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Carter Lake Iowa Map

Explore Carter Lake, Iowa, with this interactive street and satellite map.

This page also offers TOPO MAPS — the official USGS topographic sheets — plus USGS aerial imagery, a labelled USNG grid overlay, a distance and bearing tool, and a GPS grid-reference readout. See How to Use This Map below.

Interactive Map of Carter Lake, Iowa

How to Use This Carter Lake, Iowa Map

This interactive map shows the street layout and satellite imagery for Carter Lake, Iowa. Use the Map and Satellite buttons above to switch between street map and aerial imagery views. Use the + and − buttons to zoom in or out, or scroll your mouse wheel while holding the Control key to zoom. On a touchscreen, use a two-finger pinch gesture. Drag the map to pan to any area of Iowa or beyond.

Click ⛶ Fullscreen to expand the map to fill your screen. To return to the normal page view, press the Escape key, click the ✕ Exit Fullscreen button that appears above the map, or on a mobile device tap the back button (Android) or the close icon (iOS).

TOPO MAPS — NEW. Click the green 🔍 Search Maps button below the map to open a second map with a Base map row offering three choices. OSM is the standard OpenStreetMap street map. Topo shows the official USGS topographic maps from The National Map — contours, hydrography, land cover and shaded relief, the same mapping used for hiking, hunting and back-country navigation in the Adirondacks, the Catskills and the Finger Lakes. Imagery shows USGS aerial photography, mostly 1-metre NAIP. The search box finds any US town, county or landmark by name, so you are not limited to Carter Lake.

Reading the map like a paper quad. Click Grid to overlay the U.S. National Grid (USNG), labelled along the edges exactly as a printed topographic sheet is — at normal zoom the squares are one kilometre across, so you can read a six-figure grid reference by eye and judge distance directly off the map. Click Measure, then tap two points, to get the distance between them together with the grid bearing in degrees and mils, the true bearing, and the magnetic bearing to set on a compass.

Click 📍 My position to take a single GPS reading from your device. It marks where you are and reports your position as a USNG grid reference as well as plain latitude and longitude — USNG being the format FEMA and US search and rescue teams work from — with a Copy position button so you can paste it straight into a text message. It takes one reading and stops, rather than tracking continuously, to conserve your battery. Note that map tiles need cell coverage, but a GPS reading does not — your coordinates stay correct even where the map itself cannot load.

City	Carter Lake
State	Iowa (IA)
County	Pottawattamie County
Country	United States of America
Timezone	Central Time (America/Chicago)

Latitude	41.290553
Longitude	-95.918069
Population	3,791
Density	815.9 /km²
Incorporated	Yes
ZIP Code	51510
Area Code	641
County Seat	Council Bluffs
School District	Council Bluffs Community School District

🌦 Goto Carter Lake Weather Page: Carter Lake, Iowa — Weather Warnings, Forecast, Radar, Satellite & Current Conditions

About Carter Lake, Iowa

Carter Lake is a locality in Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. It has a population of approximately 3,791. The population density is 815.9 people per km². Carter Lake is located at 41.2906°N, 95.9181°W. It observes the Central Time (America/Chicago) timezone. Carter Lake is an incorporated locality. ZIP code: 51510.

Carter Lake occupies a unique position on the western edge of the Iowa landscape, defined by the deliberate, shifting path of the Missouri River. It lies 3.6 miles west-northwest of Council Bluffs, IA (from Council Bluffs, IA: bearing 304°T), and is situated 2.4 miles north-northeast of Omaha. The terrain here is shaped by the alluvial sediment of the valley, creating a flat, fertile basin that contrasts sharply with the looming presence of the Loess Hills visible to the north and east. Within the boundaries of Carter Lake, the water provides a quiet, reflective center to the geography, its surface often mirroring the heavy, bruised purples of a Midwestern dusk. The surrounding earth is dark and deep, a testament to the ancient floodplains that define the regional character, where the air holds the scent of damp soil and the distant, dry rustle of corn stalks.

History in Carter Lake is inextricably tied to the volatile behavior of the Missouri River, which famously carved a new channel and left this land as an oxbow lake isolated from the Nebraska side. This geographical quirk created a distinct enclave, fostering an economy that has pivoted from early river-reliant industry to a residential and commercial character focused on its proximity to regional transit hubs. Life in Carter Lake moves with a steady, unpretentious pace, far removed from the frantic energy of larger urban centers, yet connected to the wider world by the nearby Field Club Trail. The local identity remains grounded in this strange, river-made independence, where the legacy of the water’s sudden retreat continues to influence the layout of the streets and the quiet, persistent resilience of the people who reside here.

Nearby Outdoor Places

Carter Lake (State Conservation Area) — 0.2 mi, 350° N
Unknown Park (Local Park) — 0.3 mi, 186° S
Carter Lake Ball Fields (Local Recreation) — 0.6 mi, 054° NE
Dance of the Cranes (Public Artwork) — 0.7 mi, 114° SE
Levi Carter Park (Local Park) — 0.7 mi, 000° N
Buffalo Bill at the Trans-Mississippi & Internat’l Exposition & Indian Congress of 1898 (Monument) — 1.2 mi, 270° W
Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition (Monument) — 1.3 mi, 270° W
Missles (Attraction) — 1.3 mi, 137° SE
Old Plane (Attraction) — 1.3 mi, 137° SE
Ship Guns (Attraction) — 1.3 mi, 138° SE
Ship Propellers (Attraction) — 1.3 mi, 136° SE
Council Bluffs Riverfront (State Recreation Area) — 1.3 mi, 169° S
Strehlow Terrace (Monument) — 1.3 mi, 229° SW
Great Plains Black History Museum (Museum) — 1.7 mi, 243° SW
Storz Rugby Complex (Local Recreation) — 1.8 mi, 325° NW
Ruth Sokolof Theater (Cinema) — 1.9 mi, 206° SW
Lied Education Center for the Arts (Arts Centre) — 2.3 mi, 218° SW
Old Market Artists Gallery (Gallery) — 2.5 mi, 195° S
The Backline (Theatre) — 2.6 mi, 204° SW
General Crook House Museum (Museum) — 2.6 mi, 302° NW
Kaneko (Theatre) — 2.7 mi, 194° S
The Nature Conservancy (Nature Reserve) — 2.7 mi, 193° S
Omaha Childrens Museum (Museum) — 2.8 mi, 208° SW
Black Americana Museum (Museum) — 3.1 mi, 195° S
Lake Manawa State Park (State Park) — 5.8 mi, 151° SE
Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge (National Wildlife Refuge) — 8.4 mi, 355° N · 7,936 acres
Desoto National Wildlife Refuge (National Wildlife Refuge) — 14.1 mi, 339° N · 16k acres
Platte River State Park (State Park) — 24.6 mi, 215° SW

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