Carter Lake, Iowa

About Carter Lake

Carter Lake, IA is a small town located in southwestern Iowa with an estimated population of 3,752.

Carter Lake holds the status of an incorporated city with its own municipal government. The community covers 1.79 square miles, giving it a balanced suburban layout with room to breathe at roughly 2,096 residents per square mile.

📰 Carter Lake News Today

• DCI Investigates Homicide in Carter Lake, Iowa Iowa Department of Public Safety (.gov) · Apr 29
• Carter Lake Air Quality Index (AQI) and USA Air Pollution IQAir · Jun 23
• Carter Lake playground, basketball court dedicated to two community pillars WOWT · Jul 27
• 'Help an officer' call in Carter Lake KETV · May 10
• Man arrested in Lincoln Arby’s attack linked to Carter Lake homicide KOLN | Nebraska Local News, Weather, Sports | Lincoln, NE · Apr 29

Live headlines via Google News — updates through the day.

What Makes Carter Lake Unique

• The only place in America named Carter Lake — a truly one-of-a-kind name among 32,000+ US communities.
• Positioned in southwestern Iowa, convenient to the region's corridors and crossings.
• Part of the fabric of Iowa — one of 1,026 recognized communities statewide.

Why People Love It Here

• Small-town pace of life: less traffic, more community, and neighbors who wave.
• Cost of living typically runs below the big-metro average.
• Easy reach of Omaha (7 mi) — commute to the city, live where it's calm.

📍 Neighborhoods in Carter Lake

Click a neighborhood to see it on the map.

🍽️ Where to Eat in Carter Lake

• Ahmad's — middle eastern
• Akarui — japanese
• Artemis Tea & Botanical (café)
• Black Oak Grill
• Block 16 — sandwich
• Bob's Grill & Cafe — american
• Brownie Bar — dessert (café)
• CRAVE — international
• CTRL Coffee & Cereal Bar — coffee shop (café)
• DJ's Dugout — american

Local spots mapped by the OpenStreetMap community.

🎡 Fun Things to Do

• Durham Museum · Museum
• Florence Mill Museum · Museum
• General Crook House Museum · Museum
• Great Plains Black History Museum · Museum
• Historic Florence Bank Museum · Museum
• Joslyn Art Museum · Museum
• Joslyn Castle · Attraction
• Kiewit Luminarium · Museum
• Landlock Gallery · Art gallery
• Old Market Artists Gallery · Art gallery

Attractions mapped by the OpenStreetMap community.

🏞️ Parks & Outdoors in Carter Lake

• Gene Leahy Mall reviews ★
• Tom Hanafan River's Edge Park reviews ★
• Adams Park reviews ★
• Bahnsen Park reviews ★
• Bank of Florence Historical Marker reviews ★
• Bedford Place Park reviews ★
• Bemis Park reviews ★
• Big Lake Park reviews ★
• Blackbird Marsh County Preserve · Nature reserve reviews ★
• Bluff View Park reviews ★
• Boys Club of Omaha reviews ★
• Burdette Park reviews ★

Parks mapped by the OpenStreetMap community · "reviews" opens each park's live Google reviews.

🏫 Schools in Carter Lake

• Carter Lake Elementary School

Public schools, U.S. Dept. of Education (NCES) 2023–24 directory.

⚡ Quick Facts

🗺️ Map of Carter Lake

🏘️ Nearby Communities