Biohazard Cleanup Near North Conrad Conrad, IA

Conrad is a Grundy County city that proudly calls itself the 'Black Dirt Capital of the World,' a nod to the exceptionally rich, dark topsoil of the surrounding farmland.

Conrad celebrates that soil every summer at the Black Dirt Days festival, complete with a carnival and parade through town.

The town took its name from nearby Conrad's Grove, a landmark grove named for John Conrad, an early settler who entered his land from the government in December 1853.

The first Fourth of July celebration in Grundy County was held in Conrad's Grove in 1857, when Iowa City was still the nearest railroad market, a three-day wagon trip away.

Conrad was platted in 1880 when the Chicago and North Western railroad arrived, and its post office has been in operation since that same year.

Conrad had 1,093 residents at the 2020 census, living in 440 households; its population peaked at 1,133 in 1980.

Conrad is part of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area and sits along Iowa Highway 14, about fifteen miles south of Grundy Center.

Conrad is the headquarters of the BCLUW Community School District - Beaman, Conrad, Liscomb, Union, and Whitten - formed on July 1, 1992; BCLUW High School and the district elementary school are in Conrad, the middle school is in Union, and the teams are the Comets in black and gold.