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Ruthven Iowa Map

Explore Ruthven, 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 Ruthven, Iowa

How to Use This Ruthven, Iowa Map

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

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	Ruthven
State	Iowa (IA)
County	Palo Alto County
Country	United States of America
Timezone	Central Time (America/Chicago)

Latitude	43.129132
Longitude	-94.899153
Population	725
Density	686.1 /km²
Incorporated	Yes
ZIP Code	51358
Area Code	563
County Seat	Emmetsburg
School District	Ruthven-Ayrshire Community School District

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

About Ruthven, Iowa

Ruthven is a locality in Palo Alto County, Iowa, United States. It is a small community with a population of 725. The population density is 686.1 people per km². Ruthven is located at 43.1291°N, 94.8992°W. It observes the Central Time (America/Chicago) timezone. Ruthven is an incorporated locality. ZIP code: 51358.

Ruthven emerges from the expansive horizon as a quiet collection of structures anchored to the deep, fertile soil of the Iowa plains. It lies 12.4 miles east of Spencer, IA (from Spencer, IA: bearing 94°T), and is situated 19.1 miles south of Estherville. The landscape here is defined by the rigorous geometry of agriculture, where vast fields of corn and soybeans stretch toward the sky in an unceasing display of seasonal color. Nearby, the stillness of Virgin Lake offers a reflective surface for the shifting prairie light, while the slow, deliberate movement of the Lost Island Outlet carves a subtle path through the surrounding terrain. Evenings bring a particular clarity to the air, sharpening the outlines of the grain elevators that stand as sentinels above the flat, tilled earth.

Hardworking traditions rooted in Scandinavian and German ancestry continue to shape the character of Ruthven, where the pace of life adheres to the rhythms of the harvest and the changing seasons. The local economy remains tethered to the productivity of the soil, maintaining a quiet industriousness that supports the daily needs of the residents. To the east, the Barringer Slough Waterfowl Production Area provides a sanctuary for migratory birds, serving as a reminder of the wilder prairie that once dominated this region. This landscape does not demand attention with grand gestures, but instead offers a subtle, literate civility to those who observe the way the autumn sun gilds the dry stalks or the way the winter wind sweeps across the open, frozen ground.

Nearby Outdoor Places

Barringer Slough Waterfowl Production Area (State Resource Management Area) — 1.3 mi, 282° W
Clay County Waterfowl Production Area Of Iowa (Resource Management Area) — 1.3 mi, 282° W
Clay County Waterfowl Production Area Of Ia (Resource Management Area) — 1.3 mi, 282° W
Virgin Lake Wildlife Management Area (State Conservation Area) — 1.5 mi, 179° S
Barringer Slough Wildlife Management Area (State Conservation Area) — 1.5 mi, 288° W
Rossiter Wildlife Area (Local Conservation Area) — 2.1 mi, 001° N
Blue Wing Marsh Waterfowl Production Area (State Resource Management Area) — 2.2 mi, 017° N
Huston Prairie (Local Conservation Area) — 2.8 mi, 009° N
Lost Island-Huston Park (Local Park) — 3.3 mi, 006° N
Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge (National Wildlife Refuge) — 9.3 mi, 243° SW · 12k acres
House of Dolls Museum (Museum) — 11.0 mi, 096° E
Robert Emmet Statue (Monument) — 11.2 mi, 096° E
Palo Alto County Historical Museum (Museum) — 11.4 mi, 096° E
Victorian Museum on Main (Museum) — 11.5 mi, 096° E
Wild Rose Casino and Resort (Attraction) — 12.0 mi, 095° E
Parker Historical Museum (Museum) — 12.2 mi, 274° W
Five Island Lake Wildlife Management Area (Nature Reserve) — 12.7 mi, 081° E
Southpark 7 Theatres (Cinema) — 13.0 mi, 270° W
Peterson Point Historical Farmstead (Museum) — 15.7 mi, 039° NE
Fort Defiance State Park (State Park) — 17.7 mi, 005° N
Milford Pioneer Theatre (Cinema) — 18.5 mi, 317° NW
Estherville Rock Garden (Attraction) — 18.8 mi, 008° N
Estherville Meteorite Sculpture (Monument) — 19.1 mi, 010° N
Estherville Swinging Bridge (Monument) — 19.2 mi, 008° N
Ranch Amusement Park (Theme Park) — 21.4 mi, 328° NW
Okoboji Summer Theatre (Theatre) — 21.6 mi, 328° NW
Pearson Lakes Art Center (Arts Centre) — 21.7 mi, 328° NW
Ringham Habitat Area (Zoo / Wildlife Park) — 22.5 mi, 003° N
Lone Rock (Attraction) — 29.4 mi, 078° E
Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge (National Wildlife Refuge) — 37.2 mi, 082° E · 5,668 acres

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