iola, Illinois

Iola is a locality in Clay County, Illinois, United States. It is a small community with a population of 98. The population density is 39.3 people per km². Iola is located at 38.8345°N, 88.6281°W. It observes the Central Time (America/Chicago) timezone. Iola is an incorporated locality. ZIP code: 62838.

Iola stretches across a flat, expansive horizon where the sky claims more territory than the earth itself. It lies 20.2 miles south-southwest of Effingham, IL (from Effingham, IL: bearing 193°T), and is situated 13.8 miles northwest of Flora. The landscape is defined by the steady, rhythmic persistence of the Midwestern plains, interrupted only by the narrow, winding cut of Crooked Creek, which flows barely a mile from the center of Iola. Beyond the immediate fields, the terrain holds a quiet, austere beauty during the transition of seasons, when the light turns a thin, pale gold and catches the tall grasses bordering the distance. To the west, the faint, hazy silhouette of Pleasant Ridge breaks the monotony of the skyline, standing as a distant, silent sentinel over the surrounding farmland. Within a short drive, the landscape gives way to the gentle, open expanses of Little Prairie, providing a contrast to the dense, dark soil that has long dictated the character of the region.

Agriculture remains the pulse of the local economy, with the seasonal cycle of planting and harvest governing the pace of daily affairs. History in Iola is measured in the sturdy, utilitarian architecture of mid-century grain silos and the enduring, weathered wood of farmsteads that have stood for generations. Residents often find respite in the quietude of Edgewood Park, a local preserve that offers a reprieve from the labor of the fields, or spend afternoons near the banks of Ging Lake, where the water reflects the shifting patterns of the clouds. Life here moves with a deliberate, unadorned focus, shaped by the demands of the land and a communal memory that honors the perseverance required to thrive in such an isolated, inland expanse.

About This Iola Map Page

This page provides an embedded street and satellite map of Iola, Illinois. Coordinates: 38.83449, -88.628106. Live weather conditions are sourced directly from the National Weather Service. Real-time local and world news feeds keep the page current.

Detailed location data for Iola includes the ZIP code (62838), telephone area code (618), county seat of Clay County (Louisville), and school district assignment (North Clay Community Unit School District 25).

Location data is drawn from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and cross-verified against 2020 US Census records by coordinate proximity. Population figures are sourced from the 2020 US Census.