Iowa
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State flag
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IOWA,
one of the West North Central states of the U.S., bounded
on the N by Minnesota, on the E by Wisconsin and Illinois, on the
S by Missouri, and on the W by Nebraska and South Dakota. The Mississippi
R. forms the entire E border, and the Missouri R. forms much of
the W border.
Iowa entered the Union on Dec. 28, 1846, as the 29th state.
President Herbert Hoover was born in Iowa. Possessing some of
the richest farmland in the U.S., Iowa has always had an economy
dominated by farming and has been known for its production of corn,
hogs, and cattle. Farming and related industries remain central to the economy, and Iowa is still one of the top agricultural states of the U.S. The state’s name is taken from the Iowa R., which is named for the Iowa Indians. Iowa is called the Hawkeye State.
| IOWA STATE FACTS |
| DATE OF STATEHOOD: |
December 28, 1846; 29th state |
| CAPITAL: |
Des Moines |
| MOTTO: |
Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain |
| NICKNAME: |
Hawkeye State |
| STATE SONG: |
“The Song of Iowa” (words
by S. H. M. Byers, sung to the tune of “Der Tannenbaum”) |
| STATE TREE: |
Oak |
| STATE FLOWER: |
Wild rose |
| STATE BIRD: |
Eastern goldfinch |
| POPULATION (2000 census): |
2,926,324; 30th among the states |
| AREA: |
145,754 sq km (56,276 sq mi); 26th largest state;
includes 1038 sq km (401 sq mi) of inland water |
| HIGHEST POINT: |
509 m (1670 ft), in the northwest, atop Ocheyedan Mound |
| LOWEST POINT: |
146 m (480 ft), at the junction of the Mississippi and Des Moines rivers |
| ELECTORAL VOTES: |
7 |
| U.S. CONGRESS: |
2 senators; 5 representatives |
| GOVERNOR: |
Chet Culver (Dem.)
Took office January 2007 |
Iowa, with an area of 145,754 sq km (56,276 sq mi), ranks
26th in size among the U.S. states; 0.4% of the land area
is owned by the federal government. The state is roughly rectangular
in shape, and its extreme dimensions are about 338 km (about 210
mi) from N to S and about 515 km (about 320 mi) from E to W. Elevations
range from 146 m (480 ft) at the Mississippi R. in the SE to 509
m (1670 ft) atop Ocheyedan Mound in the NW near the Minnesota border.
The approximate mean elevation is 335 m (1100 ft).
At one time or another during the Ice Age, all parts of what
is now Iowa were covered by glaciers. As a result, the terrain is
generally flat or gently rolling. The Driftless Region of the NE,
however, has been deeply cut by streams. Here hills frequently rise
about 100 to 120 m (about 330 to 390 ft) above the Mississippi R.
and its tributaries. Iowa’s most level land is found in
the Western Great Lakes Lowland region of the N central part of
the state; its flatness was caused by the planing of ice sheets
during each of the major glacial periods. When the ice sheets melted,
they deposited a mixture of rock and soil called drift; some of
the most fertile soil in the U.S. is found here. This region is
also known as the Des Moines Lobe, because it approximates the southernmost
extension (reaching present-day Des Moines) of the last major ice
sheet some 25,000 years ago. Most of the remainder of Iowa consists
of the rolling lands of the Dissected Till Plains. These plains
were formed by glacial deposition of till (a mixture of rock and
silt) hundreds of thousands of years ago; streams have had ample
time to dissect (erode) the land, forming rounded hills. A small
area of flat till plains is found in the SE part of the state. Rich
soils formed on most of the till plains areas.
Virtually all of the state’s rivers flow into the
Mississippi R. (on the E border) or the Missouri R. (on the W border).
Prominent among the Mississippi’s tributaries are the Des Moines
and Raccoon rivers, which drain the Des Moines Lobe; and the Iowa,
Cedar, Skunk, and Wapsipinicon rivers, which drain the E Dissected
Till Plains. All flow S and E into the Mississippi. Tributaries of
the Missouri R. include the Big Sioux, Little Sioux, and Nishnabotna
rivers, all of which flow SW. Iowa’s largest natural lakes
are found in basins on the Des Moines Lobe. These include Spirit,
Clear, Storm, and West and East Okoboji lakes. Major artificial
bodies of water include Rathbun, Saylorville, Coralville, and Red Rock
lakes.
Iowa has a continental climate with hot, moist summers and
cold, generally dry winters. The average annual temperatures range
from about 7.8° C (about 46° F) in the N to about 10.6° C (about 51°
F) in the S. The recorded temperature in the state has ranged from –43.9°
C (–47° F) in 1912 to 47.8° C (118° F) in 1934. The average
annual precipitation increases gradually from 635 mm (25 in) in
the NW to 864 mm (34 in) in the SE. Although most of the annual
precipitation falls in the warm months, snowstorms and occasional
blizzards occur during the winter. Thunderstorms are common in summer. Droughts
severe enough to cause widespread crop losses occur about every
20 years.
| IOWA AVERAGE CLIMATE |
| |
Dubuque |
Sioux City |
| Average January temperature range |
–12.8° to –3.3° C |
9° to 26° F |
–13.3° to 2.2° C |
8° to 28° F |
| Average July temperature range |
16.1° to 27.8° C |
61° to 82° F |
17.8° to 31.7° C |
64° to 89° F |
| Average annual temperature |
8.3° C |
47°F |
8.9° C |
48° F |
| Average annual precipitation |
1016 mm |
40 in |
660 mm |
26 in |
| Average annual snowfall |
1067 mm |
42 in |
787 mm |
31 in |
| Mean number of days per year with appreciable precipitation |
114 |
99 |
| Average daily relative humidity |
71% |
71% |
| Mean number of clear days per year |
91 |
107 |
Before cultivation, Iowa’s landscape was largely
covered by a prairie vegetation, consisting principally of bluestem
grasses; trees were common along the river valleys of the S and
E. Today, trees are found throughout the state, but no large forests
exist; only about 5% of the land area of the state is covered
by forest. Maple and basswood trees are found in the Driftless Region,
along with a few white pine groves. Farther S, oak and hickory trees
prevail, with walnut, elm, and cedar trees in evidence. Buffalo
and coyote once roamed the prairies, and deer and cougar were present
in the woods. Today only the deer remain, together with such mammals
as raccoon, fox, squirrel, muskrat, and rabbit. The bobwhite quail and
the introduced ring-necked pheasant are major game birds. Ducks
and geese migrate through Iowa in season. A variety of fish are
found, including bass, pike, and sunfish in the lakes and trout
and catfish in the streams.
Iowa’s most important mineral resources are nonmetallic. Limestone
is quarried throughout the E, central, and S parts of the state,
and sand and gravel are found chiefly in the N and W and along river
valleys. Fort Dodge, Sperry, and Harvey are the centers of the gypsum-mining industry.
Bituminous coal, Iowa’s only fuel mineral, is found throughout
the central and S parts of the state.
According to the 2000 census, Iowa had 2,926,324 inhabitants,
an increase of 5.4% over the 1990, while in the previous
decade the population declined by 4.7%. The average population
density in 2000 was 52.4 people per sq mi of land area. Whites made
up 93.9% of the population and blacks 2.1%; additional
groups included 8989 American Indians and Alaska Natives, 36,635
Asians, and 1009 Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders. (These
figures do not include the 1.1% of the population who reported
more than one race.) A total of 82,473 persons, or 2.8%,
reported being of Hispanic ancestry. The state’s biggest
cities were Des Moines, the capital; Cedar Rapids; Davenport; Sioux
City; and Waterloo.
According to ta 2000 survey, Roman Catholics formed the largest single religious group (19.1% of the total population), followed by adherents of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (9.2%), United Methodist Church (8.5%), and.Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (4.1%), among other Protestant. /p>
In 2000 about 61% of all Iowans lived in areas then defined as urban.
| POPULATION OF IOWA SINCE
1840 |
| Year of Census |
Population |
Classified As Urban |
| 1840 |
43,000 |
0% |
| 1860 |
675,000 |
9% |
| 1880 |
1,625,000 |
15% |
| 1900 |
2,232,000 |
26% |
| 1920 |
2,404,000 |
36% |
| 1940 |
2,538,000 |
43% |
| 1960 |
2,758,000 |
53% |
| 1980 |
2,914,000 |
59% |
| 1990 |
2,776,755 |
61% |
| 2000 |
2,926,324 |
61% |
| POPULATION OF TEN LARGEST CITIES IN IOWA |
| |
2000 Census |
1990 Census |
| Des Moines |
198,682 |
193,187 |
| Cedar Rapids |
120,758 |
108,751 |
| Davenport |
98,359 |
95,333 |
| Sioux City |
85,013 |
80,505 |
| Waterloo |
68,747 |
66,467 |
| Iowa City |
62,220 |
59,738 |
| Council Bluffs |
58,268 |
54,315 |
| Dubuque |
57,686 |
57,546 |
| Ames |
50,731 |
47,198 |
| West Des Moines |
46,403 |
31,702 |
Since pioneer days Iowans have placed a high value on the
provision of educational and cultural facilities.
Iowa’s first public school was opened in 1830. The
statewide system was established in 1834. In the early 2000s annual public school enrollment totaled about 325,000 elementary pupils and 150,000 elementary and secondary schools.
In the same period Iowa’s institutions of higher education, enrolled about 200,000 students per year. Colleges and universities include the University of Iowa
(1847), in Iowa City; Iowa State University of Science and Technology
(1858), in Ames; the University of Northern Iowa (1876), in Cedar
Falls; Drake University (1881), in Des Moines; and Grinnell College
(1846), in Grinnell.
Iowa’s museums, libraries, and orchestras are concentrated
in the larger cities. Among the major museums are the Des Moines
Art Center (1933); the Davenport Art Gallery and the Putnam Museum
of History and Natural Science (1867), both at Davenport; the Sioux
City Public Museum (1858); the Sanford Museum and Planetarium (1941),
at Cherokee; and the Grout Museum of History and Science (1933),
at Waterloo. The state’s largest public libraries are at
Des Moines and Dubuque. The library of the State Historical Society,
at Iowa City, contains a large history collection. The Herbert Hoover Presidential
Library and Museum (1962) is located in West Branch. Both Des Moines
and Cedar Rapids have symphony orchestras, and a theater company
is established at Garrison.
Many of the state’s historical points of interest
commemorate pioneer days and famous Iowans. The Herbert Hoover National
Historic Site, at West Branch, includes the birthplace, childhood
home, and gravesite of the nation’s 31st president. Amana
and the six other Amana colonies, located NW of Iowa City and settled
by German immigrants who practiced a communal way of life, still
retain some of their old atmosphere. The Fort Atkinson state monument
celebrates pioneer days. The Dvorák Memorial, at Spillville,
commemorates the Czech composer Antonín Dvorák,
who worked here briefly in 1893.
Iowa maintains numerous recreation areas. Hunting, fishing, camping,
and boating are popular recreational activities. Ski areas are located
at Dubuque and Estherville. Among the most popular local sports
are college and high school football and basketball.
Iowa’s first radio station, WSUI, at the
University of Iowa, Iowa City, began broadcasting in 1919. In the
early 2000s Iowa was served by 37 daily newspapers, which had a combined paid circulation of about 600,000. The state’s first newspaper was the Du Buque Visitor, which
began publication in Dubuque in 1836. Among the leading dailies
in the state are the Des Moines Register, the Sioux
City Journal, and the Gazette of Cedar
Rapids.
