Keota

History

Keota is derived from an Indian name meaning "gone to visit" or "the fire is gone out". A large part of historic downtown Keota was damaged by a fire on December 4, 2010. Five buildings on East Broadway were badly damaged or destroyed. An EF4 tornado struck the northwest edge of Keota on the afternoon of March 31, 2023, causing extensive damage to numerous farms just outside of the city. Volunteers helped to clean up the debris in recovery efforts following the tornado.

Geography

Keota is located in eastern Keokuk County and the city limits extend east into Washington County to encompass a golf course(Lagos Acres). The city is east of Sigourney, the Keokuk county seat, and northwest of Washington. According to the United States Census Bureau, Keota has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  179
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  167
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  155
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  120
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  114
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  113
• House Wren

  Troglodytes aedon Vieillot, 1809 · Aves
  112
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  110

Largest nearby schools

• Keota Elementary School
  Elementary · Keota · 188 students · 11.8:1 ratio
• Keota High School
  High · Keota · 133 students · 10.2:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2025-06-25
  10 km WNW of Marysville, Iowa
• M 3 — 2025-06-25
  5 km S of Knoxville, Iowa
• M 3.3 — 2025-06-25
  8 km SE of Knoxville, Iowa