Iowa, IA

The State of Iowa is a state in the midwestern region of the United States of America. It is the 29th state of the United States, having joined the Union on December 28, 1846. The state is named for the Native American Ioway people. It is known as the "Hawkeye State" or the "Tall Corn State".

Geography

The Mississippi River forms the eastern boundary of the state. The boundary along the west is formed by the Missouri River south of Sioux City and by the Big Sioux River north of Sioux City.

There are several natural lakes in the state, most notably Spirit Lake, West Okoboji Lake, and East Okoboji Lake in northwest Iowa (see Iowa Great Lakes). Man-made lakes include Lake Odessa, Saylorville Lake, Lake Red Rock, Coralville Lake, Lake MacBride and Rathbun Lake.

The topography of the state is gently rolling plains. Loess hills lie along the western border of the state, some of which are several hundred feet thick. In the northeast, along the Mississippi River, is a section of the Driftless Zone, which in Iowa consists of low rugged hills covered with conifers—a landscape not usually associated with this state. The point of lowest elevation is Keokuk in southeastern Iowa, at 480 feet (146 m).

The point of highest elevation, at 1,670 feet (509 m), is Hawkeye Point, located in a feedlot north of Sibley in northwest Iowa. The mean elevation of the state is 1,099 feet (335 m).

Considering the size of the state at 56,271 square miles (145,743 km²), there is very little elevation difference. Iowa has 99 counties.

The state capital, Des Moines, is located in Polk County. Iowa has the highest average radon concentrations in the nation due to significant glaciation that ground the granitic rocks from the Canadian Shield and deposited it as soils making up the rich Iowa farmland.

Because of the high surface area of the ground rock, radon is free to off-gas from the soils. Many cities within the state, such as Iowa City have passed requirements for radon resistant construction in all new homes.

Climate

Iowa, like most of the Midwest, has a humid continental climate throughout the state (Koppen climate classification Dfa) with extremes of both heat and cold.

The average annual temperature at Des Moines is 50 °F (10 °C); for some locations in the north the figure is under 45 °F (8 °C), while Keokuk, on the Mississippi River, averages 52 °F (12 °C). Winters are brisk and snowfall is common, the capital (Des Moines) receiving an average of 36.3 inches (92 cm) per season.

Spring ushers in the beginning of the severe weather season, as well as bringing increased precipitation and warming temperatures. The Iowan summer is known for heat and humidity, with daytime temperatures often near 90 °F (32 °C) and sometimes exceeding 100 °F (38 °C).

Iowa averages about 50 days of thunderstorm activity per year. Some of these thunderstorms can be severe with high winds and hail.

The state has a moderately high risk of tornadic activity with, on average, 37 tornadoes per year, mostly in the spring and summer months.

History

The first Europeans to explore Iowa were French citizens following the Sac and Fox, presently known as the Mesquakie (Meskwaki) Indians.

At first, due to a lack of trees, Iowa was believed to not be able to support agriculture.

Louis Joliet and Jacques Marquette are believed to be the first European explorers to visit Iowa. They described Iowa as lush, green, and fertile.

Iowa has been home to approximately 17 different Native American tribes. Today, only the Meskwaki tribe remains.
The first American settlers officially moved to Iowa in June 1833. Primarily, they were families from Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri.

During the 1835 Dragoon expedition to map and survey central Iowa, many dragoons got lost in prairie grass which was over their heads even on horseback. The map maker was Albert Lea, who is the namesake for Albert Lea, Minnesota. One of the commanders was Nathan Boone, the youngest son of Daniel Boone.

Iowa became the 29th state in the union on December 28, 1846.

The Chicago and North Western Railway reached Council Bluffs in 1867. Council Bluffs was designated the eastern terminus for the Union Pacific Railroad. The completion of five major railroads across Iowa brought major economic changes as well as travel opportunities.

During the American Civil War, more than 75,000 Iowans participated in the war, 13,001 of whom died (mostly by disease). Iowa had a higher percentage of soldiers serve in the Civil War, per capita, than any other state in the Union, with nearly 60% of eligible males serving. Among many cases in point would be Isaac S. Struble of Plymouth County, Congressman from 1883-1891.

Iowa saw a large increase in farming of beef, corn, and pork during World War I, but farmers saw economic hardships after the war. These hardships were the result of the removal of war-time farm subsidies. Total recovery did not occur until the 1940s.

The Farm Crisis of the 1980s saw a major decline of family farms in Iowa and around the Midwest, and it was marked by a sharp drop in the state's rural population.

Although Iowa's primary industry is agriculture, it also produces refrigerators, washing machines, fountain pens, farm implements, toothbrushes, and food products that are shipped around the world.

Iowa is also a major producer of ethanol and biodiesel.

Iowa has the 3rd largest wind power economy, after California and Texas.

Iowa is a very important political state, as they hold the first caucus in the nation every Presidential election.
 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Iowa".