Biohazard Cleanup Near Downtown Eldora Eldora, IA

Eldora is the county seat of Hardin County, Iowa, sitting on the east edge of the Altmont Moraine just west of the gorge of the Iowa River.

Eldora was first settled in 1850 and platted in 1853, though it was not incorporated until July 1, 1895.

The town was named by Lois Beal Edgington, wife of Colonel Samuel R. Edgington, in memory of her infant daughter who had died; the name derives from the Spanish for 'the gilded.'

Eldora is most famous as a filming location for the 1996 blockbuster Twister — the climactic final tornado scene was shot at the old Follett house in town.

Pine Lake State Park lies adjacent to Eldora on the Iowa River, and its Lower Pine Lake was the first man-made lake in Iowa.

Eldora has been home to the State Training School for Boys, a state institution for male juvenile offenders, since 1868.

The Hardin County Courthouse in downtown Eldora is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The 2020 census counted 2,663 people in Eldora living in 1,096 households.

Eldora's population peaked at 3,553 in 1940 and has declined slowly in the decades since.

South Hardin High School is located in Eldora, part of the Eldora–New Providence district that operates together with Hubbard–Radcliffe as South Hardin Schools.