Marshalltown

City and seat of Marshall County, in central Iowa, on the Iowa River, 80 km/50 mi northeast of Des Moines; population (1990) 25,200. Marshalltown was settled in the 1850s, and has long been an industrial centre, producing such goods as plumbing and heating equipment, tools, furnaces, metal castings, agricultural equipment, and lawnmowers. The city also remains a wholesale marketing centre for grain and livestock from the surrounding region.

The town was originally called simply Marshall, and, like its county, named after John Marshall. The name was changed to Marshalltown in 1863 to avoid confusion with another town of the same name. It was the second county seat from 1859, replacing Mariette. The first courthouse was used 1859–1886, and the second 1886– . Although the second came close to demolition in 1973, it was placed on the national register of historic places and restored. There is also an art gallery and the county historical museum, and Marshalltown Community College (founded in 1927) is situated here.