85 Impactful Facts About Iowa

Have you ever wondered what Iowa, the “Land Where the Tall Corn Grows”, is famous for (besides…well…corn)?

You’re about to find out with these fascinating and fun facts about Iowa state, USA!

General Iowa Facts

• Iowa state is located in the Midwestern United States, roughly at the center of the region.  

• It is one of 27 US states that are landlocked.

• Iowa is bordered by Minnesota to the north, Wisconsin and Illinois to the east, Missouri to the south, and Nebraska and South Dakota to the west.

• The Mississippi River forms the state border between Iowa and Wisconsin/Illinois.

• Iowa covers 55,857 mi² (144,669 km²), making it the 26^th largest state, sitting between Illinois and New York State in terms of size.

• If Iowa were a country, it would be similar in size to Tajikistan or Nepal.

• With a population of 3.2 million people, Iowa is the 3^rd most populous state, sitting between Utah and Nevada in terms of population.

• The capital city of Iowa is Des Moines, which is also the largest city in the state. With a population of 214,000 (metro 559,000), it is the 106^th largest city in the US.

• Other major cities in Iowa include Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Sioux City, and Iowa City. The latter was the first Iowa state capital and is now home to the University of Iowa.

• The state has 99 counties, which are laid out as an almost perfect grid of boxes (rather than being dictated by geological features like in most states).

• Iowa is named after the Iowa river, which is named after the Iowa tribe. It means “one who puts to sleep.”  

• Other tribes traditionally inhabiting the state were the Dakota Sioux, Missouria, Illini, Ioway and Otoe.

• The abbreviation for Iowa is IA. In fact, the reason the abbreviation uses the first and last letters instead of the first two is to avoid confusing it with the number 10. It is the only state abbreviation made up of 2 vowels.

• Iowa is nicknamed the Hawkeye State, after Hawk-eye, the scout in the 1826 novel The Last of the Mohicans. The name was promoted by a local judge and publisher, and 12 years after the book was published, they managed to get the nickname officially approved.

• The University of Iowa also uses the name for its sports teams (the Iowa Hawkeyes) and official Mascot (Herky the Hawk).  

• Iowa is also sometimes called the Corn State or the Tall Corn State/Land Where the Tall Corn Grows because it produces more corn than any other state.

• Yet another nickname, although infrequent, is “Land of the Rolling Prairie”, as it lies mostly within the Great Plains.

• State slogans have included “A Place to Grow”, “Discover Iowan Treasures”, “Iowa, You Make Me Smile”, “Iowa Welcome You”, “Iowa…Field of Opportunities”,

• People who live in the state of Iowa are called Iowans or Hawkeyes.

• The state flower of Iowa is the wild rose (fun fact: the province of Alberta in Canada also has the wild rose as its official flower).

• Iowa’s state motto is “Our liberties we prize and our rights we maintain”.

• Iowa’s flag features three vertical stripes; blue represents loyalty, truth and justice; white represents purity; red represents courage. An eagle carries streamers inscribed with the state motto.

Random Interesting Facts About Iowa

• UNESCO has dubbed Iowa City as the nation’s City of Literature.

• There are no national parks or UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Iowa.

• The state, however, has 83 state parks. Some of the most popular include Backbone State Park (the state’s first), Maquoketa Caves State Park (famous for its caves), Ledges State Park (famous for its hiking trails), and Pikes Peak State Park (offering the best views of the Mississippi River).

• Only 0.21% of Iowa state’s land is protected, one of the 10 lowest percentages of any state.

• Despite 92% of the state being farmland, most of the residents live in urban areas rather than in rural ones.

• Iowa has 27 National Historic Landmarks, including several old houses like the birthplace of former US President Herbert Hoover, the original capitol in Iowa City (Old Capitol Museum), and several historic mines, jails, towboats, and archaeological sites.

• There is a monument to Sergeant Floyd, the only member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition who died, in Sioux City.

• The Mississippi River’s ecology and wildlife are featured at the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium in Dubuque.  

• Iowa also has a whole museum devoted to Czech and Slovakian culture, the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, in Cedar Rapids.

• Iowa is home to one of the most crooked streets in the world, Snake Alley on Heritage Hill in Burlington. The street is made to mimic vineyard paths in countries like Germany and France.

• There are more golf courses per capita in Iowa than in any other state.

• RAGBRAI is a week-long group cycling tour that spans the entire state of Iowa, making it the longest bicycling tour in the world.

• Iowa City has long been considered the “hippiest” town in Iowa, but Decorah now takes the crown. The latter is known for its arts scene, food co-ops, and having one of the largest seed banks in the world.

• The state’s highest point is 1670 ft (509 m) at Hawkeye Point, while the state’s lowest point is at 480 ft (146 m) at the Mississippi River.

• Iowa is known for having some of the most productive and richest soil in the world, with 11,000 different soil types. In fact, the state even has an official state soil, called “Tama soil“.

• Besides corn, Iowa is the top pork producer in the US and is one of the top producers of beef, soybeans, and grains.

• Iowa is one of the windiest states. It is home to around 6000 wind turbines, producing the 2^nd most wind energy in the US after Texas.

