Elma Iowa Map
Explore Elma, Iowa, with this interactive street and satellite map.
Interactive Map of Elma, Iowa
| City | Elma |
| State | Iowa (IA) |
| County | Howard County |
| Country | United States of America |
| Timezone | Central Time (America/Chicago) |
| Latitude | 43.246636 |
| Longitude | -92.43601 |
| Population | 505 |
| Density | 158.9 /km² |
| Incorporated | Yes |
| ZIP Code | 50628 |
| Area Code | 319 |
| County Seat | Cresco |
| School District | Howard-Winneshiek Community School District |
About Elma, Iowa
Elma is a locality in Howard County, Iowa, United States. It is a small community with a population of 505. The population density is 158.9 people per km². Elma is located at 43.2466°N, 92.4360°W. It observes the Central Time (America/Chicago) timezone. Elma is an incorporated locality. ZIP code: 50628.Elma sits amidst the vast, rhythmic expanse of the Iowa prairie, where the horizon stretches flat and wide, broken only by the silver-green blades of corn and the dark, upturned soil of the fields. It lies 36.0 miles north of Waverly, IA (from Waverly, IA: bearing 3°T), and is situated 17.2 miles northeast of Charles City. Mead Creek carves a quiet, unassuming path through the landscape, its gentle current providing a consistent, hidden pulse to the land just beyond the edge of the street grid. To the west, the subtle rise of the terrain hints at the distant presence of the Loess Hills, while the nearby Hart Pond Wildlife Area offers a sanctuary of tall grasses and seasonal water that reflects the deepening violet of the dusk sky. The air here carries the clean, sharp scent of turned earth and drying stalks, a fragrance that settles over the region with the weight of generations.
Elma maintains its character through the industry of the soil, grounded in an agricultural economy that dictates the pace of the year from the spring planting to the autumn harvest. The architecture of the streets recalls the midwestern migration of those who built their lives upon this fertile ground, leaving behind a legacy of sturdy, utilitarian construction and an unshowy, persistent civility. Lyla Marsh rests a few miles away, a quiet point of stillness in the landscape that serves as a subtle landmark for those who work the surrounding acres. Life in Elma moves with the steady, predictable gravity of the seasons, honoring a heritage of labor and quiet observation that remains as enduring as the prairie itself.
Nearby Outdoor Places
- Hart Pond Wildlife Area (Local Conservation Area) — 0.7 mi, 212° SW
- Joachim Woods Wildlife Area (Local Conservation Area) — 1.8 mi, 180° S
- Meirick's Pond Access (Local Park) — 4.2 mi, 269° W
- Elma Wildlife Management Area (State Conservation Area) — 5.0 mi, 268° W
- Wapsi Flats Wildlife Management Area (State Conservation Area) — 5.5 mi, 230° SW
- Lake Hendricks (Local Park) — 10.1 mi, 329° NW
- Jackson Number Twelve School Museum (Museum) — 14.4 mi, 128° SE
- Floyd County Historical Society Museum (Museum) — 17.6 mi, 224° SW
- Kellow House - Howard County Museum (Museum) — 18.2 mi, 060° NE
- Howard County Log Cabin Museum (Museum) — 18.2 mi, 062° NE
- Watts Theater (Cinema) — 19.0 mi, 278° W
- Lake Louise State Park (State Park) — 19.4 mi, 348° N
- Cedar Valley Memories Museum (Museum) — 20.3 mi, 278° W
- Upper Iowa River Wildlife Management Area (State Recreation Area) — 23.4 mi, 057° NE
- Saint Ansgar Veterans Memorial/ Freedom Rock (Monument) — 25.9 mi, 291° W
- Forestville Mystery Cave State Park (State Park) — 26.3 mi, 013° N
- Niagara Cave (Attraction) — 26.6 mi, 046° NE
- Driftless Area National Wildlife Refuge (National Wildlife Refuge) — 29.1 mi, 071° E · 2,440 acres
- Sinkhole (Viewpoint) — 30.3 mi, 044° NE
- Butler County Freedom Rock (Monument) — 30.6 mi, 217° SW
- Storre Theatre (Theatre) — 31.9 mi, 082° E
- Painting Studio (Arts Centre) — 31.9 mi, 082° E
- 3-d Life Tree (Monument) — 32.0 mi, 082° E
- Kristin Wigley-Fleming Gallery (Gallery) — 32.1 mi, 082° E
- Jewel Theatre (Theatre) — 32.2 mi, 082° E
- Preston Veteran's Memorial (Attraction) — 34.4 mi, 031° NE
- Dancing St. Francis (Public Artwork) — 36.0 mi, 184° S
- McElroy Communication Arts Center (Arts Centre) — 36.0 mi, 184° S
- Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (National Wildlife Refuge) — 60.1 mi, 075° E · 274k acres
- Effigy Mounds National Monument (National Monument) — 61.4 mi, 099° E · 2,460 acres
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About This Elma Map Page
This page provides an embedded street and satellite map of Elma, Iowa. Coordinates: 43.246636, -92.43601. 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 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).
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.
| Page generated | August 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. |
