The (/) is a
State in the
Midwestern Region of the
United States Of America . It is the 29th
State of the
United States , having joined the Union on
December 28 ,
1846 . The state is named for the
Native American Ioway people. It is known as the "Hawkeye State" or the "Tall Corn State".
The
Mississippi River forms the eastern boundary of the state. The boundary along the west is formed by the
Missouri River south of
Sioux City and by the
Big Sioux River north of Sioux City. There are several natural
Lake s in the state, most notably
Spirit Lake ,
West Okoboji Lake , and
East Okoboji Lake in northwest Iowa (''see
Iowa Great Lakes ''). Man-made lakes include Lake Odessa
{Link without Title} , Saylorville Lake, Lake Red Rock, Coralville Lake, Lake MacBride and Rathbun Lake.
The topography of the state is gently rolling
Plains .
Loess hills lie along the western border of the state, some of which are several hundred feet thick. In the northeast, along the Mississippi River, is a section of the
Driftless Zone , which in Iowa consists of low rugged hills covered with conifers—a landscape not usually associated with this state.
The point of lowest elevation is
Keokuk in southeastern Iowa, at 480 feet (146 m). The point of highest elevation, at 1,670 feet (509 m), is Hawkeye Point, located in a feedlot north of
Sibley in northwest Iowa. The mean elevation of the state is 1,099 feet (335
M ). Considering the size of the state at 56,271
Square Mile s (145,743
Km&2 ), there is very little elevation difference.
Iowa has 99 ).
Iowa has the highest average have passed requirements for radon resistant construction in all new homes.
Areas controlled and protected by the
National Park Service include:
- Effigy Mounds National Monument near Harpers Ferry
- Herbert Hoover National Historical Site in West Branch
- Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail
- Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail
Iowa, like most of the Midwest, has a Humid Continental Climate throughout the state ( Koppen Climate Classification ''Dfa'') with extremes of both heat and cold. The average annual temperature at Des Moines is 50 °F (10 °C); for some locations in the north the figure is under 45 °F (8 °C), while Keokuk , on the Mississippi River , averages 52 °F (12 °C). Winters are brisk and snowfall is common, the capital (Des Moines) receiving an average of 36.3 inches (92 cm) per season. Spring ushers in the beginning of the Severe Weather season, as well as bringing increased precipitation and warming temperatures. The Iowan Summer is known for heat and humidity, with daytime temperatures often near 90 °F (32 °C) and sometimes exceeding 100 °F (38 °C).
Iowa averages about 50 days of . The state has a moderately high risk of Tornadic activity with, on average, 37 tornadoes per year, mostly in the spring and summer months. Mean Annual Average Number of Tornadoes 1953-2004 . ncdc.noaa.gov. Last accessed November 1, 2006.
Iowa is neighbored by the following states:
See Also: History of Iowa
Highlights:
- The first Europeans to explore Iowa were French citizens following the Sac and Fox, presently known as the Mesquakie (Meskwaki) Indians.
- At first, due to a lack of trees, Iowa was believed to not be able to support agriculture.
- Louis Joliet and Jacques Marquette are believed to be the first European explorers to visit Iowa. They described Iowa as lush, Green , and fertile.
- Iowa has been home to approximately 17 different Native American tribes. Today, only the Meskwaki tribe remains.
- The first American settlers officially moved to Iowa in June 1833. Primarily, they were families from Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri.
- During the 1835 Dragoon expedition to map and survey central Iowa, many dragoons got lost in prairie grass which was over their heads even on horseback. The map maker was Albert Lea, who is the namesake for Albert Lea, Minnesota . One of the commanders was Nathan Boone , the youngest son of Daniel Boone .
- Iowa became the 29th state in the union on December 28 , 1846 .
- The Chicago And North Western Railway reached Council Bluffs in 1867. Council Bluffs was designated the eastern terminus for the Union Pacific Railroad . The completion of five major railroads across Iowa brought major economic changes as well as travel opportunities.
- During the American Civil War , more than 75,000 Iowans participated in the war, 13,001 of whom died (mostly by disease). Iowa had a higher percentage of soldiers serve in the Civil War, per capita, than any other state in the Union, with nearly 60% of eligible males serving. Among many cases in point would be Isaac S. Struble of Plymouth County, Congressman from 1883-1891.
- Iowa saw a large increase in farming of beef, corn, and pork during World War I , but farmers saw economic hardships after the war. These hardships were the result of the removal of war-time farm subsidies. Total recovery did not occur until the 1940s.
