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 Facts About Iowa
 
Originally
discovered by European explorer Father Jacques Marquette in 1763, the land
was later claimed by the French, then brought into the U.S. by the
Louisiana Purchase of 1803. Iowa has been home to approximately 17
different tribes. Today, only the Meskwaki tribe remains. Iowa is one of
the most significant farmlands on the planet. It is also known for its
manufacturing base and often called the "Hartford of the West," because of
the numerous insurance company headquarters found within the state. 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.
Capital: Des Moines
Population: 2,872,000
Entered the Union: December 28, 1846
As the: 29th State
Motto: "Our liberties we prize and our
rights we will maintain"
Nickname: The Hawkeye State
Flower: Wild Rose
Bird: Eastern Goldfinch
Song: "Song of Iowa"
Origin of Name: Probably from an
Indian word meaning "the beautiful land"
Points of Interest: Amana Colonies,
Des Moines Art Center, Sanford Museum and Planetarium, Boone and Scenic
Valley Railroad, DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge, Living History Farms,
and Paddlewheel Riverboats.
Bordering States: South Dakota,
Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.
Numerous Facts & Trivia:
Ripley's Believe It or Not has dubbed
Burlington's Snake Alley the most crooked street in the world.
Strawberry Point is the home of the world's largest strawberry.
The state's smallest city park is situated in the middle of the road in
Hiteman.
Scranton is home to Iowa's oldest water tower still in service.
Dubuque is the state's oldest city.
Crystal Lake is home to a statue of the world's largest bullhead fish.
Rathbun Dam and Reservoir is the largest body of water in the state.
Spirit Lake is the largest glacier-made lake in the state.
West Okoboji is the deepest natural lake in the state. Its depth is 136
feet.
Imes Bridge is the oldest of Madison County's six bridges.
Iowa's longest and highest bridge crosses Lake Red Rock.
Elk Horn in the largest Danish settlement in the United States.
At 16 miles, East Okoboji is the longest natural lake in the state.
Kalona is the largest Amish community west of the Mississippi River.
The state's lowest elevation point (at 480 feet) is in Lee County.
The Holliwell Bridge is the longest bridge in Madison County.
Francis Drake was 66 years old at his inauguration and Iowa's oldest
governor.
Iowa's oldest continually running theater is in Story City.
The Cedar Rapids Museum of Art houses the largest collection of Grant Wood
artwork.
Fenlon Place Elevator in Dubuque is the world's steepest and shortest
railway.
Wright County has the highest percentage of grade-A topsoil in the nation.
Quaker Oats, in Cedar Rapids, is the largest cereal company in the world.
The Saint Francis Xavier Basilica in Dyersville is the only basilica in
the United States situated outside a major metropolitan area.
Clarion is the only county seat in the exact center of the county.
Dubuque is home to the only county courthouse with a gold dome.
Cornell College is the only school in the nation to have its entire campus
listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Sergeant Floyd Monument in Sioux City honors the only man to die
during the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Maynard Reece is the only artist to win the Federal Duck Stamp competition
five times.
A bronze life-sized sculpture of a Norwegian immigrant family (circa 1860)
is located on a six acre restored prairie site located at the east entry
to Lake Mills on Highway 105.
Iowa's only operating antique carousel is located in the city of Story
City.
Knoxville's National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum is the only museum
in the country dedicated to preserving the history of sprint car racing.
Iowa's only fire tower is situated in Yellow River State Forest.
Sabula is Iowa's only town on an island.
Herbert Hoover, a West Branch native, was the 31st president of the United
States and the first one born west of the Mississippi.
Mamie Doud Eisenhower's birthplace is located in Boone and includes a
restored frame house, complete with summer kitchen and original furniture
from the family.
Van Meter is the hometown of baseball's Bob Feller, an Iowa farm boy who
went on to greatness with the Cleveland Indians during the Golden Age of
baseball.
Born Donnabelle Mullenger in Denison, Oscar Award-winning actress, Donna
Reed, started her career at the young age of 16.
Born Marion Robert Morrison in Winterset, John Wayne was the son of a
pharmacist and grew up to become one of Hollywood's most popular movie
stars.
Meredith Willson, who played with the famous John Philip Sousa and the New
York Philharmonic before launching his career as a famous composer and
lyricist, is a Mason City native.
Glenn Miller, noted trombonist and orchestra leader, was born in Clarinda
located in Southwest Iowa.
The town of Fort Atkinson was the site of the only fort ever built by the
U.S. government to protect one Indian tribe from another.
Campers and motor homes are manufactured in Winnebago County. They're
called Winnebago's.
Iowa is the only state whose east and west borders are 100% formed by
water.
Missouri and Mississippi rivers.
The highest double track railroad bridge in the world, the Kate Shelley
Bridge, is located at Boone.
Iowa is the only state name that starts with two vowels.
The famous actor John Wayne was born in Winterset on May 26, 1907.
Iowa State University is the oldest land grant college in the U.S.A.
Decorah hosts Nordic Fest a three-day celebration of Decorah's
Scandinavian heritage.
The National Balloon Museum in Indianola chronicles more than 200 years of
ballooning history.
Sheldon High School Summer Theatre, the only high school repertory in Iowa
and one of just a few in the nation presents a different play for each
week in June and July.
Learn more at 50states.com
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