Ottumwa, IA Road Trips
Plan drives from Ottumwa, IA with practical route pages for distance, drive time, fuel cost, road character, and places to stop along the way.
Photo: Quang Nguyen Vinh
Trip Routes
2
Longest Drive
217.4 mi
Council Bluffs, IA
Quickest Drive
3h 53m
Mason City, IA
Plan Around Ottumwa, IA
Continue From Ottumwa, IA
Good next legs if this city is only one stop in a longer road trip.
Trips from Ottumwa, IA
Ottumwa, IA by the Numbers
Recent demographic snapshot from the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey.
Population
25,352
Median Income
$56,994
Median Home Value
$92,400
Median Age
37.4
Source: US Census Bureau ACS 5-year (public domain). See our methodology for details.
Ottumwa, IA at a Glance
Founded
1844
Elevation
673 ft
Area
17 mi²
Notable People from Ottumwa, IA
A sampling of people born in Ottumwa, IA.
Tom Arnold
1959
American stand-up comedian and actor (born 1959)
Adam Young
1986
American musician and singer-songwriter
Karen Morley
1909–2003
American film actress (1909-2003)
Edward J. Ruppelt
1923–1960
American UFO researcher (1923–1960)
Beverley Owen
1937–2019
American actress (1937–2019)
Jacob Schick
1877–1937
American businessman (1877-1937)
Donald Keyhoe
1897–1988
American writer and UFO researcher (1897-1988)
Hal Walker
1896–1972
Assistant Director and director (1896–1972)
Archibald Alexander
1888–1958
African American mathematician and engineer (1888-1958)
Landmarks & Historic Sites
Attractions and heritage-registered places located in Ottumwa, IA.
Ottumwa station
railway station in Ottumwa, Iowa
Benson Block
building in Ottumwa, Iowa (built as a theatre, but never used as such)
Fifth Street Bluff Historic District
historic district in Iowa, United States
Jefferson Street Viaduct
truss bridge in Iowa, United States of America
Ottumwa Cemetery
cemetery in Ottumwa, Iowa
Trinity Episcopal Church
church building in Ottumwa, United States of America
Greater Second Street Historic District
historic district in Iowa, United States
City data from Wikidata (Q853566), available under CC0. Photos from Wikimedia Commons under their respective licenses. See our methodology for details.
Traveler Guide to Ottumwa, IA
Ottumwa is a city in South Central Iowa.
1 Wapello County Courthouse, 101 N 4th St (at Court St). Constructed in 1894 in the Romanesque Revival style. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
1 Canteen Lunch in the Alley, 112 E 2nd St (in the back alley parallel to 2nd and Main Sts, perpendicular to Court and Market Sts), ☏ +1 641 682-5320. M-W 10AM-7PM, Th-Sa 10AM-8PM. The Canteen has been around since the 1930s and is known for their loose-meat sandwiches. The restaurant was the model for the Lanford Lunch Box on the 1990s sitcom Roseanne. 2 Bubba-Q's, 1110 N Quincy Ave, ☏ +1 641-682-0082. Su–Th 11AM–9PM; F Sa 11AM–10PM. (updated Mar 2026)
1 AmericInn, 222 W 2nd St (between Marion and Washington Sts), ☏ +1 641-684-8222, fax: +1 641-683-1881, [email protected]. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. 2 Hampton Inn, 943 N Quincy Ave (across from Quincy Place Mall), ☏ +1 641-814-8888, fax: +1 641-814-8889. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon. 3 Quality Inn & Suites, 125 Joseph Ave (at Court Rd), ☏ +1 641-682-8526, fax: +1 641-682-7124, [email protected]. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM.
Ottumwa is at the junction of US Highways 34 and 63. Amtrak serves Ottumwa via its California Zephyr route, running between Chicago to the San Francisco Bay Area. 1 Ottumwa railway station, 210 W Main St. (updated Oct 2019) Buses stop at the Amtrak station at 210 West Main St. Trailways (+1 641-682-2009) Greyhound Bus Lines (+1 641 682-2009) 2 Ottumwa Regional Airport (OTM IATA). General aviation airport. No scheduled passenger service. (updated Aug 2020)
Ottumwa Transit runs Monday through Friday from 6:46AM until 6PM. Fare is $1.50.
Travel tips adapted from Ottumwa on Wikivoyage, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Content summarized; visit the source for the full article. See our methodology for how we use it.
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