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Iowa

State nickname: The Hawkeye State

Other U.S. States
Capital Des Moines
Largest city Des Moines
Governor Thomas Vilsack (D)
Official languages English
Area 145,743 km² (26th)
- Land 144,701 km²
- Water 1,042 km² (0.71%)
Population (2000)
- Population 2,926,324 (30th)
- Density 20.22 /km² (33rd)
Admission into Union
- Date December 28, 1846
- Order 29th
Time zone Central: UTC-6/DST-5
Latitude 40°36'N to 43°30'N
Longitude 89°5'W to 96°31'W
Width 320 km
Length 500 km
Elevation
- Highest point 509 m
- Mean 335 m
- Lowest point 146 m
Abbreviations
- USPS IA
- ISO 3166-2 US-IA
Web site www.iowa.gov
Iowa is the 29th state of the United States, having joined the Union on December 28, 1846. The official name of the state is the "State of Iowa", and the U.S. Post Office abbreviation for the state is IA.

Contents [hide]
1 History
2 Geography
2.1 Interstate highways
2.2 US highways
2.3 Animals
3 Economy
4 Demographics
4.1 "Rural flight"
4.2 Religion
5 Important cities and towns
6 Education
6.1 State universities
6.2 Independent colleges and universities
6.3 Community colleges
6.4 Professional business and technical colleges and universities
7 Law and government
7.1 Iowa caucus
7.2 U.S. senators from Iowa
8 Professional sports teams
9 External links
10 Sources

French explorers Louis Joliet and Jacques Marquette are believed to be the first Europeans to visit Iowa. They described Iowa as lush, green, and fertile.
Iowa has been home to approximately 17 different tribes. Today, only the Mesquaki tribe is left in Iowa and live in Tama County.
The first white settlers officially moved to Iowa in June 1833. Primarily, they were families from Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Indiana, Kentucky, and Virginia.
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. A small battle fought at Athens, MO in 1861 resulted in a few shots finding Iowa soil; a raid into Davis and Van Buren counties by Confederate guerrillas was stopped by Home Guards in October 1864. 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.
The Iowa General Assembly passed a women's suffrage amendment in 1870.
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 happen until the 1940s.
Iowa had been a large supporter of alcohol prohibition.
The Farm Crisis of the 1980's saw a major decline of family farms in Iowa and around the midwest, and was marked by a sharp drop in the state's rural population.
Although Iowa's primary industry is agriculture, it also produces refrigerators, washing machines, fountain pens, farm implements, and food products that are shipped around the world.
Iowa is also a major producer of ethanol.
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Geography

Iowa neighbors
Iowa map
Iowa countiesSee List of counties in Iowa, List of cities in Iowa, List of townships in Iowa and List of Iowa rivers
Iowa is bordered by Minnesota on the north, Nebraska and South Dakota on the west, Missouri on the south, and Wisconsin and Illinois on the east.

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 many natural lakes 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, Saylorville Lake, Lake Red Rock, and Rathbun Lake.

The topography of the state is gently rolling plains. Loess hills lie along the western border of the state. Some of these 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 (146 m) is Keokuk in southeastern Iowa. The point of highest elevation (509 m) is Hawkeye Point, located in a feedlot north of Sibley in northwest Iowa. The mean elevation of the state is 335 m. Considering the size of the state (145,743 km²), there is very little elevation difference.

Iowa has 99 counties. The state capital, Des Moines, is located in Polk County (#60).

Effigy Mounds National Monument
Herbert Hoover National Historical Site
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Interstate highways
These are the interstate highways that go through Iowa:

29, 35, 74, 80, 129, 235, 280, 380, 480, 680
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US highways
These are the 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
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Animals
These are some of the wild animals that can be found in Iowa:

White-tailed deer
Pheasant
Quail
Muskrat
Raccoon
Red fox
Jackrabbit
Cottontail
Fox squirrel
Gray squirrel
Coyote
Beaver
Badger
Weasel
Mink
Eastern spotted skunk
Striped skunk
Gray fox
Opossum
Gopher
Groundhog
Massasauga rattlesnake
Prairie rattlesnake
Timber rattlesnakes

Iowa is home of 49 endangered & 35 threatened animal species as well as 64 endangered & 89 threatened plant species [1].

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Economy

Iowa state quarter by Grant WoodThe state's total gross state product for 2003 was $103 billion. Its per capita income for 2003 was $28,340. Iowa's main agricultural outputs are hogs, corn, soybeans, oats, cattle and dairy products. Its industrial outputs are food processing, machinery, electric equipment, chemical products, publishing and primary metals. Iowa produces the nations largest amount of ethanol. Des Moines also serves as a center for the insurance industry.

