Welcome to Ottawa ...
Ottawa is located in Clarke County<1>.
The location of Ottawa has been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (ie- the GNIS).<2>
While we don't have a date for the founding of Ottawa, you might consider that their post office opened in 1855.
When the people of Ottawa refer to themselves (known as a demonym), they frequently use Ottawan<3>
Ottawa is 1,080 feet [329 m] above sea level.<4>.
Time Zone: Ottawa lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time
Ottawa lies within the (641) area code.
Communities Also Named Ottawa ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are two Iowa communities named Ottawa: This one is located in Clarke County and the other is located in Polk County.
Beyond Iowa, there are 17 communities that are also named Ottawa - they are located in Illinois, Kansas (2), Kentucky, Michigan (2), Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario (3), Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Ottawa.
Communities near Ottawa ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Ottawa.
- Osceola
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
- Osceola is located in Clarke County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,285 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Osceola <5>
- Chariton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chariton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chariton
- Chariton is located in Lucas County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,103 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chariton <5>
- Milo
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milo
- Milo is located in Warren County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 760 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Milo <5>
- Murray
(18 miles [29 km] to the west) - Truro
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Truro have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Truro
- Truro is located in Madison County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 501 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Truro <5>
- New Virginia
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Virginia
- New Virginia is located in Warren County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 489 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Virginia <5>
- Humeston
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Humeston
- Humeston is located in Wayne County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 483 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Humeston <5>
- Lacona
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacona
- Lacona is located in Warren County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 354 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lacona <5>
- Van Wert
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest) - Lucas
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
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 Ottawa. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Ottawa.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Ottawa. 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 Ottawa.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Ottawa. See our Newspapers Page for Ottawa.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Ottawa ...
Looking for more information about Ottawa? 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 Ottawa, there are neighboring communities that do have Tourism pages. A map of those communities can be found with our TripAdvisor Page for Ottawa.
Adding Ottawa to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Ottawa 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 Ottawa was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<6>
From that list, the Ottawa post office opened in 1855.
We also found Ottawa in the book titled List of Post Offices in the United States (1870).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Ottawa.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Ottawa. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Clarke County: www.clarkecountyia.org/
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 Clarke, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <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> | A demonym is the name for a resident of a community which is usually derived from (or is related to) the name of that community. In other words, it's how the residents of Ottawa refer to themselves. It's important to note that there aren't any rules for taking a community's name and turning it into a demonym. A demonym is informal and while the majority of Ottawa may use one name, keep in mind that others may use something different. |
| <4> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Ottawa - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <5> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <6> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |