Chelsea is a city in Tama County, Iowa, United States. The population was 229 at the 2020 census. The city is located in the Iowa River Valley and has suffered severe damage in several floods.
History
thumb|left|300px|Storefronts on the east side of Station Street in Chelsea Iowa circa 1908.
A post office was established as Chelsea in 1863. Chelsea was laid out in 1863, and it was incorporated in 1878. It was named after Chelsea, Massachusetts.
Chelsea was surveyed in the spring of 1863 by Charles Irish for Seneca C. Breese on the northwest quarter of section 17. A few years later, James Hunter added nine acres on section 7, and in 1870, the Iowa Railroad Land Company added nine acres on section 18. At the time, there was a log cabin on the northeast corner of section 18 and a warehouse built by J. R. Graham in 1862 on the northwest corner of section 17.
The first frame building, built by E. E. Vickery, was used as a blacksmith shop, followed by a dwelling built by E. A. Southard. W. H. Graham opened the first store in 1863, though Peter Scoffish had a store before the village was platted. The railroad reached section 17 in 1861, where a small collection of buildings called Otter Creek served as the terminus for about a year before the village moved with the railroad. Chelsea's first hotel was opened in 1863 by Mrs. Thompson, followed by Samuel Spence. A later two-story hotel burned down. E. A. Southard opened the first cabinet shop in 1864, operating for two years. The post office was established in 1863, with W. H. Graham as postmaster, succeeded by Martin Smith and then Fred Roach in January 1883.
Railroad
The Cedar Rapids and Missouri River Railroad was the first to reach Chelsea. The Iowa legislature, by an act approved on July 14, 1856, granted land to the Iowa Central Air Line Railroad Company for building a railroad, with certain conditions. The 1857 panic caused the company to collapse. In March 1860, the state reassigned the grant to the Cedar Rapids and Missouri River Railroad Company, formed in 1859 by stockholders of the Chicago, Iowa, and Nebraska Railroad. The railroad progressed steadily: bridging the Cedar River and reaching Otter Creek by 1861 and Chelsea in 1862.
The Cedar Rapids and Missouri River Railroad, under lease to the Chicago & North Western was the first to actually cross Iowa and reach the Missouri River. Thomas C. Durant, vice president Railroad, held stock in multiple railroads and was accused of corruption in manipulating the railroads' stock prices in the race to traverse the state.
Flooding
The entirety of Chelsea lies in the lowland terrace flood plains of the Iowa River and Otter Creek making the city very prone to recurring flooding.
The largest floods in Chelsea history took place in the years 1918, 1944, 1947, 1960, 1969, 1993 and 2008. Frequent flooding in Chelsea and its associated costs have led to a population decline and a decrease in the overall standard of living in the community.
Geography
Set in the floodplain of the Iowa River Valley, Chelsea is surrounded by hills that are partially forested.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.