In 2003 65% of Iowa households had computers and 57% had access to the Internet.
Iowa is governed under a constitution adopted in 1857, as
amended. An earlier state constitution had been adopted in 1846.
An amendment to the constitution may be proposed by either a constitutional
convention or by the state legislature. To become effective, it
must be approved by a majority of voters in an election.
The chief executive of Iowa is a governor, who is popularly
elected to a 4-year term and who may be reelected to any number
of terms. The same regulations apply to the lieutenant governor,
who succeeds the governor should the latter resign, die, or be removed
from office. Other elected officials include the secretary of state,
attorney general, treasurer, auditor, and secretary of agriculture.
Iowa’s general assembly consists of a 50-member senate
and a 100-member house of representatives. Senators are popularly
elected to 4-year terms, and representatives are elected to 2-year
terms.
Iowa’s highest court, the supreme court, consists
of a chief justice and six associate justices. Justices are appointed
by the governor to serve one year, after which they must be confirmed
in office by the voters; if confirmed, the justices then serve 8-year
terms. The court of appeals is the intermediate appellate court;
district courts are the major trial courts. After their initial appointment by the governor, the 9 appeals court judges and 116 district court judges must be confirmed by the voters for 6-year terms.
Iowa is divided into 99 counties, each of which is governed by a popularly elected board of supervisors. Sheriffs and other county officials are popularly elected. Almost all the approximately 950 cities and towns in Iowa have a mayor-council form of government. Other local government units in the early 2000s included 386 school districts and 542 special districts.
Iowa elects two senators and five representatives to the U.S.
Congress. The state casts seven electoral votes in presidential
elections.
In both national and state politics the Republicans have generally dominated, although Democrats have also scored some significant victories since
the 1960s. The state’s two U.S. senators, as of 2007, each ranked among that chamber’s more senior members: Charles Grassley (1933– ), a Republican, entered the Senate in 1981, and Tom Harkin (1939– ), a Democrat, began serving in 1985. A system of precinct caucuses held in Iowa early in each presidential election year brings nationwide attention to the state and has enhanced its influence in the party nomination process.
For most of its history, Iowa has had an agricultural economy
based on one crop—corn. Most of the crop has traditionally been used as feed for the state’s large livestock population. In recent years a rising demand for ethanol, produced from corn, has boosted corn production and aided the state’s economy. In the early 2000s Iowa continued to ranked third among the states in total agricultural receipts, behind only Texas and California. Manufacturing activity has grown, however,grew during the 20th century and now accounts for more than 20% of the yearly gross state product, but many manufacturing jobs have been lost in recent years. Iowa’s industry is diversified, though much of it is based on the processing of farm products. Service industries have grown in importance; Des Moines is a leading U.S. insurance center.
| ILLINOIS STATE ECONOMY |
| STATE BUDGET (in thousands) |
| General revenue |
$15,291,539 |
| General expenditure |
$13,424,350 |
| Accumulated debt |
$4,857,614 |
 |
| STATE TAXES PER CAPITA |
$1,742 |
|
| PERSONAL INCOME, PER CAPITA |
$32,315 |
|
| POPULATION BELOW POVERTY LEVEL |
10.1% |
|
| EMPLOYMENT DISTRIBUTION |
| Management, business, finance |
225,000 |
| Professional and related |
296,000 |
| Services |
9231,000 |
| Sales and related |
164,000 |
| Office and administrative support |
228,000 |
| Farming, fishing, forestry |
too small for statistical reliability |
| Construction and extraction |
66,000 |
| Installation, maintenance, repair |
53,00 |
| Production |
157,000 |
| Transportation and moving |
98,000 |
|
| GROSS STATE PRODUCT |
$105.4 billion |
|
| NET FARM INCOME |
$2,023,000,000 |
| Principal products |
corn, hogs, soybeans |
The state has some 90,000 farms, which average about 140 ha 350 acres) in size. Farms occupy some 90% of Iowa’s land area. Crops account for about half of Iowa’s annual farm income. The state usually ranks first in yearly U.S. corn production.
