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Ralston Iowa Map

Explore Ralston, 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 Ralston, Iowa

How to Use This Ralston, Iowa Map

This interactive map shows the street layout and satellite imagery for Ralston, 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 Ralston.

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	Ralston
State	Iowa (IA)
County	Carroll County
Country	United States of America
Timezone	Central Time (America/Chicago)

Latitude	42.041651
Longitude	-94.633033
Population	81
Density	15.9 /km²
Incorporated	Yes
ZIP Code	51459
Area Code	563
County Seat	Carroll
School District	Glidden-Ralston Community School District

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

About Ralston, Iowa

Ralston is a locality in Carroll County, Iowa, United States. It is a small community with a population of 81. The population density is 15.9 people per km². Ralston is located at 42.0417°N, 94.6330°W. It observes the Central Time (America/Chicago) timezone. Ralston is an incorporated locality. ZIP code: 51459.

Ralston occupies a quiet stretch of the Iowa plains where the horizon expands into an infinite, golden geometry of tilled earth. It lies 12.1 miles east of Carroll, IA (from Carroll, IA: bearing 98°T), and is situated 13.2 miles west of Jefferson. Otter Creek carves a deliberate path through the landscape, its meandering course serving as a cooling vein for the surrounding fields of corn and soybean. The light here at dusk possesses a singular, heavy clarity, casting long, bruised shadows across the furrowed rows and turning the dust of the air into a shimmering, suspended haze. Only a few miles away, the Dunbar Slough Wildlife Management Area provides a necessary sanctuary for local waterfowl, its marshy basin offering a stark, wild contrast to the orderly precision of the modern agricultural grid.

Railroad iron and the steady, mechanical hum of grain transport define the economic pulse of Ralston, a place where the work of the soil remains the primary language of the day. The legacy of Scandinavian and German settlers lingers in the unshowy, pragmatic architecture and the quiet, literate civility that governs the social exchanges of the residents. While the distant silhouette of Mount Moses marks the far edge of the map, life here is anchored to the immediate cycles of the harvest and the seasonal shifts of the prairie climate. Those seeking a longer path through the stillness often venture toward the Russell White Nature Trail, finding in the quietude a reflection of the town’s own enduring, grounded character.

Nearby Outdoor Places

Dunbar Slough Wildlife Management Area (State Conservation Area) — 2.1 mi, 160° S
Greene County Waterfowl Production Area (Resource Management Area) — 2.5 mi, 158° S
Dunbar Slough Waterfowl Production Area (State Resource Management Area) — 2.5 mi, 158° S
Bennett Access Area (Local Park) — 3.6 mi, 351° N
Butrick Bluff Wildlife Area (Local Conservation Area) — 4.5 mi, 341° N
Hobart Wildlife Area (Local Conservation Area) — 4.6 mi, 035° NE
Dickson Timber (Local Park) — 5.8 mi, 331° NW
North Raccoon River Wildlife Management Area (State Conservation Area) — 7.1 mi, 087° E
North Raccoon Access (State Recreation Area) — 8.1 mi, 340° N
Carroll County Access (State Recreation Area) — 8.5 mi, 337° NW
Farmstead Museum (Museum) — 10.5 mi, 269° W
Carroll 5 Theater (Cinema) — 12.2 mi, 278° W
Coon Rapids Sculpture Park (Public Artwork) — 12.6 mi, 188° S
White Rock Conservancy (Conservation Area) — 13.0 mi, 188° S
Jefferson Telephone Company Museum (Museum) — 13.4 mi, 098° E
Lincoln Statue (Monument) — 13.4 mi, 098° E
Lindsey Memorial (Monument) — 13.4 mi, 098° E
Greene County Historical Museum (Museum) — 13.5 mi, 098° E
Lake City Capri Theater (Cinema) — 16.5 mi, 342° N
Springbrook State Park (State Park) — 19.5 mi, 154° SE
Hausbarn (Museum) — 23.4 mi, 246° SW
War Memorial (Monument) — 23.9 mi, 276° W
Gowrie Depot Historical Museum (Museum) — 24.3 mi, 046° NE
Bald Eagle Nest (Attraction) — 27.6 mi, 309° NW
"twister Hill" (Attraction) — 35.6 mi, 076° E
Inspiration Point (Viewpoint) — 36.3 mi, 081° E
Copperas Beds (Attraction) — 36.6 mi, 050° NE
Donna Reed Center for Performing Arts (Arts Centre) — 37.1 mi, 268° W
Boneyard Hollow (Attraction) — 37.6 mi, 049° NE
Hawkeye Community Theater (Theatre) — 39.8 mi, 035° NE

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