Alta, IA

Alta was a railroad town before it became a farming town. John I. Blair named the depot Alta in 1870 after his daughter, Altai, and settlers began arriving the year before. The town was platted in 1872 and incorporated in 1878. By 1882, the four-block community had elevators, a blacksmith shop, general stores, a bank, a gristmill, and enough other trades to serve the surrounding farms. The 2020 census counted 2,087 residents. The line between the city and the surrounding farm country is easy to see.

Agribusiness remains part of Alta’s base, while wind turbines now mark the countryside beyond town. The city park, volunteer-built wooden playground, baseball and softball complex, swimming pool, community center, library, and golf courses give the town its everyday destinations. Alta shares the Alta-Aurelia Community School District with Aurelia, and the high school is in Alta. Iowa Highway 7 runs through town, with Storm Lake about six miles southeast, so school, farm, and regional errands all meet along the same short stretch of northwest Iowa.