Why visit Sibley
Townapedia lists 2 museums and landmarks, 5 parks and trails, 1 place to eat, 1 place to stay and 1 attraction in and around town.
Highlights include Max Theatres and Osceola County Courthouse.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 82°F; January lows average 5°F, and about 42 inches of snow fall in a normal year.
Weather in Sibley
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Sibley
Sibley is a city and the county seat of Osceola County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,860 at the time of the 2020 census. Hawkeye Point, the highest point in the State of Iowa, is also nearby.
From the Wikipedia article Sibley, Iowa (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do1
Museums and landmarks2
Osceola County Courthouse
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places
Courthouse in Iowa, United States
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Parks, trails and playgrounds5
Restaurants and cafes1
History
Sibley had its start in the year 1872 by the construction of the Sioux City & St. Paul Railroad through that territory. It is the oldest town in Osceola County.
Sibley is named after Henry Hastings Sibley, a prominent general during the Dakota War of 1862, who eventually became the first governor of Minnesota. William L. Harding, governor of Iowa from 1917 to 1921, was born in Sibley in 1877.
In March 2018, the city of Sibley lost a lawsuit brought against it by the ACLU. Local resident Josh Harms had criticized local officials for failing to stop the "rancid dog food" smell coming from a local pork blood processing plant, which he believed would dissuade people from moving to the town. The city of Sibley threatened to sue him and instructed him not to speak to the media about the issue. The ACLU successfully argued that this violated Harms' First Amendment rights to free speech. An injunction was granted, preventing Sibley's officials from "directing Harms not to speak with reporters, threatening to bring a lawsuit, or actually bringing a lawsuit against" Harms.
From the History section of Sibley, Iowa on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay1
Churches and places of worship9
Schools, colleges and libraries5
Healthcare2
Map of Sibley
26 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 23°F | 5°F | 0.7 in | 8.1 in |
| Feb | 28°F | 9°F | 0.8 in | 7.4 in |
| Mar | 41°F | 21°F | 1.6 in | 7.0 in |
| Apr | 56°F | 32°F | 3.2 in | 3.7 in |
| May | 69°F | 46°F | 4.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 79°F | 57°F | 4.9 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 82°F | 60°F | 3.3 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 80°F | 58°F | 3.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 74°F | 49°F | 3.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 60°F | 36°F | 2.3 in | 1.1 in |
| Nov | 43°F | 22°F | 1.4 in | 5.1 in |
| Dec | 28°F | 11°F | 1.1 in | 9.1 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Sibley (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
Osceola County has had 10 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)
- 2014-07-24: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding (Flood)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Worthington Municipal Airport (OTG) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 19 miles away.
- Sheldon 16 mi south, about 26 min by car
- Worthington 17 mi northeast, about 28 min by car
- Rock Rapids 21 mi west, about 34 min by car
- Lake Park 21 mi east, about 34 min by car
- Primghar 23 mi south, about 36 min by car
- Milford 30 mi east, about 49 min by car
- Rock Valley 31 mi southwest, about 49 min by car
- Orange City 32 mi southwest, about 51 min by car
- Alton 32 mi southwest, about 51 min by car
- Spencer 35 mi southeast, about 56 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
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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
- Osceola County Courthouse (Iowa), Skye Marthaler, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Osceola County Courthouse - Sibley, Iowa (44209127824), Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, CC BY 2.0
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