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Thornton Iowa Map

Explore Thornton, 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 Thornton, Iowa

How to Use This Thornton, Iowa Map

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

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	Thornton
State	Iowa (IA)
County	Cerro Gordo County
Country	United States of America
Timezone	Central Time (America/Chicago)

Latitude	42.944688
Longitude	-93.384649
Population	400
Density	124.1 /km²
Incorporated	Yes
ZIP Code	50479
Area Code	515
County Seat	Mason City
School District	West Fork Community School District

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

About Thornton, Iowa

Thornton is a locality in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States. It is a small community with a population of 400. The population density is 124.1 people per km². Thornton is located at 42.9447°N, 93.3846°W. It observes the Central Time (America/Chicago) timezone. Thornton is an incorporated locality. ZIP code: 50479.

Thornton anchors itself firmly within a vast expanse of tilled earth, where the horizon serves as a flat, unyielding seam between the dark, fertile soil and an immense, pale sky. It lies 17.2 miles south-southwest of Mason City, IA (from Mason City, IA: bearing 213°T), and is situated 13.4 miles south of Clear Lake. Bailey Creek traces a modest, winding path through the landscape, its presence marked by the subtle softening of the terrain and the occasional cluster of hardy hardwoods that cling to the banks. Ingebretson Park offers a quiet clearing for those seeking the stillness of the plains, providing a modest vantage point from which to observe the rhythmic shifts in color that define the changing seasons. The air here carries a clean, sharp clarity, especially during the long, golden hours of late afternoon when the shadows of the grain elevators stretch thin and precise across the gravel lanes.

Thornton maintains a character deeply rooted in the diligent traditions of its agrarian heritage, where the local economy hums in sync with the planting and harvesting cycles of the surrounding corn and soybean fields. The architecture of the streets reflects a pragmatic, midwestern reserve, favoring functional brick and timber structures that have weathered decades of prairie wind without complaint. While the bustle of larger centers feels a world away, a quiet, literate civility persists in the daily habits of the residents who appreciate the uncomplicated geography of the north-central plains. Even when the mind wanders toward the distant slopes of Pilot Knob or the shaded depths of Claybanks Forest, the focus of daily life remains tethered to the immediate, honest labor of the fields and the steady, predictable pulse of a life lived close to the land.

Nearby Outdoor Places

Ingebretson Park (Local Park) — 0.3 mi, 115° SE
Bailey Creek Waterfowl Production Area (State Resource Management Area) — 2.8 mi, 280° W
Stille Wildlife Area (Local Conservation Area) — 3.5 mi, 070° E
Cerro Gordo County Waterfowl Production Area (Resource Management Area) — 3.5 mi, 360° N
Union Hills Waterfowl Production Area (State Resource Management Area) — 4.3 mi, 337° NW
Union Hills (State Conservation Area) — 6.1 mi, 334° NW
Railroad ROW (State Recreation Area) — 6.4 mi, 244° SW
Welch Wildlife Area (Local Conservation Area) — 6.6 mi, 035° NE
Buffalo Basins Wildlife Management Area (State Conservation Area) — 6.6 mi, 220° SW
Clear Lake State Park (State Park) — 11.3 mi, 358° N
Jenison-Meacham Memorial Art Center and Museum (Museum) — 11.9 mi, 248° W
National Register of Historic Places (Monument) — 13.5 mi, 359° N
Belmond Historical Museum (Museum) — 13.5 mi, 240° SW
Three Stars Monument (Monument) — 13.5 mi, 359° N
Beed's Lake State Park (State Park) — 13.6 mi, 152° SE
Franklin County Historical Museum (Museum) — 16.3 mi, 149° SE
Harmony in Light (Public Artwork) — 16.9 mi, 033° NE
Mason City Communit Theatre (Theatre) — 17.0 mi, 033° NE
Veteran's Memorial (Monument) — 17.0 mi, 033° NE
Rancho Deluxe (Attraction) — 17.4 mi, 034° NE
Winnebago Trail (Nature Reserve) — 18.5 mi, 031° NE
Brewery (Historic Ruins) — 19.3 mi, 030° NE
Quasdorf Wagon, Machine and Blacksmith Shop Museum (Museum) — 20.6 mi, 197° S
Liberty School Museum (Museum) — 20.8 mi, 269° W
Odvin Hagen Music Center (Arts Centre) — 25.5 mi, 330° NW
Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge (National Wildlife Refuge) — 36.0 mi, 278° W · 12k acres
Watts Theater (Cinema) — 37.3 mi, 051° NE
Grand Theatre (Cinema) — 42.9 mi, 160° S
McElroy Communication Arts Center (Arts Centre) — 48.1 mi, 108° E
Neumann Auditorium (Theatre) — 48.2 mi, 108° E

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