Why visit Iowa
Townapedia lists 1 park or trail, 5 places to eat and 4 places to stay in and around town.
Weather in Iowa
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Iowa
Iowa () is a town in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 3,436 in 2020. It is part of the Lake Charles metropolitan statistical area.
From the Wikipedia article Iowa, Louisiana (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Parks, trails and playgrounds1
Restaurants and cafes5
Where to stay4
Churches and places of worship2
Saint Raphael Catholic Church
Church · Roman Catholic · 0.4 mi
211 North Thompson Avenue, Iowa
Saint Peter Claver Catholic Church
Church · Roman Catholic · 0.6 mi
503 West 2nd, Iowa
History
The history of this region is filled with stories of the early Midwestern settlers from Kansas, Illinois and Iowa, of the Acadians (Cajuns), and of Jean Lafitte's pirates. The community of Iowa was developed in the mid-19th century.
The railroad that cut through this country brought settlers who were lured to the prairie land for rice farming, cattle raising and later oil fields. Much of southwest Louisiana was developed by the North American Land and Timber Co. Seaman A. Knapp, president of the Iowa State College of Agriculture, was engaged in 1885 to demonstrate the suitability of the region for rice production. Knapp attracted a number of Iowans to settle the area. The settlers were lured to this area by advertisements published in newspapers in the midwestern states.
Iowa experienced a growth boom when oil was struck in 1930 and oil companies came to try their luck in the Iowa oil and gas fields. Even though this was the Great Depression era, Iowa thrived as more men came to work in the oil fields.
Today, oil continues to be a vital part of the town's economy, as are farming and cattle.
The town of "Iowa" is actually pronounced with the long A sound at the end ("EYE-uh-way"), opposed to the pronunciation of the state of Iowa.
From the History section of Iowa, Louisiana on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Shopping1
Gas and EV charging3
Schools, colleges and libraries5
Map of Iowa
21 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
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
Calcasieu Parish has had 34 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for hurricanes.
- 2026-01-24: Severe Winter Storm (Winter Storm)
- 2024-09-10: Tropical Storm Francine (Hurricane)
- 2021-09-13: Tropical Storm Nicholas (Coastal Storm)
- 2021-08-29: Hurricane Ida (Hurricane)
- 2021-08-27: Tropical Storm Ida (Hurricane)
- 2021-06-02: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding (Flood)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Chennault International Airport (CWF) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 8 miles away.
- Lake Charles 12 mi west, about 20 min by car
- Moss Bluff 13 mi west, about 20 min by car
- Sulphur 21 mi west, about 33 min by car
- Carlyss 22 mi west, about 35 min by car
- DeQuincy 30 mi northwest, about 48 min by car
- Egan 30 mi east, about 49 min by car
- Crowley 38 mi east, about 1 h by car
- Orange 45 mi west, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Church Point 49 mi east, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Duson 49 mi east, about 1 h 15 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
- 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
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
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