Old Peru (also Peru, pronounced ''PEE-roo'') is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in Madison County,

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

, United States. Its elevation is 1,122 feet (342 m). Although Old Peru is unincorporated, it once had a post office under the name of Peru; the office was established on 18 April 1853 and closed on 14 September 1903. Even though the community's post office has been closed for over a century, ZIP Code 50222 is still reserved for Peru. Old Peru was laid out as a town in 1855, but it declined when the railroad missed it by a mile, and in 1887 the town of East Peru was founded on that line. The original (seedling) delicious apple tree grew in Peru.

References

Unincorporated communities in Madison County, Iowa 1855 establishments in Iowa Unincorporated communities in Iowa {{MadisonCountyIA-geo-stub