Why visit Onawa
Townapedia lists 6 museums and landmarks, 6 parks and trails, 3 places to eat, 2 places to stay and 2 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Iowa Theater, Onawa Public Library, Monona County Courthouse and Lewis and Clark State Park.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 86°F; January lows average 8°F, and about 31 inches of snow fall in a normal year.
Weather in Onawa
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Onawa
Onawa is a city in and the county seat of Monona County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,906 at the time of the 2020 Census. It is the largest town on the Iowa side of the Missouri River between Council Bluffs and Sioux City.
From the Wikipedia article Onawa, Iowa (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do2
Museums and landmarks6
Onawa Public Library
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places
Public library in Iowa
707 Iowa Avenue, Onawa
Mo,We 11:00-18:00; Tu,Th 11:00-20:00; Fr,Sa 11:00-17:00
Monona County Courthouse
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places
County courthouse in Iowa, United States of America
Newell A. Whiting House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.4 mi
Building in Iowa, United States
Onawa IOOF Opera House
Cinema and theater · National Register of Historic Places
Theater in Onawa, Iowa, United States
Parks, trails and playgrounds6
Lewis and Clark State Park
Park · 4.1 mi
Park in Monona County, Iowa, United States of America
Restaurants and cafes3
History
Onawa was named for a character mentioned in the poem The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Onawa was platted in 1857, and the railway arrived to the city in 1867. The city is known for having the widest main street in the continental United States.
Onawa was the site of a prisoner-of-war (POW) camp for captured German soldiers between 1944 and 1946. Historical documents indicate there were never more than 50 POWs in camp. A larger camp existed near the central Iowa town of Algona, and housed as many as 5,400 German POWs.
From the History section of Onawa, Iowa on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay2
Churches and places of worship10
Shopping2
Gas and EV charging3
Schools, colleges and libraries6
Healthcare2
Map of Onawa
42 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30°F | 8°F | 0.5 in | 7.9 in |
| Feb | 36°F | 12°F | 0.8 in | 6.6 in |
| Mar | 50°F | 24°F | 1.6 in | 4.5 in |
| Apr | 63°F | 35°F | 3.3 in | 1.8 in |
| May | 74°F | 48°F | 4.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 83°F | 59°F | 4.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 86°F | 63°F | 3.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 84°F | 59°F | 4.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 78°F | 50°F | 3.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 65°F | 37°F | 2.3 in | 0.3 in |
| Nov | 49°F | 24°F | 1.5 in | 2.8 in |
| Dec | 34°F | 14°F | 0.7 in | 7.1 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Onawa 3Nw (3 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
Monona County has had 14 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for severe storms.
- 2025-05-21: Severe Winter Storm (Winter Storm)
- 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)
- 2013-07-02: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Sioux Gateway Airport (SUX) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 30 miles away.
- Dunlap 28 mi southeast, about 45 min by car
- Logan 30 mi southeast, about 49 min by car
- Moville 32 mi north, about 52 min by car
- South Sioux City 34 mi northwest, about 55 min by car
- Missouri Valley 34 mi south, about 54 min by car
- Sioux City 36 mi northwest, about 58 min by car
- Denison 38 mi east, about 1 h by car
- Ida Grove 38 mi northeast, about 1 h by car
- Fremont 45 mi southwest, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Omaha 53 mi south, about 1 h 30 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
- MONONA COUNTY COURTHOUSE, ONAWA, IOWA, JERRYE AND ROY KLOTZ MD, CC BY-SA 3.0
- ONAWA PUBLIC LIBRARY, MONINA COUNTY, IOWA, JERRYE AND ROY KLOTZ MD, CC BY-SA 3.0
- NEWELL A. WHITING HOUSE, MONONA COUNTY, IOWA, JERRYE AND ROY KLOTZ MD, CC BY-SA 3.0
- ONAWA IOOF OPERA HOUSE, MONONA COUNTY, IOWA, JERRYE AND ROY KLOTZ MD, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Keelboat at Lewis & Clark State Park, John Workman, CC BY-SA 4.0
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