Why visit Primghar
Townapedia lists 1 museum or landmark, 3 parks and trails, 1 place to eat and 1 place to stay in and around town.
Highlights include O'Brien County Courthouse and Primghar Golf and Country Club.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 85°F; January lows average 9°F, and about 35 inches of snow fall in a normal year.
Weather in Primghar
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Primghar
Primghar is a city in, and the county seat of, O'Brien County, Iowa, United States. The population was 896 at the time of the 2020 census. Primghar is 23.5 miles south of Iowa State Highway 9, 28 miles east of Sioux Center, and 6.75 miles north of Iowa State Highway 10.
From the Wikipedia article Primghar, Iowa (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks1
O'Brien County Courthouse
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places
County courthouse in Iowa, United States of America
Parks, trails and playgrounds3
Restaurants and cafes1
Pizza Ranch
Restaurant · Pizza · 0.4 mi
103 1st Street Southeast, Primghar
Mo-Fr 11:00-21:00; Sa 17:00-21:00
Where to stay1
History
In a brief history of O'Brien County, Arthur M. Schierholz states: "the courthouse location in (the county of) O'Brien in the extreme southeast corner of the county became a growing issue. To resolve the matter, an election was held on November 11, 1872, to determine the location of the courthouse." A total of 360 votes were cast, with 307 voting to move the courthouse to the exact geographical center of the county. Another historian wrote, "Probably the only case in Iowa, perhaps anywhere, where a bare spot of raw prairie was actually voted to be the county seat." This eventually became the town of Primghar. The present O'Brien County Courthouse was completed in 1917. The name Primghar was received from the first letter of eight people (Pumphrey, Roberts, Inman, McCormack, Green, Hayes, Albright, Rerick) who had a major part in platting the town.
From the History section of Primghar, Iowa on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship5
Shopping2
Shea True Value Hardware
Hardware store · 0.4 mi
115 South Green Avenue, Primghar
Schools, colleges and libraries3
Map of Primghar
16 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27°F | 9°F | 0.8 in | 8.4 in |
| Feb | 32°F | 14°F | 0.9 in | 6.7 in |
| Mar | 46°F | 26°F | 1.7 in | 6.2 in |
| Apr | 60°F | 37°F | 3.3 in | 2.4 in |
| May | 72°F | 49°F | 4.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 82°F | 60°F | 5.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 85°F | 64°F | 3.9 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 82°F | 62°F | 3.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 76°F | 53°F | 3.3 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 62°F | 40°F | 2.3 in | 0.4 in |
| Nov | 45°F | 27°F | 1.5 in | 2.5 in |
| Dec | 31°F | 15°F | 1.0 in | 8.2 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Primghar (0 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
O'Brien County has had 11 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)
- 2018-08-20: 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
Northwest Iowa Regional Airport (SPW) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 22 miles away.
- Alton 21 mi west, about 33 min by car
- Spencer 24 mi east, about 39 min by car
- Lake Park 29 mi northeast, about 47 min by car
- Le Mars 35 mi southwest, about 56 min by car
- Worthington 37 mi north, about 1 h by car
- Storm Lake 37 mi southeast, about 1 h by car
- Kingsley 39 mi southwest, about 1 h by car
- Moville 47 mi southwest, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Larchwood 48 mi northwest, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Akron 51 mi west, 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
- 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
- O'Brien County IA Courthouse, Scott Romine, CC BY-SA 4.0
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