Welcome to Shelby ...
The city of Shelby is primarily located in Shelby County<1>. A portion of Shelby extends into Pottawattamie County.
The location of Shelby has been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (ie- the GNIS).<2>
While we don't have a date for the founding of Shelby, you might consider that their post office opened in 1870.
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Shelby has a population of 614 people<3> (see below for details).
Shelby is 1,310 feet [399 m] above sea level.<4>.
Time Zone: Shelby lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time
Shelby is within the boundaries of the (712) area code.
The ZIP code for Shelby: 51570<5>
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Shelby had an population of 614 people. This is a decrease of 4.21% since the 2010 Census (or a decrease of 11.78% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Shelby had a population of 641 people (or 5.27% of the total population of Shelby County). This makes Shelby the county's 3rd most populous community.
The population of Shelby represents 0.02% of the total population of Iowa (which has 3,046,355 people), making it the state's 400th most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 641 people, the population of Shelby decreased 7.9% from the 2000 Census (with a count of 696 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Shelby.
Communities Also Named Shelby ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 23 communities that are also named Shelby - they are located in Alabama, Indiana (2), Kentucky (2), Michigan (3), Mississippi (2), Missouri (2), Montana, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia (2) and Wisconsin.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Shelby.
Communities near Shelby ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Shelby.
- Harlan
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harlan
- Harlan is located in Shelby County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,795 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harlan <6>
- Avoca
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Avoca have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avoca
- Avoca is located in Pottawattamie County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,537 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Avoca <6>
- Oakland
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
- Oakland is located in Pottawattamie County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,491 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oakland <6>
- Logan
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Logan
- Logan is located in Harrison County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,403 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Logan <6>
- Underwood
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Underwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Underwood
- Underwood is located in Pottawattamie County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 965 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Underwood <6>
- Neola
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neola
- Neola is located in Pottawattamie County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 890 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Neola <6>
- Carson
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carson
- Carson is located in Pottawattamie County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 813 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Carson <6>
- Walnut
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east) - Minden
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Minden have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minden
- Minden is located in Pottawattamie County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 597 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Minden <6>
- Earling
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
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 Shelby. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Shelby.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Shelby. 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 Shelby.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Shelby. See our Newspapers Page for Shelby.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Shelby ...
Looking for more information about Shelby? 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 Shelby, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Shelby.
Adding Shelby to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Shelby 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 Shelby was in the book titled List of Post Offices in the United States (1870).
We also found Shelby in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Shelby.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Shelby. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Shelby County: www.shco.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 Shelby, 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> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Shelby. |
| <4> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Shelby - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <5> | 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 Shelby). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Shelby or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <6> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |