The county seat is Algona, a town of about 5,700. Current towns include Bancroft, Burt, Fenton, Lakota, Ledyard, Lone Rock, LuVerne, St. Joseph, Swea City, Titonka, Wesley, West Bend and Whittemore.

Past towns include Ashuelot, Buffalo Fork, Call's Grove, Collar's Corners, Cook's Siding, Cresco, Cutler, Darien, Eagle Lake, Fine, Galbraith, Gerled, Grant, Greenwood Center, Germania, German Valley, Hale, Hanna, Hatch, Hobart, Hobarton, Irvington, Johnson Settlement, Kossuth Center, Lotts Creek, Moore's Siding, Morton's Siding, Mott's Settlement, Noebla, Plum Creek, Rahm, Ramsey, Reynolds, Rich Point, St. Benedict, Seneca, Sexton, Stevens, Swea and Whitman. (While many of these are gone, some can still be recognized as a community.)

Click on Places to see a history of each town site.