Exline is a city in Caldwell Township, Appanoose County, Iowa, United States. The population was 160 in the 2020 census, a decline from 191 in 2000.
History
Exline was surveyed by J.J. Hall in 1873 for David Exline, who settled there and established a successful dry-goods business, and it was incorporated in 1904. Initially, the town was known as Caldwell City or Bob Town. The opening of a post office in 1877 forced the town to settle on an official name.
Exline grew considerably with the coal boom. United Mine Workers local 812 was organized in Exline in 1899; by 1907, it had 200 members. In 1912, Local 812 had 180 members. In 1906, Exline was home to the Exline Coal Company, with two mine shafts west of town, the Iowa Block Coal Company also had an Exline mine, the White Oak Coal Company had a mine north of town, and the inactive Royal Mine was to the east.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.
Geologists have named the Exline cyclothem after the town. This rock group extends from Iowa into Illinois and contains the Exline limestone, named after the exposure on a creek bank, 1.5 miles south of the southwest corner of Exline.