Otranto, Iowa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Otranto, Iowa | |
|---|---|
 The former Otranto Bridge over the Cedar River | |
  Otranto  Otranto | |
| Coordinates: 43°27′29″N 92°59′08″W / 43.45806°N 92.98556°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Iowa |
| County | Mitchell |
| Township | Otranto |
| Foundation | May 1854 |
| Area | |
• Total | 0.41 sq mi (1.06 km2) |
| • Land | 0.41 sq mi (1.06 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,168 ft (356 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 27 |
| • Density | 65.8/sq mi (25.42/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) |
| ZIP code | 50472 (St. Ansgar) |
| FIPS code | 19-60285 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2583491[2] |
Otranto is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Otranto Township, Mitchell County, in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census the population was 27,[3] unchanged from 2010.
In May of 1854, a certain Lewis West, and his family (including: Orlando Wilder, A.J. Wilder and his two sons, Nelson M. and Frank R), went to visit a person called Lorenzo Merry. During this travel, they decided to settle and establish their claims along the Cedar River, believing that the river would come useful in the future as a source of energy, and that it was the perfect place to build a prosperous town.[4]
The settlement in this period started to grow in the 1850s, with the construction of the first shop in 1855 and the first post office, labelled with the name "Orville Post Office", with Davis L. West as the first postmaster.[4]
During the 1870s, it was known as "Bartlett's Grove," after Mary Bartlett who platted it in 1877. However, by 1878, the name had once again changed, this time to the current name "Otranto", due to the proximity to a local railway which led it to dub itself as "Otranto Station".[5]
The settlement, which aspired to become a town, was slowly losing relevance, to the point that the post office, which was inaugurated back in 1855,[4] was closed in 1965, leaving the settlement to rely on local carrier from St. Ansgar to bring mail to the settlement. The decline can be attributed to the termination of the local highway, which ended its services in Otranto back in the 1930s, the closure of the local school, and most major infrastructure.[5]
The population was 80 in 1940.[6] The current population is 27 today.
