Around Altoona ...
The largest community within a 50 mile [80 km] radius is Des Moines. It lies just southwest of Altoona. Des Moines has a population of 212,000 people.<1>.
The next largest community is Ankeny. It lies just northwest of Altoona and has a population of 70,100 people.
For comparison, Altoona has a population of 19,500 people.
Below is a sample of neighboring communities based on their distance from Altoona, with the nearest first.
- Berwick
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west) - Bondurant
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bondurant have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bondurant
- Bondurant is located in Polk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,293 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bondurant <3>
- Rising Sun
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rising Sun have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rising Sun
- Rising Sun is located in Polk County
- Country Estate Village
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Country Estate Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Country Estate Village
- Country Estate Village is located in Polk County
- Pleasant Hill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasant Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
- Pleasant Hill is located in Polk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 10,025 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pleasant Hill <3>
- Marquisville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marquisville
- Marquisville is located in Polk County
- Mitchellville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mitchellville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchellville
- Mitchellville is located in Polk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,273 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mitchellville <3>
- Adelphi
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south) - Ankeny
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ankeny have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ankeny
- Ankeny is located in Polk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 70,068 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ankeny <3>
- Continue List (6 more) ...
- Des Moines
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Des Moines
- Des Moines is located in Polk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 212,312 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Des Moines <3>
- Saylorville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saylorville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saylorville
- Saylorville is located in Polk County
- Oswalt
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oswalt
- Oswalt is located in Jasper County
- Valeria
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast) - Carlisle
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlisle
- Carlisle is located in Polk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,323 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Carlisle <3>
- Elkhart
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhart
- Elkhart is located in Polk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 952 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elkhart <3>
- Des Moines
For more communities neighboring Altoona, please visit our County-by-County Page for Altoona.
Polk County ...
Altoona is located in Polk County<4>.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Polk County: Boone, Dallas, Jasper, Madison, Marion, Story & Warren.
Curious and Interesting Names Near Altoona ...
It seems like there is always a nearby community with a name that seems interesting, maybe familiar or just catches our attention in some other way. We've collected some names which strike us as being curious or interesting. Our list can be found on the Tidbits & Trivia Page for Altoona.
Airports Near Altoona ...
When a trip includes a flight, we try to find an airport that best fits our travel plans.<5> To that purpose, we've assembled a list of that are relatively close to Altoona and that information can be found on the Airports Page for Altoona.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Altoona ...
Looking for more information about Altoona? A good source is the TripAdvisor website and we always start with their TripAdvisor page for Altoona. Their page will give you an overview and then additional links that will help you to find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the TripAdvisor page for Altoona, there are neighboring communities that also have TripAdvisor pages. A list of those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Altoona.
Websites We Enjoy ...
When we're planning a trip, we like to check the following websites for sights, attractions and places to visit.
- For the State of Iowa:
- TripAdvisor Links for:
- Iowa Statewide Tourism
- Altoona Tourism
- Additional neighboring communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Altoona
- Also of Interest:
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Altoona: www.altoona-iowa.com/
The official website for Polk County: www.co.polk.ia.us/
The official website for State of Iowa: https://www.iowa.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Altoona. |
| <2> | 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. |
| <3> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <4> | If you're interested in how the shape of Iowa's counties, including Polk, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <5> | When we are planning a trip (for example, to Altoona), we usually look for the obvious: the choice of airlines that fly into the airport, the number of flights, the connections we have to make, which car rentals are available, etc. We also look for sights and attractions that we might find between any given airport and our destination - we do love exploring. We're willing to fly into a more distant airport if we can get the services and amenities that we like. Even though our choice of airport might be inconvenient to others, it usually gives us a better trip. |