Peaked at 435 in 1980; 308 people lived here in 2020.
10 censuses, 1930–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on West Okoboji’s Wikipedia page.
The story so far
West Okoboji, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of West Okoboji yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
West Okoboji is a village in Dickinson County, Iowa, United States. The population was 308 at the time of the 2020 census. The city is located on West Okoboji Lake, from which it takes its name. It is part of the Iowa Great Lakes region.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 289 to 308 (+7%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about West Okoboji, 1902–1917
Passages that mention West Okoboji, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Emmet County and Dickinson County, Iowa1917 · page 360Read the page →
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About the first rhention of bridges in this county was when the contractors in the swamp land deal agreed to erect the county courthouse, also three bridges — one across East Okoboji Lake east of the settlement at Spirit Lake, one across the straits between East and West Okoboji Lakes, and one across the Little Sioux River. The two bridges across the lake were finished in the year 1860, the one at Spirit Lake being three hundred feet long and the one at Okoboji two hundred and ten feet in length. The Spirit Lake bridge was superintended by Harvey Abbott,
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History of Emmet County and Dickinson County, Iowa1917 · page 280Read the page →
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take over the swamp lands and in return erect a court-house according to the plans of the county, also three bridges, namely: one across East Okoboji Lake east of the town of Spirit Lake, one across the sti'aits between East and West Okoboji Lakes, and another across the Little Sioux River. Shortly after these arrangements were concluded Howe, Parmenter and Arthur disposed of their contract to J. S. Prescott and Henry Barkman, receiving in return several thousand acres of land.
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A history of Dickinson County, Iowa, together with an account of the Spirit Lake massacre, and the Indian troubles on the northwestern frontier ..1902 · page 550Read the page →
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K.ay ward's Bay, another charming location, is on the eas" side of West Okoboji, nearly two miles north of The Inn. This place was originally known as Palmer's Bay, but some years since it became the property of Mr. William Hayward of Spirit J.ake, who surveyed and platted a portion of it in lake shore lots. With the people of Spirit Lake this is the most popular point on West Okoboji, and many of them have purchased lots and erected cottages there and spend a portion of each sum-
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Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
By decade
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
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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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.
