Welcome to Dickens ...
The city of Dickens is located in Clay County<1>.
While we don't have a date for the founding of Dickens, you might consider that their post office opened in 1886.
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Dickens has a population of 171 people<2> (see below for details).
Dickens is 1,340 feet [408 m] above sea level.<3>.
Time Zone: Dickens lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time
The telephone area code for Dickens: (712)
The ZIP code for Dickens: 51333<4>
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Dickens had an population of 171 people. This is a decrease of 7.57% since the 2010 Census (or a decrease of 15.35% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Dickens had a population of 185 people. This makes Dickens the county's 6th most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 185 people, the population of Dickens decreased 8.42% from the 2000 Census (which had a count of 202 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Dickens.
Communities Also Named Dickens ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 4 communities that are also named Dickens - they are located in Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska and Texas.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Dickens.
Communities near Dickens ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Dickens.
- Spencer
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spencer
- Spencer is located in Clay County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 10,989 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Spencer <5>
- Emmetsburg
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Emmetsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emmetsburg
- Emmetsburg is located in Palo Alto County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,667 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Emmetsburg <5>
- Milford
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milford
- Milford is located in Dickinson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,043 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Milford <5>
- Arnolds Park
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnolds Park
- Arnolds Park is located in Dickinson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,354 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Arnolds Park <5>
- Okoboji
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Okoboji
- Okoboji is located in Dickinson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 803 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Okoboji <5>
- Graettinger
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graettinger
- Graettinger is located in Palo Alto County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 776 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Graettinger <5>
- Sioux Rapids
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sioux Rapids have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sioux Rapids
- Sioux Rapids is located in Buena Vista County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 733 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sioux Rapids <5>
- Ruthven
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruthven
- Ruthven is located in Palo Alto County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 678 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ruthven <5>
- Everly
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west) - Royal
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Royal have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royal
- Royal is located in Clay County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 400 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Royal <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 Dickens. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Dickens.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Dickens. 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 Dickens.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Dickens. See our Newspapers Page for Dickens.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Dickens ...
Looking for more information about Dickens? 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 Dickens, there are neighboring communities that do have Tourism pages. A map of those communities can be found with our TripAdvisor Page for Dickens.
Adding Dickens to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Dickens 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 Dickens was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<7>
From that list, the Dickens post office opened in 1886.
We also found Dickens in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Dickens.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Dickens. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Clay County: www.co.clay.ia.us/
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 Clay, 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 Dickens. |
| <3> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Dickens - 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 Dickens). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Dickens 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/ |