Iowa
Discover Iowa
Iowa, a state with gently rolling green hills in the Midwest region of the United States, was admitted to the Union in 1846 as the 29th state. The people are very friendly, enjoy good food, and enjoy being in the political hotbed every four years when the Caucuses roll through the state. The state is quite rural, with plenty of fields of corn and soybeans and hog farms, although some cities, namely Des Moines, have a strong metropolitan feel. Purchased from France as part of the Louisiana purchase, Iowa officially became a state in 1846. True to form in the Midwest, settlers tended to gravitate toward rivers and established their communities there. Today, many of the State's major cities are based on rivers including Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Davenport, Dubuque, Sioux City and Council Bluffs. Agriculture used to be the primary industry of the state, but the ongoing urbanization of the state's population has resulted in a diverse mixture of industries. Agriculture, though significantly diminished as the economic driver of the state, is still a major economic component.
What to Experience in Iowa
Taste of Iowa...
Iowans consider themselves the "breadbasket of the world", which is reflected in their cuisine. Get ready for pork chops and pork BBQ, ham steaks and baked potatoes, sweet corn on the cob and green beans, and more just-plain-good Midwestern cooking than you can possibly eat in a lifetime. Most rural towns have a fast-food restaurant or two if you're in a hurry, but the best places are the ones which take just a little more time, possibly giving you a chance to chat with friendly locals over a pie or coffee. Early morning in a rural diner might find you in the company of a bunch of farmers! A few things to try: Towns with strong ethnic identities sometimes have restaurants devoted to a particular country's cuisine. You will find Dutch food in Pella, German food in the Amana Colonies, Czech kolaches in Cedar Rapids, Norwegian food in Decorah, and Danish food in several small towns. Iowa has a substantial Latino population, and there are many family-run Latino restaurants which generally have quite good food. If you are having dinner in someone's home, then you may find yourself eating fried or barbecued chicken, ham balls (similar to meat balls, but made with ground pork and often glazed with a sweet sauce), spaghetti with tomato sauce, or various casseroles. At a party, you may find a bowl of salty Chex mix.
Climate
Like the rest of the Midwest, Iowa has a four-season climate. Winter weather gives its first hints of what's to come around October 1st, when you can expect to see frost on windshields some mornings. What the gardeners call a killing frost – and hay fever sufferers call the best day of the year – usually follows about two weeks later. The afternoons in October can still be warm enough to wear short sleeves outdoors. In the core winter months of December, January, and February, it is typical for the highest temperature to be somewhere around the freezing point. The first good snow usually appears in late November, and it will continue snowing off and on until sometime in March. All together, it's typical to get two to three feet of snow spread out over the winter, with less in the southern parts of the state and more in the northern areas. The first sign of spring is the mud revealed melting snow, followed by the plum and cherry trees beginning to blossom.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsThe biggest airport in Iowa is centrally located, in the state capital of Des Moines (DSM). The second most popular is the Eastern Iowa Airport (CID) in Cedar Rapids, on the east side of the state. There are also very small airports in Dubuque (DBQ), Sioux City (SUX), Waterloo (ALO), Burlington (BRL), Fort Dodge (FOD), and Mason City (MCW ) that support scheduled passenger service. For travellers flying their own planes, there are dozens of general aviation airports, and hundreds of flying strips. Most people enter (and leave) Iowa via I-80 if coming from the east or west, or I-35 from the north or south. Both interstates are easy to navigate, as are many Midwestern states. A couple of 50-mile-long straight sections on the former has done more to perpetuate the stereotype that Iowa is nearly flat and empty than just about anything else, but the perception is not true: Iowa wouldn't even make a top-10 list for flattest states....
Regions
Explore AreasPurchased from France as part of the Louisiana purchase, Iowa officially became a state in 1846. True to form in the Midwest, settlers tended to gravitate toward rivers and established their communiti…...
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
Most people get around Iowa by car. The roads in much of Iowa – like much of the Midwest – are laid out on a grid pattern. Drive on any of the state's outer highways, and you will quickly come to realize that there is an intersection at nearly every mile. This makes figuring out where you are, and getting from there to where you need to be, a relatively simple undertaking. It also means that if you ask for directions, people are likely to give directions according to the points on a compass. If someone says to go one mile east and three miles north, and you're feeling all turned around, don't be shy about asking which way you need to go. Travelers unaccustomed to ice and snow may have trouble driving in Iowa winters. Plan ahead if you need to travel during the colder parts of the year. Special snow tires or chains aren't usually needed, but you do need to know how to drive in winter conditions.
Language & Talk
If you speak English, then you should find Midwestern English quite easy to understand. Locals believe that they have no accent and speak pure, general American. Customer service organizations agree with them and build call centers in the cities; linguists disagree and point out a few oddities of pronunciation and grammar. Soft drinks are usually called pop. Unless you're talking about the menu, beans means soybeans, and you'll see them in almost half the fields. If you ask your buddy to come with to the next town, he may say that he needs to think on it a bit before he decides. A roast is an outdoor party, and if you're vegetarian, you should ask whether it's a corn roast or a hog roast before you decide whether to join.
Safety Information
Safety Overview
The rural parts of Iowa are quite safe, with many people not bothering to lock their car doors. A traveler should take a more common-sense approach when visiting more populous areas, such as Council Bluffs, Davenport, or Des Moines, as these areas have crime rates resembling those of typical mid-sized American cities. For the most part, a traveler will find that most Iowans are friendly, warm, and happy to help if you have trouble. Iowa experiences all four seasons in abundance: winter, mud, road construction, and football. Football season produces few travel-related problems beyond a weekly traffic jam near each football field. The first hard frost arrives during football season, which makes things a bit slippery underfoot early in the morning, but it also releases thousands of people from the months-long grip of hay fever. However, the other three seasons can present travelers with severe weather and unexpected changes in conditions. Thunderstorms are common.
Glimpses of Iowa
cars parked on roadside near buildings during daytime
Sun setting on an Iowa corn field
Steel bridge on a country road during golden hour in rural Iowa.
Iowa I thought was a great peaceful place. I was very wrong, and I didn’t find out until I was awakened at 3 AM to the sounds of a wild horde of mongrels. I should have realized that we were not welcomed at that particular camping site when a gang of motorcyclists road through and glared at us as we set up camp. There was some sort of “party” going on.
A drone view over a calm river in autumn.
aerial photo of high rise buildings
Travelers Sign - Downtown Des Moines
Upper Mississippi River Basin
Sunset in rural Iowa
Four Mile Creek in the Snowy Morning
cars parked on roadside near buildings during daytime
Sun setting on an Iowa corn field
Steel bridge on a country road during golden hour in rural Iowa.