Bonaparte Iowa Map

About Bonaparte, Iowa

Bonaparte is a locality in Van Buren County, Iowa, United States. It is a small community with a population of 359. The population density is 370.6 people per km². Bonaparte is located at 40.6981°N, 91.8032°W. It observes the Central Time (America/Chicago) timezone. Bonaparte is an incorporated locality. ZIP code: 52620.

Bonaparte anchors itself firmly against the low, rhythmic bends of the Des Moines River, where the water moves with a heavy, deliberate patience through the heart of the valley. It lies 26.0 miles west of Fort Madison, IA (from Fort Madison, IA: bearing 281°T), and is situated 19.7 miles north-northwest of Kahoka. The landscape surrounding Bonaparte unfolds in vast, quiet swaths of tilled earth, where the soil holds the deep, dark memory of ancient prairie grasses beneath the rows of corn and soybean. To the west, the horizon occasionally catches the silhouette of Deer Ridge, a faint, jagged line that marks the edge of the world, while the proximity of the Lindsey Wilderness Area preserves a wilder, more tangled density of brush and timber. At the edges of the day, the light here turns a bruised, copper color, casting long shadows across the fields and imbuing the stillness of the air with a weight that feels both ancient and entirely immediate.

History in Bonaparte is etched into the limestone and brick of its surviving mill-era architecture, a quiet testament to the industries that once harnessed the strength of the river to drive the local economy. The legacy of early settlers, who arrived with dreams of water-powered prosperity, remains visible in the sturdy, unadorned facades that line the streets, reflecting a culture of practical, literate civility. Life here moves in concert with the seasons, from the quiet preparation of the planting cycles to the solitary walks found along the Indian Lake Park Trail, five miles away. Farther out, the canopy of Shimek State Forest provides a dense, emerald sanctuary, while the nearby Indian Lake offers a flat, reflective stillness that mirrors the vast, cloud-swept expanse of the Iowa sky.

About This Bonaparte Map Page

This page provides an embedded street and satellite map of Bonaparte, Iowa. Coordinates: 40.698087, -91.803223. 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 Bonaparte includes the ZIP code (52620), telephone area code (712), county seat of Van Buren County (Keosauqua), and school district assignment (Van Buren County Community School District).

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.