Silver City, IA

Silver City is a city in Mills County, Iowa, with 245 residents at the 2020 census. The place began with the Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific Railway in 1879, and its name still sits alongside the physical traces of that rail corridor. Silver Creek parallels the east city limit as it runs toward the West Nishnabotna River. The former railroad now carries the Wabash Trace Nature Trail through town, entering from the west and turning toward the creek. The trail gives Silver City a clear physical orientation: Main Street is a stopping point on a 63-mile route through southwest Iowa.

ATTRJared Winkler / CC BY-SA 4.0

The Trace is managed as a year-round, nonmotorized route for bicycling, walking, running, cross-country skiing, and nature viewing, with a Silver City access point on Main Street. The town's other regular stops are small and concrete: the Silver City Public Library at 408 Main Street offers books, newspapers, digital resources, and a calendar of programs, and the Silver City American Legion serves as a polling place for the Silver City/Ingraham precinct. Glenwood Community School District serves the city and surrounding rural area. Silver City's daily map follows the trail, the creek, Main Street services, and the farms beyond the city limits.