Iowa
The Hawkeye State, heart of the Corn Belt
Iowa is farm country distilled — a gently rolling expanse of some of the deepest, most fertile topsoil on Earth, set neatly between two great rivers. The Mississippi forms its entire eastern border and the Missouri its western, so the state is literally framed by water even as its interior is all rolling cropland. Glaciers and windblown loess built the rich soils, and today Iowa leads the nation in corn, soybeans, hogs, and eggs from those fields.
The terrain is subtle rather than flat: low ridges and stream valleys ripple across the prairie, steepening into the dramatic Loess Hills along the Missouri River, a rare landform built of wind-deposited silt. Hawkeye Point, the high point in the northwest, reaches only 1,671 feet (509 m). Cities line the rivers and the interstate corridor — Des Moines at the center, the Quad Cities and Dubuque on the Mississippi — in a state whose geography has tied its fortunes tightly to agriculture.
Economy
Iowa's economy is anchored by agriculture - it is a leading producer of corn, soybeans, pork, and eggs - and by the industries built on it, especially ethanol and other biofuels and farm machinery. Insurance and finance cluster in Des Moines, and wind turbines now generate a large share of the state's electricity.
Politics
Iowa carries 6 electoral votes and holds the first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses, giving it outsized early influence. Long a genuine swing state, it has trended Republican in presidential elections since the late 2010s.
Cities
Notable people
Related
- IllinoisThe Prairie State, hinge of the Midwest
- MinnesotaThe Land of 10,000 Lakes, headwaters of the Mississippi
- MissouriThe Show-Me State, meeting of the great rivers
- NebraskaThe Cornhusker State, gateway to the Great Plains
- South DakotaThe Mount Rushmore State, plains, badlands, and Black Hills
- WisconsinThe Badger State, between two Great Lakes
- Carter Lake, IowaAn Iowa city on the Nebraska side of the Missouri River