Welcome to Beacon ...
The city of Beacon is located in Mahaska County<1>.
While we don't have a date for the founding of Beacon, you might consider that their post office opened in 1867.
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Beacon has a population of 488 people<2> (see below for details).
Beacon is 740 feet [226 m] above sea level.<3>.
Time Zone: Beacon lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time
Beacon is within the (641) area code.
The ZIP code for Beacon: 52534<4>
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Beacon had an population of 488 people. This is a decrease of 1.21% since the 2010 Census (or a decrease of 5.79% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Beacon had a population of 494 people. This makes Beacon the county's 4th most populous community.
The population of Beacon represents 0.02% of the population of Iowa (which has 3,046,355 people), making it the state's 463rd most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 494 people, the population of Beacon decreased 4.63% from the 2000 Census (which had a count of 518 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Beacon.
Communities Also Named Beacon ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 5 communities that are also named Beacon - they are located in Alabama, Michigan, New York, Tennessee and Texas.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Beacon.
Communities near Beacon ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Beacon.
- Pella
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pella
- Pella is located in Marion County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 10,266 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pella <5>
- Albia
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albia
- Albia is located in Monroe County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,713 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Albia <5>
- New Sharon
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Sharon
- New Sharon is located in Mahaska County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,286 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Sharon <5>
- Eddyville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eddyville
- Eddyville is located in Wapello County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,010 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eddyville <5>
- Fremont
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fremont
- Fremont is located in Mahaska County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 727 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fremont <5>
- What Cheer
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for What Cheer
- What Cheer is located in Keokuk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 615 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for What Cheer <5>
- Lovilia
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lovilia have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lovilia
- Lovilia is located in Monroe County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 516 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lovilia <5>
- Bussey
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bussey
- Bussey is located in Marion County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 406 people
- Delta
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delta
- Delta is located in Keokuk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 313 people
- Harvey
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Beacon. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Beacon.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Beacon. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Beacon.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Beacon. See our Newspapers Page for Beacon.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Beacon ...
Looking for more information about Beacon? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
While we are unaware of a Tourism page that is specific to Beacon, there are neighboring communities that do have Tourism pages. A map of those communities can be found with our TripAdvisor Page for Beacon.
Adding Beacon to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Beacon in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Beacon was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<7>
From that list, the Beacon post office opened in 1867.
We also found Beacon in the book titled List of Post Offices in the United States (1870).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Beacon.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Beacon. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Iowa: https://www.iowa.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Iowa's counties, including Mahaska, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Beacon. |
| <3> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Beacon - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <4> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a city (such as Beacon). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Beacon or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <5> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <6> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <7> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |