Marshall County in central Iowa is organized around Marshalltown and a broad Iowa River lowland, with higher rolling terrain across much of the west and southwest. U.S. 30 crosses the county east-west through the Marshalltown corridor, while Iowa 14 provides the main north-south reference. Iowa 96 marks the northeastern side, Iowa 146 the southeast, and Iowa 330 connects the southwestern side near Melbourne. The terrain-and-water map adds Iowa River, Minerva Creek, Linn Creek, Timber Creek, and North Skunk River. This page explains the supplied county, city, terrain-and-water, and elevation maps, and high-resolution JPG versions can be downloaded in a ZIP near the end of the article. High-resolution map files are available for download in the section below.
The easiest way to orient the county is to begin with Marshalltown and U.S. 30. State Center lies to the west, Le Grand to the east, Melbourne to the southwest, Albion to the north, and Gilman to the southeast. The elevation map shows a broad green river corridor through the central and eastern county, while western and southwestern ridges rise into darker brown terrain.
Table of Contents
Marshalltown and U.S. 30 organize the central road network
Marshalltown is the strongest first landmark on the general county map. U.S. 30 passes just south of the city and continues toward State Center on the west and Le Grand on the east. Iowa 14 runs north-south through the Marshalltown area, creating a second clear reference for the county’s central road network.
State Center lies along the U.S. 30 corridor, while Melbourne is farther southwest near Iowa 330. Albion sits north of Marshalltown near Iowa 233, and Gilman lies in the southeast near Iowa 146. Iowa 96 crosses the northeastern section. The map is intended for county-scale orientation rather than live navigation, so current road work and closures should be checked separately.
The rural road grid is comparatively straight, but the streams follow winding valleys through the uplands. Minerva Creek occupies much of the northwestern and central-northern countryside, while Linn Creek and the Timber Creek system divide the southern half. Comparing the road and water sheets makes the county’s ridge-and-valley structure much easier to see.
Marshalltown dominates a dispersed six-city pattern
The city map ranks Marshalltown first with a mapped population of 27,626. State Center is second at 1,412, Melbourne third at 804, and Le Grand fourth at 720. Gilman is fifth at 623 and Albion sixth at 622. The largest community is concentrated near the center-east, while the smaller highlighted towns are distributed across the west, southwest, east, southeast, and north.
State Center and Melbourne provide useful western references, while Le Grand sits close to the eastern edge. Gilman anchors the southeast and Albion the north. Neighboring counties shown around the city map include Hardin, Tama, Poweshiek, Story, Grundy, and Jasper, placing Marshall County within central Iowa.
The city pattern becomes more informative when compared with relief. The land around State Center and Melbourne rises into higher western and southwestern ridges, while Marshalltown and Le Grand are closer to the broad Iowa River lowland. Around Albion, tributary valleys cut deeply into the northern uplands.
Iowa River creates the broad central and eastern lowland
Iowa River is the dominant waterway on the terrain-and-water map. It approaches from the northwest, crosses the central part of the county near Marshalltown, and bends eastward toward Le Grand. On the elevation sheet, the same route appears as a wide dark-green corridor that stands out clearly from the surrounding uplands.
Minerva Creek follows a long valley across the northwestern side, with Mud Creek forming another tributary corridor nearby. Mormon Lake is labeled near the central-northern drainage and provides a fixed reference close to the point where several valleys converge. Asher Creek appears farther northeast and helps locate another group of tributary valleys.
This sheet is intended for geographic reference rather than flood forecasting, current water levels, navigation, parcel boundaries, or legal water limits. Its main value is showing how the main river and smaller creeks divide the county’s uplands and lowlands.
Linn Creek and Timber Creek divide the southern uplands
Linn Creek crosses the central-southern part of the county from west toward the east. North Timber Creek and South Timber Creek form separate lower corridors farther south, with Mohrs Lake providing another fixed water reference between the creek systems. These waterways are much narrower than Iowa River but remain easy to identify on the elevation sheet.
North Skunk River curves through the southwestern side, while Cedar Creek forms another valley farther west. Snipe Creek runs across the southern interior and adds another lower route between the surrounding ridges. These features are especially useful for understanding the rolling terrain around Melbourne and State Center.
Toward Gilman, the Timber Creek system continues to divide the southeastern uplands, while the Le Grand side connects back to the broad Iowa River lowland. Pairing towns with named streams makes it easier to move between the road, water, and elevation maps.
