Most of Centralia was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1976. Below: maps from 1901 on and the census since 1940.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Centralia. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1901Peosta sheet · 1:125,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Centralia.
The story so far
Centralia, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Centralia yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Centralia is a city in Dubuque County, Iowa, United States. It is part of the Dubuque, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 116 at the 2020 census, up 15 persons since the 2000 census and down 18 from the 2010.
Centralia was established in 1850. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 134 to 116 (-13%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Centralia, 1880–1911
Passages that mention Centralia, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The history of Dubuque County, Iowa1880 · page 739Read the page →
Read the text
Centralia is a small post office village located in the southern portion of Center Township, adjoining the line dividing that township from the township of Vernon, containing a Catholic church and school, two hotels, three stores, and divides with Platnerville and Peosta the patronage of the vicinity.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history of Dubuque County, Iowa1880 · page 738Read the page →
Read the text
The Presbyterian church was organized in 1858, and the congregation held services in the Methodist church at Centralia, where the Rev. Mr. Wells preached for two years, when he went to California. Soon after the Methodist church in Peosta was completed the Presbyterians were permitted to assemble there, and so continued until about 1865, when money was obtained to complete the present edifice of that congregation. The church had been commenced some years previous, but, owing to the limited membership, the “difficulty in procuring means, the panic and other insurmountable embargoes, its
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Francis Seminary. Alilwaukee. where, on March 16. 1872, he was ordained to the priesthood ; succeeding which, in regular order, he was stationed at Keokuk. Richmond, Centralia, Worthington, Dyersville and Dubuque, but it was in this county that he became most widely known. Through his instrumentality the church and school at Worthington were built ; at Dyersville he remodeled the church, established a high school and founded an academy for girls.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Centralia, 1849 to 1902
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (2), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
2021
2004