- The Farm Crisis of the 1980s saw a major decline of family farms in Iowa and around the Midwest, and it was marked by a sharp drop in the state's rural population.
- Although Iowa's primary industry is agriculture, it also produces Refrigerator s, Washing Machine s, Fountain Pen s, Farm Implement s, toothbrushes, and food products that are shipped around the world.
- Iowa is also a major producer of Ethanol and Biodiesel .
- Iowa has the 3rd largest wind power economy, after California and Texas.
- Iowa is a very important political state, as they hold the first caucus in the nation every Presidential election.
- Bergman, Marvin, ed. ''Iowa History Reader'' (1996) essays by scholars.
- Ross, Earl D. ''Iowa Agriculture: An Historical Survey'' (1951)
- Sage, Leland. ''A History of Iowa'' (1974)
- Schwieder, Dorothy. ''Iowa: The Middle Land'' (1996) excellent scholarly history
- Wall, Joseph Frazier. ''Iowa: A Bicentennial History'' (1978)
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As of 2006, Iowa has an estimated population of 2,982,085, which is an increase of 17,892, or 0.6%, from the prior year and an increase of 55,761 or 1.9%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 53,706 people (that is 197,163 births minus 143,457 deaths) and a decrease due to net migration of 11,754 people out of the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 29,386 people, while migration within the country produced a net loss of 41,140 people.
The Center Of Population of Iowa is located in Marshall County , in the city of Marshalltown {Link without Title} .
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2004, Iowa's population included about 97,000 foreign-born (3.3%).
Iowans are mostly of (35.7%), Irish (13.5%), English (9.5%), American (6.6%), Norwegian (5.7%), Dutch (4.6%), Swedish (3.3%) and Danish (3.2%)
6.4% of Iowa's population were reported as under the age of five, 23.3 under 18, and 14.0% were 65 or older. Males made up approximately 49.2% of the population.http://www.statelibraryofiowa.org/datacenter/quickfacts
Iowa, in common with other Midwestern states (especially Kansas , Nebraska , North and South Dakota ), is feeling the brunt of Rural Flight , although Iowa has been gaining population since approximately 1990. 89% of the total number of cities in those states have fewer than 3,000 people; hundreds have fewer than 1,000. Between 1996 and 2004, almost half a million people, nearly half with college degrees, left the six states.
Most Iowans are Protestant Christians, with Lutheranism being the largest single Protestant denomination, followed by Methodist. The state has the second largest population of Reformed Christians, both RCA and CRC .
The religious affiliations of the people of Iowa are:2
by Grant Wood ]]
The state's total gross state product for 2005 was US$113.5 billion.http://www.statelibraryofiowa.org/datacenter/quickfacts Its , Corn , Soybean s, Oat s, Cattle and Dairy products. Its industrial outputs are food processing, machinery, electric equipment, chemical products, publishing and primary metals. Iowa produces the nation's largest amount of Ethanol . Des Moines also serves as a center for the insurance industry.
Iowa imposes taxes on net state income of individuals and estates and trusts. There are currently nine Income Tax brackets, ranging from 0.36% to 8.98%. The state Sales Tax rate is 5%. 3 Iowa has two local option sales taxes that may be imposed by counties after an election at which the majority of voters favors the tax. They are in addition to the 5% state sales tax. The ''regular'' local option tax is imposed on the gross receipts from sales of tangible Personal Property . It usually remains in effect until it is repealed, but the ordinance may include a Sunset Clause . The ''school infrastructure'' local option tax is automatically repealed 10 years after it is imposed, unless the ballot imposes a shorter time frame.
Property tax is levied on the taxable value of real property, that is, mostly land, buildings, structures, and other improvements that are constructed on or in the land, attached to the land or placed upon a foundation. Typical improvements include a building, house or mobile home, fences, and paving. The following five classes of real property are evaluated: residential, agricultural, commercial, industrial and utilities/railroad (which is assessed at the state level). Homeowners pay less than half of the property tax collected each year in Iowa. Farmers pay 21%, and businesses and industry, a total of 23%. Utility companies, including Railroad s, pay 10%. Iowa has more than 2,000 taxing authorities. Most property is taxed by more than one taxing authority. The tax rate differs in each locality and is a composite of county, city or rural township, School District and special levies.
These are ten Interstate Highways that go through Iowa:
These are 20 United States Highways that go through Iowa:
- 6 , 18 , 20 , 30 , 34 , 52 , 59 , 61 , 63 , 65 , 67 , 69 , 71 , 75 , 77 , 136 , 151 , 169 , 218 , 275
The current Governor is Chet Culver (D)
Other statewide elected officials are:
The two U.S. Senators:
The five U.S. Congressmen:
The Code Of Iowa contains the Statutory Law s of the State of Iowa. It is periodically updated by the Iowa Legislative Service Bureau, with a new edition published in odd-numbered years and a supplement published in even-numbered years.
