Montgomery County in southwestern Iowa is centered on Red Oak and a landscape shaped by several long north-south river valleys separated by upland ridges. Route 34 crosses the central county through Red Oak and Stanton, while route 71 provides a strong eastern reference near Villisca and Grant. Routes 48, 100, and 110 add useful markers on the western and northern sides. The terrain-and-water map is organized around E Nishnabotna River, Tarkio River, W Nodaway River, and a dense network of creeks. 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 Red Oak and route 34. Stanton lies to the east, Villisca in the southeast, Elliott and Grant in the north, and Coburg in the southwest. The elevation sheet shows long high ridges across the central and eastern interior, while the major rivers form green low corridors on either side.
Table of Contents
Red Oak and route 34 provide the main central reference
Red Oak is the strongest first landmark on the general county map. Route 34 passes through the city and continues east toward Stanton. Route 71 runs north-south on the eastern side near Grant and Villisca. Route 48 appears in the southwest, while routes 110 and 100 are labeled across the northern part of the map.
Stanton provides an east-central reference, Villisca marks the southeast, Elliott the north-central side, Grant the northeast, and Coburg the southwest. The map is intended for county-scale orientation rather than live navigation, so current construction and road closures should be checked separately.
The rural road grid is comparatively straight, but the drainage network follows long winding valleys. Large river corridors run mostly north-south through different parts of the county, while smaller creeks cut into the ridges between them. Comparing the road and water sheets makes this terrain pattern much easier to see.
Red Oak dominates a six-city distribution
The city map ranks Red Oak first with a mapped population of 5,510 and Villisca second at 1,048. Stanton is third at 522, Elliott fourth at 420, Coburg fifth at 36, and Grant sixth at 35. The largest community sits in the west-central part of the county, while the other highlighted places are spread toward the east, north, and southwest.
Villisca and Stanton provide eastern and southeastern references, while Elliott and Grant help locate the northern countryside. Coburg marks the southwestern corner of the highlighted city pattern. Neighboring counties shown around the map include Cass, Pottawattamie, Adams, Taylor, Page, Fremont, and Mills.
The city distribution becomes more useful when compared with elevation. Red Oak lies close to the E Nishnabotna River corridor, while Stanton and Villisca are separated by high interior ridges and the Tarkio River system. Grant and the eastern side are closer to the W Nodaway River lowland.
E Nishnabotna River and western creeks form long low corridors
E Nishnabotna River is one of the strongest natural references on the terrain-and-water map. It runs north-south through the west-central side and appears as a broad green lowland on the elevation sheet. The corridor is especially useful for understanding the lower terrain west and southwest of Red Oak.
Indian Creek and Little Indian Creek occupy the western side, while Walnut Creek forms another long valley farther south. Ashby Creek and W Tarkio Creek add smaller tributary corridors across the southern interior. These waterways repeatedly separate long upland ridges rather than forming one broad flat plain.
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 large rivers and smaller creeks divide the county’s uplands and lowlands.
Tarkio River and W Nodaway River divide the eastern uplands
Tarkio River follows a long north-south valley through the east-central part of the county. E Tarkio Creek and Little Tarkio Creek form separate lower routes nearby and break the high ridges into narrower blocks. These features are useful for reading the terrain between Stanton and Villisca.
W Nodaway River forms another major low corridor along the eastern side, with Sevenmile Creek approaching from the northeast. Middle Nodaway River is labeled farther southeast, and Viking Lake provides a fixed water reference just west of that river system. The eastern half therefore contains several distinct low valleys separated by elevated ridges.
Comparing E Nishnabotna River, Tarkio River, and W Nodaway River shows a repeated pattern of long north-south valleys across the county. The elevation map makes the high ridges between those river corridors especially clear.
Elevation ranges from 299 to 399 meters
The supplied elevation map shows an actual county range of about 299 to 399 meters, with a mean elevation of 353 meters. High brown ridges extend through much of the central and east-central interior, with additional narrow uplands on the western side. Broad green lowlands follow E Nishnabotna River and W Nodaway River, while Tarkio River creates another distinct low corridor between them.
The central high ground is cut by numerous creek valleys rather than forming one smooth plateau. The major rivers create deeper and wider low corridors. This repeated ridge-and-valley structure is visible across nearly the entire county and produces a strong contrast over a mapped range of about 100 meters.
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 alternation between long upland ridges and river valleys.
Red Oak to Villisca crosses several terrain zones
Red Oak provides a useful reference near the E Nishnabotna River side, while Stanton lies closer to the Tarkio River system. Farther southeast, Villisca is associated with the eastern uplands and the W Nodaway River side. Following route 34 and nearby roads across the county shows that a single east-west trip crosses several ridges and low valleys.
Elliott and Grant help locate the northern ends of the river systems, while Coburg works as a reference for the southwestern Walnut Creek area. Looking at the same places across the county, city, water, and elevation maps makes Montgomery County’s long north-south terrain structure easier to understand.
Choose the Montgomery 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 Red Oak, Stanton, Villisca, Elliott, Grant, and Coburg with routes 34, 71, 48, 100, and 110. 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 E Nishnabotna River, Tarkio River, W Nodaway River, Indian Creek, Little Indian Creek, Walnut Creek, E Tarkio Creek, Little Tarkio Creek, Sevenmile Creek, and Viking Lake. The elevation map adds the 299–399 m range and makes the high central ridges and major river lowlands 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 Red Oak and Villisca?
The general county map is the best starting point. Red Oak is the largest west-central community, while Villisca lies in the southeast. Routes 34 and 71 provide strong road references, and Stanton, Elliott, Grant, and Coburg are also labeled on the same sheet.
What are the main rivers and creeks shown in Montgomery County?
E Nishnabotna River, Tarkio River, and W Nodaway River form the major north-south valleys. Indian Creek, Walnut Creek, E Tarkio Creek, Little Tarkio Creek, and Sevenmile Creek add smaller drainage corridors. Viking Lake is also labeled in the southeastern part of the map.
What does the 299–399 m elevation range show?
The elevation map shows high ridges across much of the central interior and lower terrain along the three major river corridors. The mapped mean elevation is 353 meters. Precise site elevations require original elevation data or professional survey information.
Map File Information
The ZIP contains four high-resolution JPG maps for Montgomery 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.
