Iowa Abbreviation - IA
Iowa Facts and information
State Capital Des Moines
Iowa Situated in Mid West
States having a border with Iowa
Minnesota Nebraska South Dakota Missouri Wisconsin Illinois
Minnesota , Nebraska , Illinois , South Dakota , Missouri , Wisconsin
Size of Iowa in Square Miles 56,272 sqare miles
Major Lakes and Rivers in / through or touching Iowa
Mississippi River
Des Moines River
Missouri River
Cedar River
Iowa River
Main Industry and Jobs from
Agriculture
Hogs
Corn
Soybeans
Oats
Cattle
Dairy
Eggs and Chickens
Iowa Area Codes
319 515 563 641 712
Famous People Born in Iowa
Andy Williams singer
George H. Gallup poll taker
Glenn Miller bandleader
Herbert Clark Hoover 1929-1933 31st President of The USA
John Wayne actor
Johnny Carson TV entertainer
William Buffalo Bill Cody scout v
Population
Estimated Population For Iowa
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
2005 2,966,334
Estimated Population in Major Cities 2004
Des Moines 194,163 ( State Capital )
Cedar Rapids 123,119
Davenport 98,845
Sioux City 83,148
Waterloo 66,483
Iowa City 62,887
Council Bluffs 59,568
Dubuque 57,798
West Des Moines 52,768
Ames 52,263
Cedar Falls 36,471
Ankeny 36,161
Urbandale 35,904
Bettendorf 31,890
Marion 30,233
Mason City 27,909
Clinton 27,086
Marshalltown 25,977
Fort Dodge 25,493
Burlington 25,436
Ottumwa 24,798
Muscatine 22,757
Coralville 17,811
Politics
Iowa Government
United States Congress House of Representatives
Congressman Jim Leach ( Republican )
Congressman Jim Nussle ( Republican )
Congressman Steve King ( Republican )
Congressman Tom Latham ( Republican )
Congressman Leonard Boswell ( Democrat )
State Governor
Tom Vilsack ( Democrat )
US Senators
Chuck Grassley ( Republican )
Tom Harkin ( Democrat )
Average House Prices, Wages, Taxes
State Sales tax and Personal Tax
5% many Counties also have an additional tax of 0.5%
Personal Income Tax
0.36% to 8.98%
Median Home Values
2000 $82,500
1990 $45,900
1980 $40,600
1970 $13,900
1960 $9,900
1950 $6,320
1940 $2,253
Some Examples Advertised in Local Newspapers
2 bedroom modern home $4,500 Jefferson 1961
Split Level on Hill Top $32,400 Iowa City 1972
Bratwurst $1.69 per pound Iowa 1987
Employment and Mean Annual Yearly Income
1,679,200 People Employed in Iowa
2005 $32,340
Tourism
Amana Colonies
Dubuque County Jail
Hitchcock House
George M. Verity Towboat
Herbert Hoover Birthplace
Historic General Dodge House
Lone Star Steamboat
Mines of Spain Recreation Area / Julien Dubuque's Mines
Sergeant Floyd Towboat
Iowa DNR
Old News Stories Involving Iowa
May 12, 1913-NumaThe largest piece of coal was produced this year. This piece of coal weight in at 2,445 pounds and was manufactured by the Martin Block Coal Co. in Numa, which is located in Iowa City, Iowa.
March 19, 1918 Mason City
According to one source, this city is the location of the first public junior college (two-year college) that has opened in the state of Iowa. The original name of this college was the Mason City Junior College and now it is called the North Iowa Area Community College.
January 8, 1919-: Death of Doctor Nancy Hill
One of the First Iowan Female Doctors known by the name of Nancy Hill passed away on this day. She first started out as a nurse who worked during the time of the Civil War. Then, after 1874 she became a doctor and remained one for 36 years. One of her main specialties was working with pregnant women and their children.
March 29th, 1921
The Iowa State Banner was declared as the official Iowa state seal. It was originally designed by Dixie Cornell Gebhardt who is from Knoxville, Iowa. This design is of blue, white, and red stripes. An eagle is imprinted in the center of this design and holds a ribbon which has the state motto on it.
The state motto is as follows: "Our liberties we prize, and our rights we will maintain."
March 25, 1926
By this date, Iowa is recognized as having more cars per capita than most other states. California is the only state who had surpassed this mark at this time.
February 6, 1929-Dubuque
In Dubuque, Iowa the first doughnut-making machine was launched by a company called Trausch Bakery.
January 20, 1933
Iowa played a big part in making the 21st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution a reality. On this date Iowa was one of the states that had ratified (shown consensus) it.
March 22, 1933-The Eastern Goldfinch is established as State Bird
On this date the Eastern Goldfinch becomes the state bird of Iowa. This decision was largely backed by the 45th Iowan Assembly which met that year.
March 1, 1945-New Secretary of Commerce
Henry Wallace was made the new secretary of Commerce. Wallace was born in Orient, Iowa. In prior years he served as the Secretary of Agriculture under the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration. He served the U.S. Government during the years of the Great Depression.
December 19, 1957-New York:The Music Man Opens
On this date the musical The Music Mans opens on Broadway. This play was written by Meredith Willson, who was born in Mason City, Iowa.
February 3, 1959-Celebrity Airplane Crash
Famous men known as Richie Valens, and the “Big Bopper” all lost their lives in the same airplane crash on this day. They were all very well-known musicians during their time, and known throughout the world.
November 19, 1965-Amish Families Stand Against Public Schooling
The Amish on this date resisted the idea of sending their children to public schools.
August 21, 1971-Price and Wage Control Takes Place
Extensive government price and wage control has taken place during this time. Numerous Iowans were quite concerned about it during this time, and many Iowans opposed these actions.
1979-The Pope Visits
Pope John Paul II visited Iowa during this year. This trip cost over a million dollars-and that was in the year 1979.
July 19, 1989-Sioux City Flight Crash
On this date Flight 232 crashed in Sioux City Iowa while flying from Denver to Chicago. Fortunately, numerous passengers were saved.
April 1, 1991-Gambling on the River Legalized
Iowa became a riverboat gambling state as of this date. Other states later followed suit. Other forms of gambling were legal before and after this date in the United States-one of those being state lotteries.
January 24, 1992-Dubuque, Iowa: Winter Sports Festival Hosted
For the first time in Dubuque, Iowa a Winter Sports Festival was hosted on this date.
January 6, 1997-Des Moines,
David Archie, the publisher of the Iowan magazine passed away on this day. He was 71 years old when he passed away. In addition to being a publisher, he was also a very active member of the Iowa Arts Council.
April 13, 2006-Tornado Struck Iowa City
This tornado is recorded as being the first even to hit directly in Iowa City. A 54 year old Dairy Queen Building was destroyed and several people were displaced from their homes. In a nearby county someone had died in a similar natural disaster.