• The Bridges of Madison County (book and film) are named after a real county in Iowa State. The county really does have some coo bridges, including 19 historical covered ones.

• Iowa is home to 20 Olympic athletes.

• Liang Chow, the gymnastics coach from Des Moines, has successfully coached two Olympic champions in the sport.

• One of the few athletes to compete in both the summer and winter Olympics is hurdler and bobsledder Lolo Jones of Des Moines, Iowa.

• The World Food Prize, which awards individuals around the world for the contribution to food quality and availability, is based in Des Moines, Iowa.

• Besides the University of Iowa, there are two other universities in the state: Iowa State University and University of Northern Iowa.

• Another native Iowan is television host Johnny Carson, who was born and raised in Iowa until the age of eight.

• One of the authors of the Nancy Drew series was born in Iowa: Mildred Wirt Benson. She was one of the ghostwriters that published as “Carolyn Keene.”

• Famous actor, producer, and restaurant owner Ashton Kutcher is from Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

• Iowa native, Otto Frederick Rohwedder, invented the Bread-Slicing Machine. He made this invention in his hometown of Davenport, with his sliced bread first hitting the shelves in Missouri.

• Coach Dave Armbruster invented the dolphin kick and used to refine the butterfly stroke. He was the head coach at the University of Iowa for more than 30 years.

• George Nissen and Larry Griswold built the world’s first modern trampoline at the University of Iowa in 1934 as a training tool for athletes.

• Pinterest was co-founded by a resident of Des Moines, Ben Silbermann.

• Iowa is home to the first gas-powered tracker, which was invented by John Froelich. John went on to start a company which became known as John Deere.

• Des Moines resident F.A. Wittern is the reason we have vending machines today. His first machine only cost $12 to make!

• Iowa is no stranger to weird laws. It’s technically against the law for mustached men to kiss women publicly in Iowa.

• In fact, even if you went through the effort of shaving, if the kiss lasts longer than five minutes, you’d also be breaking the law.

• In Ottumwa, it’s technically illegal for men to wink at women they don’t know.

• If you own a horse and live in Marshalltown, don’t let your horse eat fire hydrants; it’s also forbidden.

Historical Facts About Iowa

• The first inhabitants of Iowa arrived in the region as long as 12,000 years ago.

• Iowa was home to the Otoe, Dakota Sioux, Ioway, Illini and Missouri tribes before the arrival of the first European settlers.

• French explorers arrived in Iowa for the first time in 1673. In 1682, they claimed the region for France.

• For the next hundred years, the land was fought over by the French and the Spanish, with the region being called French Louisiana or Spanish Louisiana. Some settlers came to work in lead mines.

• After the US acquired the area in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, Iowa fell into the large District of Louisiana to the north. The US began removing natives from the area and encouraging settlers to go there.

• Congress created the Iowa Territory in 1838.

• On December 18, 1846, Iowa was admitted to the US as the 29^th state, with Iowa City as its capital.

• The final Native American Indian claim to land in the state was removed by the Sioux Cession in 1851.

• The first Iowa State Fair took place in 1854. From 1886 until today, the state fair continues every year at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines.

• In 1857, the state capital was moved from Iowa City to Des Moines.

• In 1869, the Supreme Court ruled that women should be allowed to practice law. Arabella Mansfield of Iowa became the first female lawyer in the history of the US.

• Construction of the current Iowa State Capitol was completed in 1886. It is the only 5-domed state capitol in the US.

• One of the leading African American oriented newspapers in the Midwest, the Iowa Bystander, was founded in 1894. The newspaper was based in Des Moines and was published for many decades.

• The Unites States’ first transcontinental airmail route landed in Iowa City in 1920.

• In 1921, Herbert Hoover of Iowa became the 31^st president of the United States.

• After the 19^th Amendment was ratified in 1922, women not only were given the opportunity to vote, but they were also given the opportunity to run for office. The first woman elected to Iowa’s statewide office was May Francis.

• The first woman elected to the House of Iowa legislature was Carolyn Pendray in 1928. In 1932, she went on to be elected to the Senate.

• In the 1930s, the first electronic digital computer was designed, built, and operated at Iowa State University.

• The first Iowan to be elected to the office of the Vice President of the US was Henry Agard Wallace in 1940.

• The Nobel Peace Prize was won by John Mott of Iowa in 1946 for his work with the international YMCA.

• Another Iowan, Norman Ernest Borlaug, wont the prize in 1980 for promoting the “Green Revolution”. He developed strains of wheat that were disease-resistant.

• The state has always held the first caucus in presidential elections since 1972, up until the most recent one in 2020.

• In the 1970s, Iowa accepted thousands of Southeast Asian refugees during the Indochina/Vietnam War.

• In 2001, an Amtrak train derailment in Iowa resulted in 90 injured and one killed.

• Residents were forced to flee their homes in Delhi, Iowa in 2010 when massive rainfall caused the Lake Delhi Dam to fail.

• In a 2012 tour of the US, now China president Xi Jinping visited Muscatine, Iowa to bring back memories of an earlier visit he’d made there almost 30 years earlier to look at farming technology.

• In 2020, Donald Trump sued several key Iowa counties for making it easier to vote by mail.