Why visit Ely
Townapedia lists 7 museums and landmarks, 4 parks and trails and 2 places to eat in and around town.
Highlights include Dows Street Historic District and Ely School House.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 83°F; January lows average 11°F.
Weather in Ely
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Ely
Ely is a city in Linn County, Iowa. The population was 2,328 at the time of the 2020 census. It is part of the Cedar Rapids metropolitan area.
From the Wikipedia article Ely, Iowa (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks7
Dows Street Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.6 mi
Historic district in Iowa, United States
Ely School House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.7 mi
Historic building located in Ely, Iowa, United States
Jan F. and Antonie Janko Farmstead District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.0 mi
Historic district and farm in Linn County, Iowa
Joseph and Clara Amanda H. Moorhead House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.9 mi
House in Putnam Township, Linn County, Iowa
Josias L. and Elizabeth A. Minor Farmstead District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.1 mi
Agricultural historic district located northwest of Ely, Iowa, United States
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Podhajsky-Jansa Farmstead District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.1 mi
Agricultural historic district located southwest of Ely, Iowa, United States
Parks, trails and playgrounds4
Restaurants and cafes2
Churches and places of worship1
History
Ely was platted in June 1872 by T.M. Johnson. The town is named after John F. Ely, who was one of the pioneers of Linn county, a prominent railroad builder in the early days and one of the officers and stockholders of the Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway.
After the railroad was established in town more buildings were erected including a warehouse by Andrew Fuhrmeister, a store building by Jerry Smith, a bar, and a drug and hardware store were also built as more and more people began moving into town.
From the History section of Ely, Iowa on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Gas and EV charging1
Schools, colleges and libraries11
Prairie Early Childhood Center
School · 3.9 mi
125 Prairie Hill Ct Sw, Cedar Rapids
Prairie Hill Elementary School
School · 3.9 mi
151 Prairie Hill Ct Sw, Cedar Rapids
Prairie View Elementary School
School · 4.1 mi
251 Prairie Hill Ct Sw, Cedar Rapids
Map of Ely
26 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28°F | 11°F | 0.9 in |
| Feb | 33°F | 16°F | 1.2 in |
| Mar | 46°F | 27°F | 2.0 in |
| Apr | 60°F | 38°F | 3.6 in |
| May | 71°F | 50°F | 4.2 in |
| Jun | 80°F | 60°F | 5.6 in |
| Jul | 83°F | 63°F | 4.4 in |
| Aug | 81°F | 60°F | 4.1 in |
| Sep | 75°F | 52°F | 3.4 in |
| Oct | 62°F | 40°F | 2.9 in |
| Nov | 46°F | 28°F | 2.0 in |
| Dec | 33°F | 17°F | 1.6 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Cedar Rapids Muni Ap 72545 (7 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Linn County has had 12 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for severe storms.
- 2020-08-17: Severe Storms (Severe Storm)
- 2020-03-23: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2016-10-31: Severe Storms And Flooding (Flood)
- 2014-08-05: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2013-07-02: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Eastern Iowa Airport (CID) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 7 miles away.
- Swisher 6 mi southwest, about 10 min by car
- Cedar Rapids 7 mi northwest, about 12 min by car
- North Liberty 10 mi south, about 15 min by car
- Lisbon 10 mi east, about 17 min by car
- Marion 11 mi north, about 18 min by car
- Coralville 13 mi south, about 20 min by car
- Springville 14 mi northeast, about 22 min by car
- Iowa City 16 mi south, about 26 min by car
- University Heights 16 mi south, about 25 min by car
- Palo 17 mi northwest, about 27 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Dows-Street-Historic-District, ArtisticAbode, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack at Dan and Deb's Creamery in Ely, IA (20220628-OSEC-JJ-0002), USDAgov, Public domain
- FJ Krob Ely Elevator (3), Memekrob, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Ely-School-House, ArtisticAbode, CC BY-SA 3.0
- The Joseph and Clara Amanda H. Moorhead House, Jim Roberts, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Podhajsky-Jansa Farmstead District (House), Jim Roberts, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Josias-Elizabeth-Minor-Farmstead-District, ArtisticAbode, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 20220628-OSEC-JJ-0008 (52183280739), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Public domain
- 20220628-OSEC-JJ-0007 (52183035161), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Public domain
- 20220628-OSEC-JJ-0004 (52183038083), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Public domain
- 20220628-OSEC-JJ-0009 (52183280799), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Public domain
- 20220628-OSEC-JJ-0006 (52183280689), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Public domain
- Jan F. And Antoine Janos Farmstead, Jim Roberts, CC BY-SA 4.0
- ISS037-E-26553 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
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