Map of Sabula city

Sabula is a city in Jackson County, Iowa, United States. The population was 506 at the 2020 census. Sabula is the site of Iowa’s only island city. The island has a beach and a campground, as well as a harbor with boat docks and storage sheds to store boats during the winter. Because of its proximity to Chicago (three-hour drive), Sabula has become a popular vacation destination during the summer months. Sabula is the northern terminus of U.S. Route 67, a 1,560 mile (2,511 km) long north–south highway in the Central United States. The southern terminus of the route is at the United States–Mexico border in Presidio, Texas.

Sabula city overview:
Name:	Sabula city
LSAD Code:	25
LSAD Description:	city (suffix)
State:	Iowa
County:	Jackson County
Incorporated:	September 1864
Elevation:	591 ft (180 m)
Total Area:	1.46 sq mi (3.77 km²)
Land Area:	0.49 sq mi (1.28 km²)
Water Area:	0.96 sq mi (2.49 km²)
Total Population:	506
Population Density:	1,024.29/sq mi (395.21/km²)
ZIP code:	52070
Area code:	563
FIPS code:	1969510
GNISfeature ID:	0460877

Online Interactive Map

Click on to view map in "full screen" mode.

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

Sabula location map. Where is Sabula city?

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

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

History

Sabula was established in 1835 when, according to legend, Isaac Dorman crossed the river from the Illinois side on a log and decided to settle on the present site of Sabula. Sabula is a name of French origin meaning “sand”; this refers to the sandy soil of the area.

In the late 19th century the principal industries in the community included a large “pearl button” factory—which produced buttons from clam shells harvested from large clam beds located in the river adjacent to the shoreline. (The factory is no longer there.) The thriving community also supported a large hog slaughtering industry.

The community did not actually become an island until the lock and dam system was constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers on the upper Mississippi in the 1930s. The construction of Lock and Dam No. 13 between Clinton, Iowa and Fulton, Illinois in 1939 left the lowlands west of the townsite permanently flooded, creating the “Island City,” as the town is now known.

Sabula Road Map

Sabula city Satellite Map

Geography

Sabula is located at 42°4′4″N 90°10′27″W / 42.06778°N 90.17417°W / 42.06778; -90.17417 (42.067866, −90.174270).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.26 square miles (3.26 km), of which 0.40 square miles (1.04 km) is land and 0.86 square miles (2.23 km) is water.

Sabula is connected to Iowa via a roadway that runs between two lakes and with Savanna, Illinois, by another roadway that leads to a bridge that crosses the Mississippi River.