Encyclopedia
Iowa is a
Midwest state of the
United States. It 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". The state is named for the
Native American Iowa people.
Geography
- See 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 several natural
lakes in the state, most notably Spirit Lake,
West Okoboji Lake, and
East Okoboji Lake in northwest Iowa . 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 is
Keokuk in southeastern Iowa, at 480 feet . The point of highest elevation, at 1,670 feet , is Hawkeye Point, located in a feedlot north of
Sibley in northwest Iowa. The mean elevation of the state is 1,099 feet . Considering the size of the state at 56,271 square miles , there is very little elevation difference.
Iowa has 99
counties. The state capital,
Des Moines, is located in
Polk County .
Areas controlled and protected by the
National Park Service include:
Climate
Iowa experiences a continental climate with extremes of both heat and cold. The average annual temperature at
Des Moines is 50.0°F ; for some locations in the north the figure is under 45°F, while Keokuk, on the
Mississippi River, averages 52.1°F. Winters are brisk and snowfall common, the capital receiving an average of 36.3 inches 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 sometimes exceeding 100°F .
History
- Main article: History of Iowa.
Highlights:
- The first Europeans to explore Iowa were French citizens following the Suix and Fox Indians.
- At first due to a lack of trees Iowa was believed to not be able to support argriculture.
- Louis Joliet and Jacques Marquette are believed to be the first 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 dragonons got lost in prarie grass which was over their heads even on horseback. The map maker was Albert Lee which is the namesake for Albert Lee, 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 . 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 happen until the 1940s.
- The Farm Crisis of the 1980's 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 refrigerators, washing machines, fountain pens, farm implements, and food products that are shipped around the world.
- Iowa is also a major producer of ethanol and biodiesel.
- As of 2006, Iowa is the only Midwestern state to have a growing/expanding economy.
- Iowa has the 3rd largest wind power economy, after California and Texas.
References
- Bergman, Marvin, ed. Iowa History Reader essays by scholars.
- Ross, Earl D. Iowa Agriculture: An Historical Survey
- Sage, Leland. A History of Iowa
- Schwieder, Dorothy. Iowa: The Middle Land excellent scholarly history
-
Demographics
As of 2005, Iowa has an estimated population of 2,966,334, which is an increase of 13,430, or 0.5%, from the prior year and an increase of 39,952, or 1.4%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 53,706 people 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.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2004, Iowa's population included about 97,000 foreign-born .
Iowans are mostly of
Northern European origin. The seven largest ancestry groups in Iowa are:
German ,
Irish , English ,
American ,
Norwegian ,
Dutch and
Swedish6.4% of Iowa's population were reported as under the age of five, 25.1% under 18, and 14.9% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 50.9% of the population.
Rural flight
Iowa, in common with other Midwestern states , 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.
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.
The religious affiliations of the people of Iowa are:
- Christian – 74% []
- Other Religions – 6%
- Non-Religious – 13%
- Did not answer – 5%
Economy
The state's total gross state product for 2003 was US$103 billion. Its per capita income for 2003 was US$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 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%. 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 percent 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.erty 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 . Homeowners pay less than half of the property tax collected each year in Iowa. Farmers pay 21 percent, and businesses and industry, a total of 23 percent. Utility companies, including
railroads, pay 10 percent. 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.
Transportation
Interstate highways
These are the
interstate highways that go through Iowa:
...
,
480,
680US highways
These are the
United States highways that go through Iowa:
map=US 6 map.png|
...
,
18,
20,
30,
34,
52,
59,
61,
63,
65,
67,
69,
71,
75,
77,
136,
151,
169,
218,
275Law and government
The current Governor is
Tom Vilsack and the two U.S. Senators:
The five U.S. Congressmen:
- Jim Leach
- Jim Nussle
- Steve King
- Tom Latham
- Leonard Boswell
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 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. President 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.
Iowa is an alcohol monopoly or
Alcoholic beverage control state.
- See List of Governors of Iowa, Iowa General Assembly, and Iowa State Capitol
Iowa Presidential caucus
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 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.
U.S. senators from Iowa
List of United States Senators who have represented Iowa:
Important cities and towns
Population figures are given in parentheses and are based on 2005 estimates , except for those marked with *, which are special census figures from 2005.
Metropolitan Statistical Area figures are 2005 estimates .
Population > 100,000
...
, state capital, and home to
Drake University.
...
...
, home of Saint Ambrose University, largest of the
Quad CitiesSioux City is a city located in northwest Iowa [i] in the United States [i]. ...
Population > 10,000
...
, college town, manufacturing center, river port
...
and part of the Waterloo metropolitan area
...
, part of the Quad Cities
- Marion , suburb of Cedar Rapids
- Mason City , city known for cement manufacturing
- Clinton , industrial river town
- Marshalltown , home of Iowa Veterans Home, known for furnace and valve manufacturing
- Fort Dodge , known for mining and veterinary pharmaceuticals
- Burlington , industrial river town
- Ottumwa
