Earling, IA

Earling is a city in Shelby County, Iowa, United States. The 2020 census counted 397 residents. Earling had its start 1881-1882 by the building of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway through that territory. The town was platted in 1882 by the Milwaukee Land Company and was first known as Marthan. The district serves the towns of Harlan, Defiance, Earling, Panama, Portsmouth and Westphalia, the unincorporated communities of Jacksonville and Corley, and the surrounding rural areas. The through line in Earling is the way its history and present-day settings remain visible on the same map. Earling makes the most sense through those concrete details, with its history still visible in the settings people use today. The city straddles the boundary line between southeast Union Township and northeast Westphalia Township.