Elevation ranges from 243 to 351 meters
The supplied elevation map shows an actual county range of about 243 to 351 meters, with a mean elevation of 300 meters. Higher brown terrain covers much of the west and southwest and also appears in parts of the northern and northeastern edge. The Iowa River corridor forms a wide dark-green lowland through the center and east, producing a mapped difference of more than 100 meters between the highest and lowest areas.
The western uplands are not one smooth surface. Minerva Creek and many smaller tributaries cut repeated valleys into the higher ground. Iowa River creates the strongest low corridor through the middle of the county, while Linn Creek and the Timber Creek system add narrower green routes across the south. The North Skunk River also cuts into the southwestern high ground.
The elevation colors are designed for broad terrain comparison rather than survey-grade measurement. Exact parcel elevation, road grade, engineering design, or construction work requires original elevation data or professional surveying. For general map reading, the key pattern is the contrast between the higher outer ridges and the broad Iowa River lowland.
Roads and waterways reveal the county’s central low corridor
The general map is easy to orient with U.S. 30 and Iowa 14 around Marshalltown, while the terrain map is dominated by Iowa River through the central and eastern county. Marshalltown is the best reference for comparing the road and drainage layers, and State Center with Melbourne helps locate the higher western and southwestern terrain.
Albion works well for the Minerva Creek side, Le Grand for the eastern Iowa River lowland, and Gilman for the southeastern Timber Creek country. Looking at the same places across the county, city, water, and elevation maps makes Marshall County’s road network and relief much easier to understand.
Choose the Marshall County map that fits the task
Use the general county map when you need towns and numbered roads in one view. It is the quickest way to compare Marshalltown, State Center, Melbourne, Le Grand, Gilman, and Albion with U.S. 30, Iowa 14, Iowa 96, Iowa 146, Iowa 330, and Iowa 233. The city map is better when the goal is to compare the six highlighted communities and the population ranking shown on the supplied graphic.
The terrain-and-water map is best for Iowa River, Minerva Creek, Mud Creek, Linn Creek, North Timber Creek, South Timber Creek, North Skunk River, Cedar Creek, Snipe Creek, Mormon Lake, and Mohrs Lake. The elevation map adds the 243–351 m range and makes the higher western ridges and broad central-eastern lowland immediately visible.
The WebP images in the article are optimized for quick browser viewing. For printing, classroom use, presentations, or closer comparison, the ZIP below contains the county, major-city, terrain-and-water, and elevation maps as high-resolution JPG files. They are general-reference graphics and do not replace legal boundary records, current transportation data, flood information, or precise survey measurements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which map is best for locating Marshalltown and State Center?
The general county map is the best starting point. Marshalltown lies near the center-east along U.S. 30 and Iowa 14, while State Center sits farther west on the U.S. 30 corridor. Melbourne, Le Grand, Gilman, and Albion are also labeled on the same sheet.
What are the main rivers, creeks, and lakes shown in Marshall County?
Iowa River forms the dominant central and eastern lowland, while Minerva Creek is a major northwestern tributary. Linn Creek, North Timber Creek, South Timber Creek, North Skunk River, Cedar Creek, and Snipe Creek add other important valleys. Mormon Lake and Mohrs Lake are also labeled.
What does the 243–351 m elevation range show?
The elevation map shows higher terrain across much of the west and southwest and lower ground along Iowa River through the central and eastern county. The mapped mean elevation is 300 meters. Precise site elevations require original elevation data or professional survey information.
Map File Information
The ZIP contains four high-resolution JPG maps for Marshall County, Iowa: county, major cities, terrain and water, and elevation.
- Included Files: Use only the versions confirmed in the article and supplied images
- File Type: Use the confirmed download contents
- Intended Use: Printing, education, presentations, and map-based projects
Related Maps
Sources and reference data
The links below provide authoritative U.S. government source data for county boundaries, hydrography, and elevation represented in the supplied map set.
These maps are intended for general geographic reference, learning, printing, and visual comparison. Legal boundaries, ownership, current road conditions, flood risk, water levels, and precise elevations should be checked against the responsible agency’s current records.
Green Map creates custom-edited map images using open geographic data sources such as geoBoundaries, Natural Earth, OpenStreetMap, and government open data.
These maps are edited visual materials, not raw data files, and are provided for education, documents, presentations, and graphic reference.
