Map of Albia city

Albia is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, in southern Iowa, United States. The population was 3,721 at the 2020 census.

The city of Albia is known for its historic square and city-wide Victorian Architecture. Albia is also known for the annual “Restoration” days celebration which commemorates the refurbishment of the square and the town which began in the mid-1960s.

Albia city overview:
Name:	Albia city
LSAD Code:	25
LSAD Description:	city (suffix)
State:	Iowa
County:	Monroe County
Elevation:	961 ft (293 m)
Total Area:	3.23 sq mi (8.37 km²)
Land Area:	3.23 sq mi (8.37 km²)
Water Area:	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km²)
Total Population:	3,721
Population Density:	1,151.30/sq mi (444.50/km²)
ZIP code:	52531
Area code:	641
FIPS code:	1900910
GNISfeature ID:	0454114
Website:	www.albia.com

Online Interactive Map

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Albia online map. Source: Basemap layers from Google Map, Open Street Map (OSM), Arcgisonline, Wmflabs. Boundary Data from Database of Global Administrative Areas.

Albia location map. Where is Albia city?

Albia location on the U.S. Map. Where is Albia city. — Albia location on the U.S. Map.

Albia location on the Iowa map. Where is Albia city. — Location of Albia in Iowa.

History

Albia was incorporated as a town in 1856. The town was named after Albia, New York, the former home of an early settler.

On Feb. 14, 1893, there was a coal mine explosion in the Chicago and Iowa mine, about 2.5 miles west of Albia. This room and pillar mine had opened around 1877. By the time of the explosion, mining extended more than 1,000 yards from the hoisting shaft, and the mine employed 60 miners and 20 other men. One miner was killed outright and seven died later of their injuries, after a “shot” (gunpowder charge used to bring down the coal) ignited a dust explosion in the mine. This was one of only two major mine disasters in Iowa between 1888 and 1913.

In the early 20th century, the region around Albia was dotted with coal mining camps and company towns. Of these, Buxton, 9 miles north of Albia, is the most widely studied. It had a large Black population. Other former coal camps in the area include Hiteman, Bluff Creek, Lockman, Coalfield, Hocking, and Hynes.

The growth in membership in the United Mine Workers union, as shown by the following data, is a useful measure of the importance of mining in the region. In 1902, UMW Locals 692 and 793 in Albia had an aggregate membership of 216. By 1912, UMW Locals 407, 782 and 793 in Albia had an aggregate membership of 338 (about 7.2% of the 1910 population). Miners in Hiteman, 5 miles northwest of town, joined the UMWA in 1898; between 1902 and 1912, membership grew from 450 to 688. Miners in Hynes, 7 miles east, joined the UMWA in 1896; between 1902 and 1912, membership grew from 330 to 543.