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Why visit Spencer
Townapedia lists 9 museums and landmarks, 19 parks and trails, 18 places to eat, 5 places to stay and 2 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Little Sioux River Bridge, Southpark 7 Theatres, Adams-Higgins House and Clay County Courthouse.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 84°F; January lows average 7°F, and about 43 inches of snow fall in a normal year.
Weather in Spencer
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Spencer
Spencer is a city in the state of Iowa, United States, and the county seat of Clay County. It is located at the confluence of the Little Sioux and Ocheyedan rivers. The population was 11,325 in the 2020 census, an increase from 11,317 in 2000. Spencer hosts the Clay County Fair, held annually in September and averaging more than 300,000 visitors.
From the Wikipedia article Spencer, Iowa (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do2
Little Sioux River Bridge
Bridge · National Register of Historic Places · 1.4 mi
Building in Iowa, United States
Museums and landmarks9
Adams-Higgins House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.4 mi
United States historic place
Clay County Courthouse
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.4 mi
Historic courthouse in Spencer, Iowa, USA
Grand Avenue Historic Commercial District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.5 mi
Nationally recognized historic district located in Spencer, Iowa, United States
North Grand Avenue Residential Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.5 mi
Nationally recognized historic district located in Spencer, Iowa, United States
Spencer High School and Auditorium
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.7 mi
High school in Spencer, Clay County, Iowa
Parks, trails and playgrounds19
7 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes18
6 more on the map.
History
When Clay County was established in 1851, it had no local government and official business was done out of Sergeant's Bluff, nearly 100 miles away on the Missouri River. In 1859, Judge Hubbard of Iowa's 4th Judicial District authorized a committee to find a site for the county seat. This committee selected "Section 20 of Spencer Township", located roughly in the center of the county near the confluence of "Sioux River and Ocheydan Creek", as the site for the "seat of justice". County Judge Charles Smeltzer approved their plan and began signing documents with the location "Spencer, Clay County, Iowa", even though he was not physically there. A small group of land speculators had cleared the area and laid out a town plan, but there were no people living in that area at the time. Most of Clay County's residents were living in Peterson Township, in the far southeastern corner of the county. Put to a vote, Peterson was chosen as the County Seat and a courthouse erected there. The site of the proposed town languished, uninhabited, for many years, the area coming to be called "Spencer Grove".
From the History section of Spencer, Iowa on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay5
AmericInn by Wyndham Spencer
Motel and hotel · 1.6 mi
1005 13th Street Southwest, Spencer
Days Inn by Wyndham Hotel Spencer IA
Motel and hotel · 1.5 mi
10 11th Street Southwest Plaza, Spencer
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Spencer
Motel and hotel · 1.6 mi
916 13th Street Southwest, Spencer
Churches and places of worship23
Spencer Seventh-day Adventist Church
Church · Seventh Day Adventist · 1.3 mi
1910 10th Avenue East, Spencer
Shopping6
Schools, colleges and libraries13
Healthcare3
Map of Spencer
98 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25°F | 7°F | 0.7 in | 9.8 in |
| Feb | 30°F | 11°F | 0.8 in | 8.9 in |
| Mar | 43°F | 24°F | 1.7 in | 5.9 in |
| Apr | 58°F | 35°F | 3.5 in | 3.0 in |
| May | 70°F | 47°F | 4.2 in | 0.1 in |
| Jun | 80°F | 58°F | 4.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 84°F | 62°F | 3.7 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 81°F | 59°F | 3.8 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 75°F | 50°F | 3.3 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 60°F | 37°F | 2.4 in | 0.7 in |
| Nov | 44°F | 24°F | 1.4 in | 5.3 in |
| Dec | 30°F | 13°F | 1.0 in | 9.6 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Spencer 1 N 72650 (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
Clay County has had 15 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for severe storms.
- 2024-06-24: Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes (Severe Storm)
- 2024-05-24: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding (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)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Northwest Iowa Regional Airport (SPW) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 3 miles away.
- Everly 8 mi west, about 14 min by car
- Royal 9 mi southwest, about 14 min by car
- Milford 13 mi north, about 22 min by car
- Ruthven 13 mi east, about 21 min by car
- West Okoboji 14 mi north, about 22 min by car
- Arnolds Park 15 mi north, about 24 min by car
- Wahpeton 15 mi north, about 25 min by car
- Hartley 16 mi west, about 27 min by car
- Okoboji 17 mi north, about 27 min by car
- Storm Lake 35 mi south, 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
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
- Clay County IA Courthouse, Scott Romine, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 09-13-12 0011a, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 09-13-12 0024a waiting to show, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 09-13-12 0037a Clay County Fair 2012 one was a ham(4 legged), Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 09-13-12 0027a waiting to show, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 09-14-12 0059a first one ropes the head other ropes a rear leg, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 09-14-12 0077a, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 09-14-12 0042a first one ropes the head other ropes a rear leg, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 09-13-12 0013a, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 09-13-12 0017a queued waiting to show, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 09-13-12 0038a, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 09-13-12 0042a queued waiting to show, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 09-14-12 0103a, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 09-14-12 0060a first one ropes the head other ropes a rear leg, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 09-13-12 0032a waiting to show, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 09-13-12 0020a queued waiting to show, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 09-14-12 0075a, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 09-13-12 0016a waiting to show, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 09-13-12 0029a Dan helping, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 09-13-12 0006a making the hooves look nice, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 09-13-12 0022a queued waiting to show, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 09-13-12 0025a waiting to show, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 09-13-12 0012a, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 09-13-12 0063a chain saw art carvings, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 09-13-12 0036a waiting to show, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 09-13-12 0034a waiting to show, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 09-13-12 0033a waiting to show, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 09-13-12 0044a queued waiting to show, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 09-13-12 0035a waiting to show, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 09-13-12 0031a Clay County Fair, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 09-13-12 0057a first time at the fair, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 09-14-12 0104a, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 09-13-12 0043a queued waiting to show, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 09-13-12 0028b waiting to show, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 09-13-12 0028a waiting to show, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 09-13-12 0021a queued waiting to show, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 09-13-12 0025b waiting to show, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 09-14-12 0095a, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 09-13-12 0014a if i had thumbs i could do 3D too, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 09-13-12 0009a, Jim Frost from Sioux City, USA, CC BY 2.0
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