Creston is a city in and the county seat of Union County, Iowa, United States. The population was 7,597 at the 2000 census. Within a few miles of Creston are Green Valley State Park, Summit Lake, Twelve Mile Lake and Three Mile Recreation Area. McKinley Lake lies within a large, multi-purpose municipal park within the city limits. Creston has a long railroad history. Today, Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Creston, operating its California Zephyr daily in both directions between Chicago, Illinois, and Emeryville, California, across the bay from San Francisco. Creston is also a stop on the BNSF Railway. Rail crews based in Creston work from Creston to Galesburg, Illinois and Lincoln, Nebraska. The former Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad railroad depot, a 2-story, yellow-brick, red tile-roofed French Provincial structure, now serves as Creston's city hall.