Corn is grown in all counties in the state but is especially important
in a broad belt extending from the E central counties to the NW.
Iowa leads the nation in hybrid seed corn and popcorn and is a major
producer of soybeans, hay, and oats. Alfalfa, red clover, flaxseed,
sugar beets, and wheat are also important. Apples, peaches, and
grapes are grown in the SW and SE.
Livestock products make up the remainder of Iowa’s
annual agricultural income. Most of the corn grown in the state is fed to livestock. Iowa is the leading hog-producing state in the U.S., accounting for over one-fourth of the national output, and ranks high in the value of beef cattle production. Cow and calf stock farms are concentrated in the hilly E central and S and W sections of the state; dairy cattle are concentrated in the NE. Sheep raising is also important, principally in the SE
and NW. Poultry and eggs are produced on farms throughout the state. Iowa produces more eggs than any other state.
Forestry and fishing activities are of minor importance to
the state economy. Small amounts of oak, walnut, and hickory are
cut for lumber and for the manufacture of furniture. Commercial
fishing is limited to the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, from
which a small catch, principally catfish, is taken.
The mining industry accounts for less than 1% of
the annual gross state product in Iowa. Limestone, which is quarried
in about two-thirds of Iowa’s counties, is the most valuable mineral
commodity. Clay and slate are produced at several locations to provide
materials for cement plants and for the manufacture of brick and
tile products. Gypsum is mined in Des Moines and Webster counties, and
sand and gravel quarries are located in nearly every county in the
state. Bituminous coal reserves in central and S Iowa are exploited.
In 2003 enterprises engaged in manufacturing account for about 21.5% of the annual gross state product in Iowa and employed about 220,000 people, but this represented a loss of almost 30,000 jobs since 2000. The leading industries include food processing and the manufacture of livestock feeds. Meat packing is important in the
economy of several Iowa cities; other processed foods include breakfast
cereals, popcorn, corn oil, corn starch, corn sugar, and glucose.
Other major industries are the manufacture of industrial machinery
and electronic equipment. The principal products of these industries
are farm and construction equipment and various home appliances. Printing
and publishing is a major industry in Des Moines. Other important
manufactures include chemicals, fertilizers, fabricated metal, and
rubber and plastic products. Although most manufacturing is concentrated
in the larger cities, such as Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, and Davenport,
many manufacturing plants are located in Iowa’s smaller
cities and towns.
In 2003 domestic travelers alone spent more than $4.6 billion in Iowa.
Among the most popular attractions are Effigy Mounds National Monument
and the picturesque region of Lake Okoboji and Spirit Lake in the
NW. The state also maintains a system of about 90 parks and recreation
areas.
Iowa’s two major rivers are important for hauling
bulk cargo. The major Mississippi R. ports include Keokuk, Burlington,
Davenport, Clinton, and Dubuque. The Missouri R. ports are Council
Bluffs and Sioux City (the head of navigation). Railroads play an
important part in hauling grain and freight for the state’s
farms, and few communities are more than 32 km (20 mi) from a line.
A network of about 183,000 km (114,000 mi) of highways serve Iowa. Because roads follow the U.S. Land Survey boundaries, the farm-to-market roads and the major highways
form a grid pattern. Several interstate highways with a total length
in Iowa of 1259 km (782 mi) cross the state from both E–W
and N–S, linking the major cities.
Des Moines is the leading air traffic center, followed by Cedar Rapids, Sioux City, and Dubuque.
In the early 2000s electricity generating plants in Iowa had a total capacity of about 10 million kw and produced about 40 billion kwh of electricity each year. About 85% of the electric power was generated from coal-burning installations., with small amounts from other fossil fuels. Nuclear power plants produced close to 10% of the state’s yearly output of electricity. Hydroelectric power accounted for about 2%.
