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 Webster County is strategically located in the center of North America and within 25 minutes of Interstate 35 via four-lane U.S. Highway 20. These major transportation corridors allow for the efficient over the road movement of products to markets throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Major business and population centers on the East Coast can be reached in less than one day, markets on the West Coast in just over a day and those in Canada and Mexico in less than a day.
| Market |
Proximity |
Approximate Drive Time |
| Des Moines , IA |
95 Miles |
1.5 Hours |
| Omaha , NE |
160 Miles |
3 Hours |
| Minneapolis , MN |
217 Miles |
3.5 Hours |
| Kansas City , MO |
289 Miles |
4.5 Hours |
| Chicago , IL |
398 Miles |
6.5 Hours |
| St. Louis , MO |
497 Miles |
8 Hours |
| Denver , CO |
698 Miles |
11.5 Hours |
| Dallas , TX |
843 Miles |
13 Hours |
| New York , NY |
1,173 Miles |
18 Hours |
| Los Angeles , CA |
1,710 Miles |
27 Hours |
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Means of Transportation
U.S. Highway 20 and 169 intersect in the center of the county and are designated Highways of National Significance ensuring they will be improved and well maintained in the future. Highway 20 provides a direct route to Chicago as well as a linkage to Interstates 29 and 35. Interstate 35, the Canada to Mexico NAFTA transportation corridor, is within minutes of the county border.
Trucking and Parcel Delivery
The county is well served by the trucking industry with more than 10 national and regional motor freight lines located in Webster County including two large international freight carriers located in the City of Fort Dodge: Decker Truck Line, Inc. and Smithway Motor Xpress, Inc.
Access to all of the premier parcel delivery services is available in Webster County including UPS/Fed Ex/U.S. Postal Service and other major parcel delivery services. Freight forwarding, freight packaging, LTL services and dispatch services are also available locally.
The county is served by the Union Pacific Railroad and the Canadian National's subsidiary, Illinois Central. To the right is a map illustrating the rail connections within Webster County.
 The UP is the largest railroad in the U.S., operating about 33,141 miles in 24 states in the western two-thirds of the United States and into Mexico. The UP operations link major West Coast and Gulf ports with major gateways to the east including Chicago, St. Louis, Memphis, and New Orleans. The railroad operates 1,628 miles in Iowa. Union Pacific web site - UP Rail Map
 The Canadian National through its Illinois Central subsidiary operates 732 miles of track in Iowa, Illinois and Nebraska, with 558 miles located in Iowa. The line in Iowa extends from Dubuque through Fort Dodge to Council Bluffs. The railroad also operates a line from Fort Dodge to Sioux City, along with several branch lines. Canadian National web site - CN Rail Map
For information on rail served sites, click here.
 The Fort Dodge Regional Airport serves the region. Northwest Airlink provides daily direct service to the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport providing access to Northwest's global route network. Corporate and general aviation facilities are among the best in the Midwest. Aircraft maintenance, flight instruction, aircraft rental and charter service are all provided by the fixed-based operator located at the airport.
Two navigable rivers, the Mississippi and Missouri, border the State of Iowa. Webster County, located in the center of the state, is less than 2 1/2 hours from the Port of Dubuque on the Mississippi River and the Port of Sioux City on the Missouri River. Terminals along the rivers handle all types of products by barge, rail or truck. Some of the products transferred are: steel products, lumber, paper, iron ore, appliances, grain and other dry and liquid products.
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