24/7 Trauma & Biohazard Cleanup Near West Walnut Walnut, IA

Walnut is a small city in northeastern Pottawattamie County in southwest Iowa, sitting directly on Interstate 80 between Omaha and Des Moines.

Walnut began as Walnut Creek Station, built when the Rock Island Railroad arrived in 1868 — the town took its name from Walnut Creek, where a lone walnut tree stood beside the water.

Walnut was incorporated as a city in 1877, and its first mayor was W. H. Linfor.

The town was known early on for the Walnut Flour Mill, which shipped much of its product all the way to Europe, and after fires destroyed both sides of the business district, downtown was rebuilt almost entirely in brick by the late 1800s.

Today Walnut is famous across Iowa as 'Antique City' — its historic brick downtown is filled with antique stores and dealers that draw shoppers off Interstate 80.

The Walnut Opera House, built in 1899, still stands on Antique City Drive, and the town's newspaper, first published in 1878 as the Walnut News and now the Walnut Bureau, is still printed weekly.

In recent years Walnut has also become a regional center of wind energy, with about 102 wind turbines surrounding the city.

Walnut had 747 residents at the 2020 census, down from its modern peak of 875 people in 2000.

Walnut celebrated its 150th anniversary in August 2021.

Walnut's students attend the AHSTW Community School District, shared with Avoca, Hancock, Shelby and Tennant.