Map of Sheldon city, Iowa

Sheldon is a city in O’Brien and Sioux counties in the U.S. state of Iowa, along the Floyd River. The population was 5,512 at the time of the 2020 census; it is the largest city in O’Brien County.

Sheldon city overview:
Name:	Sheldon city
LSAD Code:	25
LSAD Description:	city (suffix)
State:	Iowa
County:	O’Brien County, Sioux County
Elevation:	1,427 ft (435 m)
Total Area:	4.75 sq mi (12.29 km²)
Land Area:	4.75 sq mi (12.29 km²)
Water Area:	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km²)
Total Population:	5,512
Population Density:	1,161.64/sq mi (448.48/km²)
ZIP code:	51201
Area code:	712
FIPS code:	1972390
GNISfeature ID:	0461558
Website:	www.sheldoniowa.com

Online Interactive Map

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

Sheldon location map. Where is Sheldon city?

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

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

History

Sheldon got its start in the year 1873, following construction of the Sioux City & St. Paul Railroad through that territory. It was named for Israel Sheldon, a railroad promoter. It was a strategic location on the rail for businesses from as far away as Minneapolis and Omaha, after the addition of the intersection with the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway in 1878.

The growth in infrastructure has continued. Today, the city lies at the crossroads of Iowa Highway 60 and U.S. Route 18. Eastbound and westbound rail service is provided by IC&E Railroad (since 2008 a subsidiary of Canadian Pacific Railway), while northbound and southbound service is provided by Union Pacific Railroad.

The city’s first financial institution, the Sheldon State Bank, closed in 1903. In 1961, the city made headlines when it was revealed that Burnice Geiger had embezzled more than two million dollars from the Sheldon National Bank, operated by her father. She was sentenced to fifteen years in prison in the same year, but paroled in 1966.

Today, the city is most known for its annual display of marigolds and the moniker of its local schools’ athletic teams—the Orabs. The name stands for the school colors orange and black. Sheldon High School also hosts the Sheldon High School Summer Theatre program. Sheldon is the home of Northwest Iowa Community College and the Carnegie Library, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.