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1840 43,112
1850 192,214
1860 674,913
1870 1,194,020
1880 1,624,615
1890 1,912,297
1900 2,231,853
1910 2,224,771
1920 2,404,021
1930 2,470,939
1940 2,538,268
1950 2,621,073
1960 2,757,537
1970 2,824,376
1980 2,913,808
1990 2,776,755
2000 2,926,324
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2004, Iowa's population was estimated to be 2,954,451 people. This includes about 97,000 foreign-born (3.3%).

92.6% White non-Hispanic
2.1% Black
2.8% Hispanic
1.3% Asian
0.3% Native American
1.1% Mixed race
The five largest ancestry groups in Iowa are: German (35.7%), Irish (13.5%), English (9.5%), American (6.6%), Norwegian (5.7%).

Iowans are mostly of Northern European origin. There are large numbers of German-Americans in the state (1 in 3 Iowans answered that they were of German ancestry on the 2000 Census), as well as people of British, Scandinavian, and Dutch ancestry, among others.

6.4% of Iowa's population were reported as under 5, 25.1% under 18, and 14.9% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 50.9% of the population.

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"Rural flight"
Iowa, in common with other Great Plains states (especially Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, North and South Dakota), is feeling the brunt of falling populations. 89% of the total number of cities in those states have fewer than 3000 people; hundreds have fewer than 1000. Between 1996 and 2004 almost half a million people, nearly half with college degrees, left the six states. "Rural flight" as it is called has led to offers of free land and tax breaks as enticements to newcomers.

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Religion
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.

Christian – 86%
Protestant – 62%
Lutheran – 17%
Methodist – 14%
Baptist – 5%
Presbyterian – 3%
Reformed – 2%
Congregational/United Church of Christ – 2%
Other Protestant or general Protestant – 19%
Roman Catholic – 23%
Other Christian – 1%
Other Religions – <1%
Non-Religious – 14%

Iowa State Symbols Living Symbols
-Animal None
-Bird Eastern Goldfinch
-Butterfly None
-Fish Channel catfish (unofficial)
-Flower Wild Rose
-Furbearer None
-Game None
-Grass Bluebunch wheatgrass
-Insect Honey Bee
-Reptile None
-Tree Oak
-Wildflower None
Beverage None
Capital Des Moines
Colors Red, white, and blue (in state flag)
Dance None
Fossil Crinoid (proposed)
Gemstone None
Mineral None
Motto Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain
Musical Instrument None
Nickname The Hawkeye State
Rock Geode
Ship(s) Iowa class battleship, USS Iowa (BB-4), USS Iowa (BB-53), USS Iowa (BB-61)
Song The Song of Iowa
Soil Tama (unofficial)
Waltz None
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Important cities and towns
Population > 100,000 (urbanized area) Population > 10,000 (urbanized area)
Des Moines, state capital
Davenport, home of Saint Ambrose University
Cedar Rapids
Waterloo
Sioux City
Iowa City, home of University of Iowa
Dubuque
Ames, home of Iowa State University
Clinton
Carroll
Burlington
Mason City
Marshalltown
Fort Dodge
Ottumwa
Muscatine
Newton
Keokuk
Indianola
Boone
Oskaloosa
Fort Madison
Spirit Lake
Spencer
Storm Lake

Other Cities
Bettendorf part of the Quad Cities
Cedar Falls, home of the University of Northern Iowa (part of Waterloo metropolis)
Council Bluffs (part of Omaha, Nebraska, metropolis)
Fayette, home of Upper Iowa University

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Education
Iowa has 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. [2]

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State universities
Iowa State University
University of Iowa
University of Northern Iowa
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Independent colleges and universities
Ashford University
Briar Cliff University
Buena Vista University
Central College
Clarke College
Coe College
Cornell College
Divine Word College
Dordt College
Drake University
Emmaus Bible College
Faith Baptist Bible College
Graceland University
Grand View College
Grinnell College
Iowa Wesleyan College
Loras College
Luther College
Maharishi University of Management
Morningside College
Mount Mercy College
Northwestern College
Simpson College
Saint Ambrose University
University of Dubuque
Upper Iowa University
Vennard College
Waldorf College
Wartburg College
William Penn University

