Le Mars, Iowa
Le Mars is a city of 10,640 people in Plymouth County, Iowa, founded in 1869.
Why visit Le Mars
Townapedia lists 11 museums and landmarks, 14 parks and trails, 19 places to eat, 4 places to stay and 5 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Royal 3 Cinemas, Westmar University, Le Mars Public Library and Foster Park Historic District.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 84°F; January lows average 7°F, and about 31 inches of snow fall in a normal year.
Weather in Le Mars
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Le Mars
Le Mars is a city and the county seat of Plymouth County, Iowa, United States. It is located on the Floyd River northeast of Sioux City. The population was 10,571 at the time of the 2020 census. Le Mars is located within America Township and is part of the Sioux City metropolitan area.
From the Wikipedia article Le Mars, Iowa (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do5
Westmar University
School · 0.5 mi
Private university in Le Mars, Iowa, U.S. (1887–1997)
Museums and landmarks11
Le Mars Public Library
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.7 mi
Library in Le Mars, Iowa, United States
46 1st Avenue Southeast, Le Mars
Foster Park Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.4 mi
Historic district in Le Mars, Iowa
Le Mars Downtown Commercial Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.9 mi
Historic district in Iowa, United States
Le Mars Municipal Park and Golf Course Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.9 mi
Historic district in Le Mars, Iowa
Plymouth County Courthouse
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.8 mi
Courthouse in Iowa, United States
Plymouth County Historical Museum
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.6 mi
High school in Le Mars, Plymouth County, Iowa
Reeves Farmstead Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.9 mi
Building in Iowa, United States
Sacred Heart Hospital
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.6 mi
Historic building located in Le Mars, Iowa, United States
Tonsfeldt Round Barn
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.3 mi
Round barn in Le Mars, Iowa
Parks, trails and playgrounds14
2 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes19
P's Pizza House
Restaurant
630 8th Avenue Southwest, Le Mars
We-Fr 14:45-22:00; Sa 11:00-22:00; Su 11:00-20:00
Bellissimo Coffeeworks
Cafe · Coffee Shop · 0.4 mi
410 Southwest 4 Street, Le Mars
Iowa Barbeque Company
Restaurant · Barbecue · 0.8 mi
100 Plymouth Street Northwest, Le Mars
Wells Visitor Center & Ice Cream Parlor
Ice cream · 1.0 mi
115 Central Avenue Northwest, Le Mars
Taco Bell
Fast food · Tex-Mex · 0.8 mi
1255 Silent Prairie Road, Le Mars
Su-Th 10:00-23:00; Fr-Sa 10:00-24:00
7 more on the map.
History
Le Mars is the home of Wells Enterprises, Inc., world's largest producer of ice cream novelties in one location and claims to be the "Ice Cream Capital of the World."
In 1866, Benjamin F. Betsworth was the first settler in the town which came to be known as Le Mars; he homesteaded on the Floyd River and built the town's first schoolhouse.
Le Mars was platted three years later but no lots were sold until the Iowa Falls and Sioux City Railroad Company, a subsidiary of the Iowa Falls and Sioux City Railroad (later part of the Illinois Central Railroad), completed its trackage from Le Mars southwardly to Sioux City in 1870.
Railroad magnate John I. Blair hosted an excursion to the new town, which was then called St. Paul Junction because of its 1871 connection to St. Paul on the nascent Sioux City & St. Paul Railroad. Blair asked the women in the party to name the town, and they submitted an acronym based upon their first names' initials: Lucy Ford and Laura Walker, Ellen Cleghorn or Elizabeth Underhill, Martha Weare and Mary Weare, Adeline Swain, Rebecca Smith and Sarah Reynolds. (Note that some letters represent more than one person.) There was some subsequent uncertainty about who the women of the acronym actually were. For example, the city's web page contains a somewhat different list.
From the History section of Le Mars, Iowa on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay4
Churches and places of worship16
St. George's Episcopal Church
Church · National Register of Historic Places · 0.6 mi
Shopping4
Gas and EV charging3
Schools, colleges and libraries11
Healthcare2
Map of Le Mars
89 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27°F | 7°F | 0.7 in | 7.8 in |
| Feb | 32°F | 11°F | 0.9 in | 7.5 in |
| Mar | 46°F | 23°F | 1.9 in | 4.6 in |
| Apr | 60°F | 34°F | 3.1 in | 1.9 in |
| May | 72°F | 47°F | 3.9 in | 0.1 in |
| Jun | 81°F | 58°F | 4.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 84°F | 62°F | 3.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 82°F | 59°F | 4.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 76°F | 50°F | 3.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 62°F | 37°F | 2.4 in | 0.4 in |
| Nov | 46°F | 24°F | 1.3 in | 2.6 in |
| Dec | 32°F | 13°F | 1.0 in | 6.0 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Le Mars Hcn (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
Plymouth County has had 9 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for severe storms.
- 2024-06-24: Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes (Severe Storm)
- 2020-03-23: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2019-03-23: Severe Storms And Flooding (Flood)
- 2014-07-24: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding (Flood)
- 2013-07-02: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Le Mars Municipal Airport (LRJ) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 1 miles away.
- Orange City 16 mi north, about 26 min by car
- Alton 16 mi northeast, about 27 min by car
- Kingsley 17 mi southeast, about 27 min by car
- Sioux Center 20 mi north, about 33 min by car
- Akron 20 mi west, about 32 min by car
- Moville 21 mi south, about 34 min by car
- Hawarden 22 mi northwest, about 35 min by car
- Sioux City 23 mi southwest, about 36 min by car
- North Sioux City 24 mi southwest, about 38 min by car
- South Sioux City 25 mi southwest, about 41 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
- Le Mars Public Library Facade, Lemarslibrary, CC BY-SA 4.0
- LeMarsIA LeMarsCentralHighSchool, Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0
- LeMarsIA FormerSacredHeartHospital, Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0
- LeMarsIA TonsfeldRoundBarn, Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0
- LeMarsIA ReevesFarmstead, Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0
- LeMarsIA MunicipalPark3, Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Plymouth County IA Courthouse, Scott Romine, CC BY-SA 4.0
- LeMarsIA Downtown, Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 08-29-12 0038a LeMars Total Sales, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 08-29-12 0010a LeMars Total Sales, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 08-29-12 0020a LeMars Total Sales, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 08-29-12 0009a LeMars Total Sales, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 08-29-12 0029a LeMars Total Sales, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 08-29-12 0003a LeMars Total Sales, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 08-29-12 0028a LeMars Total Sales, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 08-29-12 0002a LeMars Total Sales, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 08-29-12 0016a LeMars Total Sales, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 08-29-12 0026a LeMars Total Sales, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 08-29-12 0005a LeMars Total Sales, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 08-29-12 0004a LeMars Total Sales, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 08-29-12 0031a LeMars Total Sales, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 08-29-12 0021a LeMars Total Sales, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 08-29-12 0042a LeMars Total Sales, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 08-29-12 0030a LeMars Total Sales, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 08-29-12 0014a LeMars Total Sales, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 08-29-12 0034a LeMars Total Sales, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 08-29-12 0017a LeMars Total Sales, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 08-29-12 0006a LeMars Total Sales, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 08-29-12 0033a LeMars Total Sales, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 08-29-12 0001a LeMars Total Sales, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 08-29-12 0011a LeMars Total Sales, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 08-29-12 0037a LeMars Total Sales, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 08-29-12 0039a LeMars Total Sales, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 08-29-12 0035a LeMars Total Sales, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 08-29-12 0007a LeMars Total Sales, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 08-29-12 0018a LeMars Total Sales, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 08-29-12 0027a LeMars Total Sales, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 08-29-12 0019a LeMars Total Sales, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 08-29-12 0022a LeMars Total Sales, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 08-29-12 0012a LeMars Total Sales, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
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