Elma, Iowa — interactive Google street map, satellite and terrain views, Street View, live National Weather Service conditions and 7-day forecasts, real-time local and world news, and an editorial description of Elma, Howard County.
| City | Elma |
| State | Iowa (IA) |
| County | Howard |
| Country | United States of America |
| Timezone | Central Time (America/Chicago) |
| Latitude | 43.246636 |
| Longitude | -92.43601 |
| Population | 659 |
| Density | 194.5 /km² |
| Incorporated | N/A |
| ZIP Code(s) | 50628 |
| Area Code | 319 |
| County Seat | Cresco |
| School District | Howard-Winneshiek Community School District |
Elma is a locality in Howard County, Iowa, United States. It is a small community with a population of 659. The population density is 194.5 people per km². Elma is located at 43.2466°N, 92.4360°W. It observes the Central Time (America/Chicago) timezone. ZIP code: 50628.
Elma rests within a landscape of gentle swells and fertile plains, a place where the sky feels vast and the earth breathes deeply. It lies 39.1 miles east of Mason City, IA (from Mason City, IA: bearing 80°T), and is situated 17.2 miles north-east of Charles City. The fields, stitched with the emerald of corn and the gold of ripening soybeans, roll towards horizons softened by the haze of summer evenings. Here, the air carries the clean scent of freshly tilled soil and the distant murmur of tractors, a comforting hum that settles over the clustered farmsteads and the quiet main street. The land itself, a rich, dark loam, promises abundance, and the very light seems to linger longer at dusk, painting the western sky in hues of rose and lavender before the stars begin their slow, silent procession. The story of Elma is etched into the agricultural heritage of Howard County, a testament to generations of farmers who have coaxed sustenance from this Iowa earth. The town’s economy, once driven by the cycles of planting and harvest, still finds its pulse in the surrounding farms, though the broader currents of commerce have brought diversification. Older buildings, their brick facades softened by time, whisper of a past when the railway whistle was a more frequent sound, connecting Elma to wider markets. Today, a quiet resilience defines the community, a steady dedication to the land and to the simple, enduring rhythms of rural life, where neighborly support is as vital as the rain itself.
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This page provides an interactive Google map of Elma, Iowa with street, satellite and terrain views and integrated Street View imagery. Live weather conditions are sourced directly from the National Weather Service, with current observations and a 7-day forecast also powered by Open-Meteo. Real-time local news and world news feeds keep the page current, while a Wikipedia summary or an editorially written description provides background on Elma and Howard County.
Detailed location data for Elma includes the ZIP code (50628), telephone area code (319), county seat of Howard County (Cresco), and school district assignment (Howard-Winneshiek Community School District). These are among the most commonly searched location details for any US city or town.
Location data is drawn from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and cross-verified against 2020 US Census records by coordinate proximity — ensuring the correct Elma is identified even where the name is shared across multiple counties or states. Population figures are sourced from the 2020 US Census.
| Page generated | June 2026 |
| Location data | SimpleMaps US Cities Database; coordinates matched to USGS GNIS definitive data |
| Wikipedia validation | Article content matched to USGS GNIS coordinates via Wikipedia geosearch API. Location verified by proximity — not name matching alone. |