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Community colleges
Clinton Community College
Des Moines Area Community College
Ellsworth Community College
Hawkeye Community College
Indian Hills Community College
Iowa Central Community College
Iowa Lakes Community College
Iowa Western Community College
Kirkwood Community College
Marshalltown Community College
Muscatine Community College
North Iowa Area Community College
Northeast Iowa Community College
Northwest Iowa Community College
Scott Community College
Southeastern Community College
Southwestern Community College
Western Iowa Community College

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Professional business and technical colleges and universities
AIB College of Business
Allen College of Nursing
Des Moines University
Hamilton College
Kaplan College
Mercy College of Health Sciences
Palmer College of Chiropractic
St. Luke's College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Vatterott College

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Law and government

Current sample Iowa license plate.The state capital is Des Moines. The current Governor is Tom Vilsack (Democrat) and the two U.S. Senators:

Jim Leach (R)
Jim Nussle (R)
Steve King (R)
Tom Latham (R)
Leonard Boswell (D)
The Code of Iowa contains the statutory laws of the State of Iowa. The Iowa Legislative Service Bureau is a non-partisan governmental agency that is responsible for organizing, updating and publishing the Iowa Code. The Iowa Code is republished in full in odd years (i.e., 1999, 2001, 2003, etc..) and is supplemented in even years.

Iowa has a liberal populist tradition but now is fairly evenly divided between the two major political parties. The state supported Democrats in the presidential contests from 1988 through 2000. It was one of only two states that supported Democrat Al Gore that switched to supporting George W. Bush in 2004. Bush narrowly won the state's 7 electoral votes by a margin of 0.7 percentage points with 49.9% of the vote. Democratic strength is concentrated in the eastern region of the state and in Des Moines.

See List of Governors of Iowa, Iowa General Assembly, and Iowa State Capitol
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Iowa caucus
The state gets considerable attention every four years because of its first in the nation presidential caucus, a gathering of voters which, along with the New Hampshire primary a week later, has become the starting gun for choosing the two major-party candidates for U.S. 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.

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U.S. senators from Iowa
List of United States Senators who have represented Iowa:

Seat 1 Senator Took Office Left Office Party
Chuck Grassley 1981 present Republican
John Culver 1975 1981 Democrat
Harold E. Hughes 1969 1975 Democrat
Bourke B. Hickenlooper 1945 1969 Democrat
Guy M. Gillette 1936 1945 Democrat
Richard Louis Murphy 1933 1936 Democrat
Smith W. Brookhart 1927 1933 Republican
David W. Stewart 1926 1927 Republican
Albert B. Cummins 1908 1926 Republican
William B. Allison 1873 1908 Republican
James Harlan 1867 1873 Republican
Samuel J. Kirkwood 1865 1867 Republican
James Harlan 1855 1865 Free Soil and
Republican
Augustus C. Dodge 1848 1855 Democrat

Capitol in 2003 after regildingSeat 2 Senator Took Office Left Office Party
Tom Harkin 1985 present Democrat
Roger Jepsen 1979 1985 Republican
Dick Clark 1973 1979 Democrat
Jack R. Miller 1961 1973 Republican
Thomas E. Martin 1955 1961 Republican
Guy M. Gillette 1949 1955 Democrat
George A. Wilson 1943 1949 Republican
Clyde L. Herring 1937 1943 Republican
L.J. Dickinson 1931 1937 Republican
Daniel F. Steck 1926 1931 Democrat
Smith W. Brookhart 1922 1926 Republican
Charles A. Rawson 1922 1922 Democrat
William S. Kenyon 1911 1922 Republican
Lafayette Young 1910 1911 Democrat
Jonathan P. Dolliver 1900 1910 Republican
John H. Gear 1895 1900 Republican
James F. Wilson 1883 1895 Republican
James W. McDill 1881 1883 Republican
Samuel J. Kirkwood 1877 1881 Republican
George G. Wright 1871 1877 Republican
James B. Howell 1870 1871 Republican
James W. Grimes 1859 1869 Republican
George W. Jones 1848 1859 Democrat
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Professional sports teams
The Minor League baseball teams are:

Iowa Cubs (AAA, Pacific Coast League)
Cedar Rapids Kernels (A, Midwest League)
Burlington Bees (A, Midwest League)
Chariton A's (collegiate summer)
Clinton LumberKings (A, Midwest League)
Swing of the Quad Cities (A, Midwest League)
Waterloo Bucks (collegiate summer)

Iowa Stars
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
Waterloo Black Hawks
Des Moines Buccaneers
Sioux City Musketeers
Quad City Mallards