Why visit Grundy Center
Townapedia lists 1 museum or landmark, 2 parks and trails, 4 places to eat, 1 place to stay and 1 attraction in and around town.
Highlights include Grundy Center Theatre, Grundy County Courthouse and Town and Country Golf Club.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 83°F; January lows average 9°F, and about 32 inches of snow fall in a normal year.
Weather in Grundy Center
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Grundy Center
Grundy Center is a city in Palermo Township, Grundy County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,796 at the time of the 2020 census, a 7.7% increase from 2,596 at the 2000 census. Grundy Center is also the county seat of Grundy County.
From the Wikipedia article Grundy Center, Iowa (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do1
Museums and landmarks1
Grundy County Courthouse
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.4 mi
Courthouse in Iowa, United States
Parks, trails and playgrounds2
Restaurants and cafes4
Poncho Villa
Restaurant · Mexican · 1.0 mi
2103 Commerce Drive, Grundy Center
Tu-Th 11:00-21:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-22:00; Sa 11:00-21:00
South Porch Cider
Bar and pub
Th,Fr 05:00-22:00; Sa 12:00-22:00; Su 14:00-19:00; Mo-We off
History
Grundy Center was incorporated on April 17, 1877, and was named for the county, which was named for Felix Grundy, congressman and senator from Tennessee.
Grundy Center had a bitcoin mining facility, which opened in 2020 and its 1,700 crypto-mining computers used "more electricity than all the town’s homes combined". It was destroyed in a fire in January 2025.
On April 9, 2021, Grundy Center was the site of a nearly six-hour long standoff when resident Michael Lang barricaded himself inside his home after assaulting an officer during a traffic stop near the town. Police surrounded his house and entered it in an attempt to arrest him. Lang fired at the entry team with a shotgun, fatally striking 27-year Iowa State Patrol officer Jim Smith, who was the first Iowa state trooper killed by gunfire since Oran Pape in 1936. Police drove an armored vehicle through the house several hours later, which Lang also fired at. Officers returned fire, nonfatally striking him twice, before arresting him. Lang was sentenced to life in prison without parole the following year. He had previously ran for sheriff of Grundy County in 2020, winning more than a fifth of the county's votes.
From the History section of Grundy Center, Iowa on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay1
AmericInn by Wyndham Grundy Center
Motel and hotel · 1.0 mi
2101 Commerce Drive, Grundy Center
Churches and places of worship5
Gas and EV charging1
Schools, colleges and libraries4
Healthcare1
Map of Grundy Center
20 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26°F | 9°F | 0.8 in | 9.2 in |
| Feb | 31°F | 13°F | 1.0 in | 5.9 in |
| Mar | 44°F | 24°F | 1.9 in | 3.9 in |
| Apr | 59°F | 36°F | 3.9 in | 1.4 in |
| May | 70°F | 48°F | 4.9 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 80°F | 60°F | 5.7 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 83°F | 62°F | 4.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 81°F | 60°F | 4.8 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 75°F | 51°F | 3.3 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 62°F | 38°F | 2.9 in | 0.3 in |
| Nov | 45°F | 26°F | 1.9 in | 2.1 in |
| Dec | 32°F | 15°F | 1.4 in | 9.5 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Grundy Ctr (1 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
Grundy County has had 11 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)
- 2014-08-05: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2013-07-31: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2013-07-02: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Marshalltown Municipal Airport (MIW) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 19 miles away.
- Parkersburg 15 mi north, about 23 min by car
- Eldora 17 mi west, about 27 min by car
- Cedar Falls 20 mi northeast, about 31 min by car
- Waterloo 23 mi northeast, about 37 min by car
- Marshalltown 24 mi south, about 38 min by car
- Shell Rock 26 mi north, about 42 min by car
- Evansdale 27 mi east, about 43 min by car
- Waverly 29 mi northeast, about 47 min by car
- Denver 31 mi northeast, about 49 min by car
- State Center 31 mi southwest, about 50 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
- Grundy County Courthouse, Lolwhynot3498, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Grundy College Dormitory, Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain
- Grundy College, Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain
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