Although it is sometimes called the "Corn State," Iowa really is a breadbasket for the U.S., with 90 percent of its land devoted to farming. The main products are corn and hogs. Named for the Iowa River, which was named for the Iowa, or Ioway, Indians, Iowa joined the Union in 1846 as the 29th state. The wild rose is the state flower and the capital is Des Moines.
State Flower: Wild Rose
State Motto: Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain
State Nickname: Hawkeye State
State Bird: Eastern Goldfinch
Land area, 2000 (square miles): 55,869
Length: 310 miles
Width: 200 miles
10 largest cities, 2000:
Des Moines, 198,682
Cedar Rapids, 120,758
Davenport, 98,359
Sioux City, 85,013
Waterloo, 68,747
Iowa City, 62,220
Council Bluffs, 58,268
Dubuque, 57,686
Ames, 50,731
West Des Moines, 46,403
Geographic Center: 5 miles northeast of Ames
Geographic Center County: Story
Highest Point: 1,670 ft. — Hawkeye Point, on Sterler Farm, north of Sibley
Lowest Point: 480 ft. — Mississippi River
Number of counties: 99
State forests: 10 (43,917 ac.)
State parks: 83 (53,000 ac.)
Persons per square mile, 2000: 52
This page last updated July 10, 2007
GDP Data — Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis
Population and Economic Data — US Census Bureau
Government Data — Congress.Org
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