Madrid

History

] Madrid was a small coal mining community during the winter and a farming community during the summer. Mining became a larger part of its economy as time went on. Initially, coal was used locally for winter heating, hence the reason for it being considered a part-time job by most residents. The Carpenter Coal Company opened a mine between Madrid and Woodward in 1901, and the Reese Brothers Coal Company opened two mine shafts near Madrid. The Carpenter Brothers named their coal camp Scandia, and changed their corporate name to match. By 1914, The Scandia Coal Company of Madrid produced over 100,000 tons of coal per year, ranking among the top 24 coal producers in the state. In 1912, Locals 709 and 2460 of the United Mine Workers union, both based in Madrid, had an aggregate membership of 397, representing about 1/3 of the total population in 1910. Madrid gained a large Italian and Croatian population who worked in its coal mines during the 1920s and 1930s. In 2017 the town was featured in an episode of Madrid de sol a sol, a show from Spanish public channel Telemadrid exploring locations named "Madrid".

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  7,585
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  7,256
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  6,592
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  6,011
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  5,834
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  5,668
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  5,378
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  5,277

Largest nearby schools

• Madrid Elementary School
  Elementary · Madrid · 293 students · 12.7:1 ratio
• Madrid High School
  High · Madrid · 206 students · 12.9:1 ratio
• Madrid Junior High School
  Middle · Madrid · 153 students · 13.9:1 ratio
• Woodward Academy
  High · Woodward · 118 students · 9.1:1 ratio
• Madrid Elementary Preschool
  Other · Madrid · 16 students · 8:1 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