Welcome to Watkins ...
Watkins is located in Benton County<1>.
While we don't have a date for the founding of Watkins, you might consider that their post office opened in 1873.
Watkins is 830 feet [253 m] above sea level.<2>.
Time Zone: Watkins lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time
Area Code for Watkins: 319
The ZIP code for Watkins: 52354<3>
Communities Also Named Watkins ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 26 communities that are also named Watkins - they are located in Alabama, Arkansas (2), Colorado (2), Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri (2), Montana (2), North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee (2), Texas (3), Virginia and West Virginia.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Watkins.
Communities near Watkins ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Watkins.
- Cedar Rapids
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Hiawatha
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hiawatha have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hiawatha
- Hiawatha is located in Linn County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,466 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hiawatha <4>
- Vinton
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Williamsburg
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Williamsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsburg
- Williamsburg is located in Iowa County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,179 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Williamsburg <4>
- Fairfax
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairfax have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfax
- Fairfax is located in Linn County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,934 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fairfax <4>
- Marengo
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marengo have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marengo
- Marengo is located in Iowa County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,466 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marengo <4>
- Belle Plaine
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Atkins
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Walford
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Palo
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
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 Watkins. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Watkins.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Watkins. 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 Watkins.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Watkins. See our Newspapers Page for Watkins.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Watkins ...
Looking for more information about Watkins? 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 Watkins, there are neighboring communities that do have Tourism pages. A map of those communities can be found with our TripAdvisor Page for Watkins.
Adding Watkins to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Watkins 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 Watkins was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<6>
From that list, the Watkins post office opened in 1873.
We also found Watkins in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Watkins.
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Iowa's counties, including Benton, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Watkins - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <3> | 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 community (such as Watkins). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Watkins or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <4> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <5> | 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. |
| <6> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at:
https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |