Iowa

Here's a little information about the State of Iowa:

Location:

Iowa is one of four states that borders Wisconsin (Illinois borders WI to the South, Iowa in the SW, Minnesota on the West, and Michigan (the Upper Peninsula) on the North). It's only about 100 miles to drive from Madison, WI to Dubuque, IA if you take US Highway 151 through the Southwest part of Wisconsin. This area (and the NE part of Iowa) is in the "Driftless Area", which means it wasn't covered by the last glaciers that covered most of Wisconsin around 15,000 years ago.

Iowa is bordered by SIX states:

• Wisconsin (NE)
• Illinois (East)
• Missouri (South)
• Nebraska (West)
• South Dakota (NW), and
• Minnesota (North)

Fast Facts:

1. State Nickname: The 'Hawkeye State'
2. State Size: 310 miles East to West, 200 miles North to South (26th largest state in US)
3. Population: 3,123,899 (a 2015 estimate - 30th of US states)
4. State Capital: Des Moines, also Iowa's largest city (pop around 210,000)
5. State Motto: Our liberties we prize, and our rights we maintain
6. State Song: The Song of Iowa by S.H.M. Byers
7. State Tree: Bur Oak
8. State Bird: American Goldfinch
9. Largest Cities: Des Moines 207K, Cedar Rapids 128K, Davenport 102K, Sioux City 82K, Iowa City 71K
10. Nearby States: see the 6 states above

Fun Facts:

1. only US state bordered by two navigable rivers (the Mississippi and Missouri)
2. Iowa feeds the world - 1st in the US in beef, pork, corn, soybean and grain production
3. Sergeant Charles Floyd, the only person to die on the Lewis & Clark expedition, is buried in Sioux City, Iowa