Welcome to Ottumwa ...
Ottumwa is located in Haakon County<1>.
The pronunciation of Ottumwa: uh-TUHM-wuh<2>
While we don't have a date for the founding of Ottumwa, you might consider that their post office opened in 1904.
When the people of Ottumwa refer to themselves (known as a demonym), they frequently use Ottumwan<3>
Ottumwa is 2,230 feet [680 m] above sea level.<4> In other words, the altitude of Ottumwa is about ½ mile above sea level.
Time Zone: Ottumwa lies in the Mountain Time Zone (MST/MDT) and observes daylight saving time
Note: If you travel east from Ottumwa (for example, toward Pierre), you will leave Mountain Time and cross into the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT).
Area Code for Ottumwa: 605
Communities Also Named Ottumwa ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 2 communities that are also named Ottumwa - they are located in Iowa and Kansas.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Ottumwa.
Communities near Ottumwa ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Ottumwa.
- Midland
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midland
- Midland is located in Haakon County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 124 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Midland <5>
- Moenville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north) - Nowlin
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south) - Hayes
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hayes have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayes
- Hayes is located in Stanley County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hayes <5>
- Capa ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capa
- Capa is located in Jones County
- Philip
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philip
- Philip is located in Haakon County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 753 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Philip <5>
- Milesville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milesville
- Milesville is located in Haakon County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Milesville <5>
- Cherry Creek
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Creek
- Cherry Creek is located in Ziebach County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cherry Creek <5>
- Belvidere
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Belvidere have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belvidere
- Belvidere is located in Jackson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 56 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Belvidere <5>
- Kadoka
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kadoka
- Kadoka is located in Jackson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 709 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kadoka <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 Ottumwa. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Ottumwa.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Ottumwa. 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 Ottumwa.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Ottumwa. See our Newspapers Page for Ottumwa.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Ottumwa ...
Looking for more information about Ottumwa? 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 Ottumwa, there are neighboring communities that do have Tourism pages. A map of those communities can be found with our TripAdvisor Page for Ottumwa.
Adding Ottumwa to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Ottumwa 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 Ottumwa was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<8>
X2X - From that list, the Ottumwa post office opened in 1904.
For more details, see References and Mentions for Ottumwa.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Ottumwa. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of South Dakota: https://www.sd.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of South Dakota's counties, including Haakon, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | The pronunciation we've provided is our attempt to give a phonetic pronunciation for Ottumwa. While it might not be exactly right, hopefully it will be close. If we have it wrong or there's a better way to pronounce the name, please contact us through our Feedback Page. |
| <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 Ottumwa 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 Ottumwa may use one name, keep in mind that others may use something different. |
| <4> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Ottumwa - 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> | 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> | 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. |
| <8> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |