[5][6] The city is named for John James Audubon the world-famous ornithologist, artist, and painter.

[7] Audubon was laid out by the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, on September 23, 1878.

The railroad was completed on December 6, 1878, and by December 16, 1878, over fifty houses, a bank, five general stores, one jewelry store, two hotels, one restaurant, three meat markets, three blacksmith shops, one harness shop, one livery stable, two coal yards, two lumber yards, one elevator, three grain dealers, and a school house were built.

With the four months of rapid growth in Audubon there was already talk of moving the county seat from Exira which was 13 miles away.

In the 1879 general election the vote approved the moving of the county seat to Audubon.

[8] Although the railroad was responsible for starting the town, Ethelbert J. Freeman was the driving force behind the growth of Audubon.

Already active in county politics, he became the first mayor of Audubon and was prominent in the incorporation of the town in 1880.

The town post office contains a mural, Audubon's Trip Down the Ohio and Mississippi – 1820, painted in 1942 by Virginia Snedeker.

In 1915 the city was recorded to have a public library, 9 lawyers, 10 medical professionals, 3 veterinarians, 7 clergymen, 4 bankers and many other businesses.

[11] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.88 square miles (4.87 km2), all of it land.

The racial makup of the city was 99.33% White, 0.25% African American, and 0.42% from two or more races.

Albert the Bull, a 30 ft (9.1 m) tall statue, weighing 45 tons.