Graettinger is a city in Palo Alto County, Iowa, United States.

[2] Graettinger got its start in the 1880s, following construction of the Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway through that territory.

[3] The land was originally owned by Dr. Alois Graettinger, a German physician who had immigrated to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

They are descendants of Dr. Graettinger's brother, Blasius, who was a stone cutter by trade but moved to Iowa to farm.

Graettinger is the location of the oldest Labor Day celebration in the state of Iowa.

Each year, the town celebrates with a parade, carnival, street dance, variety show, queen coronation, raffle drawing and various other events.

[4] Dr. Alois Graettinger was a German-American physician born in Passau, Bavaria, on January 10, 1834.

In 1894, Dr. Graettinger was chosen as the president of the Society of German Physicians in Milwaukee.

On account of ill health he left for California in 1898, giving up practice and tilling the soil until his death due to arteriosclerosis on October 23, 1907.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.77 square miles (1.99 km2), all land.

35.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.