🌽Iowa

The Hawkeye State

Iowa is the only U.S. state bordered by two navigable rivers — the Mississippi on the east and the Missouri on the west. Its rolling prairie, carved by the glaciers of the last Ice Age, contains some of the most productive farmland on Earth. Every four years, the Iowa Caucuses open the presidential primary season and give the state outsized influence on American politics.

Prairie to Statehood

Iowa was part of the Louisiana Purchase. After the Black Hawk War of 1832, the federal government purchased much of eastern Iowa from the Sauk and Meskwaki nations and opened it to settlement. Statehood came in 1846 as a free state, just as tensions over slavery were sharpening. Iowa quickly became a center of abolitionist activity — John Brown trained his raiders in the Quaker town of Springdale before the Harpers Ferry raid.

Farming Capital

Iowa leads the United States in corn, soybean, and pork production, and is the second-largest egg producer. The state also produces roughly 30% of America's ethanol. About 85% of Iowa's land is in agricultural use — the highest proportion in the country. The Iowa State Fair, held since 1854, is one of the oldest and largest state fairs in America, famous for its butter cow sculpture and political speeches on the Soapbox.

The Iowa Caucuses

Since 1972, the Iowa Caucuses have been the first contest of the presidential nominating season. Every four years, Iowans gather at precinct meetings on a January or February evening to select delegates for the parties' national conventions. The caucuses have launched long-shot candidates (Jimmy Carter in 1976, Barack Obama in 2008) and ended others. Democrats have since restructured the process; Republicans retain the traditional caucus format.

Writers and Inventors

Iowa has produced an outsized share of American literature and culture. Grant Wood painted American Gothic in Cedar Rapids in 1930. The Iowa Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa is the oldest and most prestigious creative writing MFA program in the country. Herbert Hoover — the 31st president — was born in the small Quaker town of West Branch.

Iowa Facts

• Iowa is the only state name that begins with two vowels.
• The Field of Dreams movie was filmed on a working farm near Dyersville; the diamond and farmhouse remain open to visitors.
• Iowa has more than 200 windmills and has been a leader in wind energy for two decades.
• Sliced bread was first sold commercially in Chillicothe, Missouri in 1928 — though the slicing machine was developed in Iowa by Otto Rohwedder.
• Iowa's population is more urban than rural, despite its farming image — about 64% of residents live in urban areas.

🗺️ Nearby States

Continue exploring neighboring states:

→ Browse all 50 states