Welcome to Cresco ...

The city of Cresco is located in Howard County<1> and is the County Seat for Howard County.

Google driving directions from your current location to Cresco

While we don't have a date for the founding of Cresco, you might consider that their post office opened in 1866.

From the Census Estimates for 2019, Cresco has a population of 3,730 people<2> (see below for details).

Cresco is 1,290 feet [393 m] above sea level.<3>.

Time Zone: Cresco lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time

Area Code for Cresco: 563

The ZIP code for Cresco: 52136<4>

Population Details ...

Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Cresco had an population of 3,730 people. This is a decrease of 3.57% since the 2010 Census (or a decrease of 4.48% since the 2000 Census).

At the time of the 2010 Census, Cresco had a population of 3,868 people (or 40.43% of the total population of Howard County). This makes Cresco the county's most populous community.

The population of Cresco represents 0.13% of the population of Iowa (which has 3,046,355 people), making it the state's 98th most populous community.

With a 2010 count of 3,868 people, the population of Cresco has remained roughly the same as the 2000 Census (with a count of 3,905 people).

More information can be found on the Census Page for Cresco.

Communities Also Named Cresco ...

Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 7 communities that are also named Cresco - they are located in Indiana, Kansas (4), New Mexico and Pennsylvania.

For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Cresco.

Communities near Cresco ...

We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Cresco.

Decorah
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Decorah
- Decorah is located in Winneshiek County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,484 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Decorah <5>
Harmony
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Harmony. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<6>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony
- Harmony is located in Fillmore County (MN)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 982 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harmony <5>
Calmar
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Calmar have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calmar
- Calmar is located in Winneshiek County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 934 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Calmar <5>
Elma
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elma
- Elma is located in Howard County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 529 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elma <5>
Lime Springs
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lime Springs
- Lime Springs is located in Howard County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 476 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lime Springs <5>
Canton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Canton have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canton
- Canton is located in Fillmore County (MN)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 342 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Canton <5>
Spillville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spillville
- Spillville is located in Winneshiek County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 341 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Spillville <5>
Fort Atkinson
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Atkinson
- Fort Atkinson is located in Winneshiek County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 320 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fort Atkinson <5>
Ridgeway
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgeway
- Ridgeway is located in Winneshiek County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 285 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ridgeway <5>
Protivin
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Protivin
- Protivin is located in Howard County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 266 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Protivin <5>

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 Cresco. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Cresco.

Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Cresco. 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 Cresco.

We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Cresco. Our list includes 10 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Cresco.

TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Cresco ...

Looking for more information about Cresco? 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.

In addition to the Tourism page for Cresco, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Cresco.

Adding Cresco to Our Gazetteer ...

We originally found mention of Cresco 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 Cresco was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<8>

From that list, the Cresco post office opened in 1866.

We also found Cresco in the book titled List of Post Offices in the United States (1870).

For more details, see References and Mentions for Cresco.

Off-the-Road Links ...

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Cresco. 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 Howard, 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 Cresco.
<3>	The elevation is an estimate for the area around Cresco - 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 Cresco). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Cresco 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>	An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<7>	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.
<8>	A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/