In 1673 the French explorers Jacques Marquette (a Jesuit missionary) and Louis Jolliet became the first Europeans to reach the region included in the present-day state. The region was then inhabited by the Illinois and Iowa tribes of Siouan linguistic stock; these tribes were later expelled from their ancestral domains by the Sac and Fox Indians of Algonquian linguistic stock. In 1680 the Iowa region was partly explored by the Flemish missionary Louis Hennepin. The French government formally claimed the region two years later. In 1762, however, France ceded the region, together with other possessions west of the Mississippi River, to Spain.
In 1788 the French-Canadian pioneer Julien Dubuque (1762–1810) obtained
from the Fox Indians the grant of a tract of land containing rich
lead deposits and including the site of the city now bearing his
name. He built a fort there, mined lead, and traded with the Indians,
but on his death the settlement was abandoned. Meanwhile, in 1803
the region had become a U.S. possession as a part of the Louisiana
Purchase. The Iowa region successively formed a part of the territories
of Louisiana (1805–12), Missouri (1812–21), Michigan
(1834–36), and Wisconsin (1836–38); between 1821
and 1834 it was an unorganized area of the U.S.
In 1808 the federal government established Fort Madison, but
the garrison was withdrawn in 1813 because of hostility by the native
Indian tribes. Following the defeat of an uprising (1832) led by the Sac chieftain Black Hawk, the Indians relinquished their title to an area of almost 23,310 sq km (9000 sq mi) in what is now Iowa. Thereafter, increasing numbers of settlers arrived in the region.
Dubuque was founded in 1833; other towns, including Davenport and
Burlington, were founded during the next few years.
All of the present-day state and parts of what are now Minnesota,
North Dakota, and South Dakota were separated from Wisconsin Territory
in 1838 and merged as Iowa Territory. The territory applied for
admission to the Union in 1844; on Dec. 28, 1846, Iowa became the
29th state.
The influx of settlers continued, even after a massacre of
whites by Sioux Indians at Spirit Lake in March 1857. In the same
year the constitution of 1846 was revised, and Des Moines was made
the capital of the state. Iowa, which came out strongly on the antislavery
side, supported the Union cause in the American Civil War.
The development of the state was greatly accelerated by the
building of railroads. With the rise of powerful railroad corporations,
continuous conflict ensued between the state legislature and the
companies in regard to the taxation of railway property and the
regulation of rates. In 1872 an act taxing railway property was
passed, and a year later, agitation stirred up by the National Grange
against the heavy rates imposed by the
companies led to the creation of a board of railroad commissioners
for the purpose of determining a maximum rate.
Iowa was always a rich farming area, and farmland prices rose sharply after World War I. Thus, more than half the state’s farmers, forced to take large mortgages and then unable to pay them in hard times, lost their land when the Great Depression hit. Conditions improved as demand for farm products increased during World War II. After 1945, manufacturing and service industries developed; by the 1970s more Iowans lived in cities than in rural areas. Despite these trends, farming remained central to the state’s economy. In 1993, Iowa was dealt a serious blow by the flooding of the Mississippi, Missouri, and other rivers of the Midwest; most of the state was inundated, and every county was declared a disaster area.
As petroleum prices have risen, surging demand for motor fuels containing ethanol from Iowa corn has boosted the state economy in recent years. Iowa has also benefited from the national attention focused on its precinct caucuses, which set the stage for the quadrennial presidential primary season. Iowans supported the Democratic nominee in presidential elections from 1988 through 2000, but gave President George W. Bush a narrow victory in 2004. After serving two terms (1999-2007) as state governor, Tom Vilsack (1950– ) left office to campaign for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. Another Democrat, Chet Culver (1966– ), the son of former U.S. Senator John Culver (1932– ), won the governorship in November 2006, an election in which Democrats also took control of both houses of the state legislature.