Iowa is a state in the Midwest of the United States. The area is 145.8 thousand km², the population is 2.9 million people. The administrative center is Des Moines. The state is named after the Iowa Indian people.
History
Before the arrival of Europeans, Indian peoples lived here: Illinois, Iowa, Santee and Yankton, whose ancestors inhabited these lands more than 10,000 years ago.
Although the first European expedition of Jacques Marquet and Louis Jalier visited here in 1673, a permanent settlement was founded only in 1788.
In 1803, as a result of the Louisiana Purchase, the territory of the future state was acquired by the United States. The resistance of the Indians to the settlement of Iowa was broken by the colonists after the Black Korshak War of 1832.
The first official settlement of American colonists west of the Mississippi River appeared in 1833. In 1838, Iowa received a territorial charter with its center in Iowa City, a state charter from 1846, when Congress decided to admit a free state to the Union along with slave- owning Florida. In 1857, the state capital was moved to the city of Des Moines.
After the Civil War, the intensive settlement of Iowa and the development of farming took place. During the formation of the USA as an industrial state (1870-1920), Iowa played the role of the country’s granary, and industry began to develop in the east of the state.
Geography
The state is located at the watershed of the largest rivers – Mississippi and Missouri. It borders the states of Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois and Wisconsin.
The highest point of the state is Hawk Eye Point (509 m), the lowest point above sea level is Kiokak Plain, 146 m. The average height above sea level is 335 meters.
Climate
Continental climate with a lot of precipitation; the state is periodically exposed to floods, storms and tornadoes.
Famous people
- John Wayne
- Grant Wood
- Glenn Miller(1904-1944) was an American trombonist
Des Moines (Iowa)
| Des Moines | |
| City in the United States | |
| Location | |
| State | Iowa |
| County | Polk County Warren County |
| Coordinates | 41°35’27″N, 93°37’15″WL |
| General | |
| Surface | 237.78 km² |
| – country | 233.3 km² |
| – water | 4.48 km² |
| Residents (April 1, 2020) |
214,133 (918 inhabitants/km²) |
| Politics | |
| Mayor | Frank Cownie (D) |
| Website | dsm.city |
According to COUNTRYAAH,Des Moines (pronounced [dimmoin]) is the capital of the US state of Iowa. The city was founded in 1846 and has a population of 203,433 (2010). It is located at the confluence of the Racoon and Des Moines rivers, called Rivière Des Moines (Monks River) by the French, from which the city’s name is derived. Located in the heart of the Corn Belt, Des Moines is a large agricultural area traditionally cultivated corn and other grains, and is also the capital of Polk County.
Many insurance company headquarters are located in Des Moines.
The Des Moines Capitol Building is one of the few U.S. Capitol buildings to have a dome clad in real gold. It was built between 1871 and 1896.
One of the most famous people from Des Moines is the author Bill Bryson. Among other things, he wrote a book about his childhood in Des Moines in the 1950s (“Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid”, 2006).
The members of the heavy metal band Slipknot are also from Iowa.
Demographics
12.4% of the population is older than 65 and 31.9% consists of single -person households. Unemployment is 2.6 % (census figures 2000).
About 6.6% of Des Moines’s population is Hispanic and Hispanic, 8.1% is of African origin and 3.5% of Asian origin.
The population increased from 193,333 in 1990 to 203,433 in 2010.
Industry
Des Moines is home to the largest and oldest Bridgestone/Firestone tractor tire factory. It dates back to 1926 and was established here due to its geographic location in the agricultural mid-west.
General American
In the twentieth century, a general, non-locational accent, called General American, developed in the United States. This accent is very similar to the Iowa dialect; Des Moines can therefore be called the “Haarlem of the United States”.
Climate
In January the average temperature is −7.0 °C, in July it is 24.8 °C. Annually there is an average of 841.2 mm of precipitation (data based on the measurement period 1961-1990).
City Link
- Saint-Étienne (France), since 1984
Nearby places
The figure below shows nearby places within a 12 km radius of Des Moines.
Des Moines
Johnston (11 km)
Pleasant Hill (9 km)
Saylorville (11 km)
Urbandale (11 km)
West Des Moines (11 km)
Windsor Heights (5 miles)
Born in Des Moines
- Claire Dodd (1908-1973), actress
- Frank Wykoff (1909-1980), athlete
- George Ball (1909-1994), diplomat
- Cloris Leachman (1926-2021), actress
- Halston (1932-1990), fashion designer
- Jim Inhofe (1934), Oklahoma State Senator
- Stanley B. Prusiner (1942), neurologist, biochemist and Nobel laureate (1997)
- Stephen Collins (1947), actor
- Bill Bryson (1951), journalist and writer
- Gregory Alan Williams (1956), actor and author
- David Anthony Higgins (1961), actor
- Shawn Crahan (1969), percussionist
- Chris Fehn (1972), percussionist
- Mick Thomson (1973), guitarist
- Corey Taylor (1973), singer
- Joey Jordison (1975-2021), musician and producer
- Lolo Jones (1982), hurdler
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
| Cedar Rapids | |
| City in the United States | |
| Location | |
| State | Iowa |
| County | Linn County |
| Coordinates | 41°59’0″N, 91°40’7″WL |
| General | |
| Surface | 189.24 km² |
| – country | 186.09 km² |
| – water | 3.15 km² |
| Residents (April 1, 2010) |
126,326 (679 inhabitants/km²) |
| Politics | |
| Mayor | Brad Hart (R) |
| Website | cedar-rapids.org |
Cedar Rapids is a city in the US state of Iowa with a population of 120,758. This makes it the 181st city in the United States (2000). Its surface area is 163.4 km², making it the 106th city.
Demographics
13.1% of the population is older than 65 and 30.2% consists of single -person households. Unemployment is 2% (census figures 2000).
About 1.7% of the population of Cedar Rapids is Hispanic and Hispanic, 3.7% is of African origin and 1.8% of Asian origin.
The population increased from 108,854 in 1990 to 120,758 in 2000.
Climate
In January the average temperature is -8.0 °C, in July it is 23.4 °C. Annual average rainfall is 856.5 mm (data based on the measurement period 1961-1990).
Nearby places
The figure below shows nearby places within a 12 km radius of Cedar Rapids.
Cedar Rapids
Bertram (12 km)
Fairfax (12 km)
Hiawatha (7 km)
Marion (9 km)
Robins (10 km)
Trivia
- In 2011, a movie, Cedar Rapids, was named after the city.
Born
- Carl Van Vechten (1880-1964), photographer
- Bobby Driscoll (1937-1968), actor
- Michael Emerson (1954), actor
- Ron Livingston (1967), actor
- Ashton Kutcher (1978), actor and broadcaster
- Elijah Wood (1981), actor
- Timothy LeDuc (1990), figure skater
