 The
first Europeans to visit the area were the French explorers
Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet in 1673. The U.S.
obtained control of the area in 1803 as part of the Louisiana
Purchase.
During the
first half of the 19th century, there was heavy fighting between
white settlers and Indians. Lands were taken from the Indians
after the Black Hawk War in 1832 and again in 1836 and 1837.
 When Iowa
became a state in 1846, its capital was Iowa City; the more
centrally located Des Moines became the new capital in 1857. At
that time, the state's present boundaries were also drawn.
Although
Iowa produces a tenth of the nation's food supply, the value of
Iowa's manufactured products is twice that of its agriculture.
Major industries are food and associated products,
non-electrical machinery, electrical equipment, printing and
publishing, and fabricated products.
 Iowa
stands in a class by itself as an agricultural state. Its farms
sell over $10 billion worth of crops and livestock annually.
Iowa leads the nation in all corn, soybean, and hog marketings,
and comes in third in total livestock sales. Iowa's forests
produce hardwood lumber, particularly walnut, and its mineral
products include cement, limestone, sand, gravel, gypsum, and
coal.
Tourist
attractions include the Herbert Hoover birthplace and library
near West Branch; the Amana Colonies; Fort Dodge Historical
Museum, Fort, and Stockade; the Iowa State Fair at Des Moines in
August; and the Effigy Mounds National Monument, a prehistoric
Indian burial site at Marquette.
Nickname: Hawkeye State
Origin of name: Probably from
an Indian word meaning "this is the place" or "the Beautiful
Land"
10 largest cities (1999 est.):
Des Moines, 190,958; Cedar Rapids, 115,777; Davenport, 98,256;
Sioux City, 82,843; Waterloo, 62,800; Iowa City, 61,298; Council
Bluffs, 57,365; Dubuque, 56,742; Ames, 48,777; West Des Moines,
44,636
Land area: 55,875 sq mi. (144,716
sq km)
Geographic center: In Story
Co., 5 mi. NE of Ames
Number of counties:
99
Largest county by population and area:
Polk, 364,672 (1999 est.); Kossuth, 973 sq mi.
State forests:
4 (39,500 ac.)
State parks: 83 (53,000 ac.)
Residents: Iowan
1999 resident population est.:
2,869,413
1990 resident census population (rank):
2,776,755 (30). Male:
1,344,802; Female:
1,431,953. White: 2,683,090
(96.6%); Black: 48,090
(1.7%); American Indian:
7,349 (0.3%); Asian: 25,476
(0.9%); Other race: 12,750
(0.5%); Hispanic: 32,647
(1.2%). 1990 percent population under
18: 25.9; 65 and over:
15.3; median age: 34.0.
 Capital: Des Moines
Governor: Tom Vilsack, D (to Jan. 2003)
Lieut. Governor: Sally Pederson, D (to Jan. 2003)
Senators: Chuck Grassley, R (to Jan. 2005); Tom Harkin,
D (to Jan. 2003 )
Secy. of State: Chet Culver, D (to Jan. 2003)
Treasurer: Michael L. Fitzgerald, D (to Jan.
2003)
Atty. General: Tom Miller, D (to Jan. 2003)
Organized as territory: June 12, 1838
Entered Union (rank): Dec. 28, 1846 (29)
Present constitution adopted: 1857
Motto: Our liberties we prize and our rights we
will maintain
State Symbols:
|
flower
|
wild rose (1897) |
|
bird
|
eastern goldfinch (1933) |
|
colors
|
red, white, and blue (in state flag) |
|
song
|
"Song of Iowa" |
|
|