Iowa is an alcohol monopoly or Alcoholic Beverage Control State .
Iowa voters supported Bill Clinton in 1992 and in 1996. Al Gore won the state in 2000, but George W. Bush won the state in 2004.
In the 2006 elections, the Iowa Democrats gained two seats in the Iowa delegation to the United States House Of Representatives , and Democrats won a majority in both houses of the Iowa General Assembly .
The state gets considerable attention every four years because it holds the first presidential Caucus , a gathering of voters to select delegates to the state convention. Along with the New Hampshire Primary a week later, it has become the starting gun for choosing the two major-party candidates for president. The caucus, held in January of the election year, involves people gathering in homes or public places and choosing their candidate, rather than casting secret ballots, as is done in a Primary Election . The national and international media give Iowa (and New Hampshire) about half of all the attention accorded the national candidate selection process, which gives the voters enormous leverage. Some candidates decide to skip the Iowa caucus, especially those who oppose ethanol subsidies, and use their resources in other early states such as New Hampshire and South Carolina. Those who enter the caucus race often expend enormous effort to reach voters in each of Iowa's 99 counties.
See Also: List of cities in Iowa
These are Iowa's 30 largest cities, based on 2006 population estimates from the United States Census Bureau .56
# Des Moines (193,886/ MSA 534,230), state capital, home to Drake University , and location of internationally known Iowa State Fair
# Cedar Rapids (124,417/MSA 249,320), home of the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library
# Davenport (99,514/MSA 377,291), home of Saint Ambrose University , largest of the Quad Cities
# Sioux City (83,262/MSA 143,474), home of Sergeant Floyd Monument of the Lewis And Clark Expedition , northern-most Missouri River port
# Waterloo (65,998/MSA 162,263), home of John Deere 's tractor factory
# Iowa City (62,649/MSA 139,567), home of the University Of Iowa
# Council Bluffs (60,271/MSA 822,549), part of Omaha, Nebraska metropolitan area
# Dubuque (57,696/MSA 92,384) Iowa's oldest city, river port, home of Loras College , tourist destination
# West Des Moines (53,945/534,230), suburb of Des Moines and insurance center
# Ames (51,557/MSA 80,145), home of Iowa State University .
# Ankeny (38,726/534,230), suburb of Des Moines
# Urbandale (37,173534,230), suburb of Des Moines
# Cedar Falls (36,940/MSA 162,263), home of the University Of Northern Iowa and part of the Waterloo metropolitan area
# Bettendorf (32,394/MSA 377,291), part of the Quad Cities
# Marion (31,084/MSA 249,320), suburb of Cedar Rapids
# Mason City (27,740), city known for cement manufacturing
# Clinton (27,042), industrial river town
# Marshalltown (25,957), home of Iowa Veterans Home, known for furnace and valve manufacturing
# Fort Dodge (25,466), known for mining and veterinary pharmaceuticals
# Burlington (25,464), industrial river town
# Ottumwa (24,845), industrial river town
# Muscatine (22,719), location of many chemical plants
# Coralville (18,017), suburb of Iowa City
# Newton (15,469), home of the Iowa Speedway , former home of the Maytag Corporation 's headquarters prior to the Whirlpool Corporation buyout
# Johnston (14,513), suburb of Des Moines
# Indianola (14,227), home of National Balloon Museum and Simpson College
# Clive (14,062), suburb of Des Moines
# Altoona (13,394), suburb of Des Moines
# Boone (12,773), an important hub for the Union Pacific Railroad
# Spencer (11,059) known for the Clay County Fair
Iowa has eight official partner states:http://www.iowasisterstates.org/
Iowa has historically placed a strong emphasis on education, which is shown in standardized testing scores. In 2003, Iowa had the second highest average SAT scores by state, and tied for second highest average ACT scores in states where more than 20% of graduates were tested. The national office of ACT is in Iowa City , and the ITBS and ITED testing programs used in many states are provided by the University Of Iowa .
An overhaul of the current education system is being discussed. One of the suggested ideas is switching from 180 days to a year-round school system. {Link without Title}
The following is an alphabetical list of famous people born in Iowa (who don't necessarily live in Iowa) as well as famous Iowans in general.
Some of the wild animals that can be found in Iowa:
