Iola

History

The history of Iola began in 1859. After the location of the county seat at Humboldt, by the legislature of 1858, there was a great deal of dissatisfaction among the residents of the central and northern parts of the county, and a number of citizens selected the present site of Iola, with the intention of ultimately securing the county seat. On January 1, 1859, a large meeting was held at the Deer Creek schoolhouse. The meeting decided to organize a town company, which was immediately done. A constitution was then adopted, and officers were elected. The officers of the company after due consideration of different points selected a site for the proposed town, about two miles (3 km) north of Cofachique, at the confluence of Elm Creek and the Neosho River. The site was owned in part by J.F. Colborn and W.H. Cochrane. The claims on two quarter-sections were bought, and were soon after surveyed into lots. The town company worked to get the town started. A meeting was held to choose a name. Several were proposed, and the choice was determined by ballot. The name Iola, the Christian name of J.F. Colborn's wife, was proposed. As a result of the vote, this name was chosen. Meetings of the company were held every week during the first year, and efforts made to induce settlement. By the close of the year a number of lots had been disposed of, several buildings erected, and other improvements made, as all who bought lots were required to make some improvements at once. The residents of Cofachique, despairing of making their town a success, joined with Iola, and most of them moved to the new site, all working together in the endeavor to secure the location of the county seat at once. The first building on the town site was a small log cabin owned by D.B. Bayne. Late in…

Geography

Iola is situated along the eastern bank of the Neosho River between Deer Creek, to the north, and Rock Creek, to the south, with Coon Creek flowing through the city. Important natural gas fields are in the vicinity. U.S. Route 54 passes through Iola along Madison Street and interchanges with U.S. Route 169, which passes by the east side of the city. The smaller cities of Gas and La Harpe are a few miles to the east along US-54. The tiny city of Bassett lies adjacent to Iola's southern border, and the city of Humboldt is approximately to the south along US-169. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Iola has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  642
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  603
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  592
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  533
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  511
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  371
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  358
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  353

Largest nearby schools

• Humboldt Virtual Education
  High · Humboldt · 326 students
• Humboldt Elementary School
  Elementary · Humboldt · 322 students · 16.9:1 ratio
• Iola Sr High
  High · Iola · 313 students · 13.6:1 ratio
• Iola Middle School
  Middle · Iola · 246 students · 12.9:1 ratio
• Humboldt High School
  High · Humboldt · 185 students · 14.2:1 ratio
• Humboldt Middle School
  Middle · Humboldt · 141 students · 14.1:1 ratio
• Iola High School Virtual
  High · Iola · 11 students