Iowa City, Iowa

Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, State of Iowa. As of the 2008 Census Bureau estimate, Iowa City had a total population of about 67,830, making it the fifth-largest city in the state. Iowa City is the county seat of Johnson County and home to the University of Iowa. Iowa City is located adjacent to the town of Coralville, and it surrounds the town of  University Heights, with which it forms a contiguous urban area. Iowa City is the principal city of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses Johnson County and Washington County, and this metropolitan area has a population of about 149,450.

Iowa City was the second capital of the Iowa Territory, and it was also the first capital city of the State of Iowa. The Old Capitol building is a National Historic Landmark, and it is a tourist attraction in the center of the campus of the University of Iowa, as well as being an integral part of the university. The University of Iowa Art Museum and Plum Grove, the home of the first Governor of Iowa, are other tourist attractions. In 2008, Forbes Magazine named Iowa City the second-best small metropolitan area for doing business in the United States.

History
Iowa City was created by an act of Legislative Assembly of the Iowa Territory on January 21, 1839, fulfilling the desire of Governor Robert Lucas to move the capital out of Burlington and closer to the center of the territory. This act began, "An Act to locate the Seat of Government of the Territory of Iowa...so soon as the place shall be selected, and the consent of the United States obtained, the commissioners shall proceed to lay out a town to be called "Iowa City".

Commissioners Chauncey Swan and John Ronalds met on May 1 in the small settlement of Napoleon, south of present-day Iowa City, to select a site for the new capital city. The following day the commissioners selected a site on bluffs above the Iowa River north of Napoleon, placed a stake in the center of the proposed site and began planning the new capital city. Commissioner Swan, in a report to the legislature in Burlington, described the site: "'Iowa City is located on a section of land laying in the form of an amphitheater. There is an eminence on the west near the river, running parallel with it.'" By June of that year, the town had been platted and surveyed from Brown St. in the north to Burlington St. in the south, and from the Iowa River eastward to Governor St.

While Iowa City was selected as the territorial capital in 1839, it did not officially become the capital city until 1841; after construction on the capitol building had begun. The capitol building was completed in 1842, and the last four territorial legislatures and the first six Iowa General Assemblies met there until 1857, when the state capital was moved to Des Moines.

2006 Tornadoes
On the evening of April 13, 2006, a confirmed EF2 tornado struck Iowa City, causing severe property damage and displacing many from their homes, including many University of Iowa students. It was the first tornado ever recorded to hit the city directly. No serious injuries were reported in the Iowa City area, but one person in rural Muscatine County died in a related storm.

A popular Dairy Queen, which had been in business for 54 years, was a victim of the storm (but it reopened in late September), along with two large car dealerships, and several other businesses along Riverside Drive and Iowa Highway 1. The 134-year-old Saint Patrick's Catholic Church was heavily damaged only minutes after Holy Thursday Mass, with most of its roof destroyed. The building was ruled a total loss and has since been demolished. The downtown business district as well as the eastern residential area and several parks suffered scattered damage of varying degrees.

Additionally, several houses in the sorority row area were destroyed. The Alpha Chi Omega house was nearly destroyed, though no one was injured and the building was later razed. Cleanup efforts were under way almost immediately as local law enforcement, volunteer workers from all over the state, and Iowa City residents and college students worked together to restore the city. The total cost of damage was estimated at around $12 million.

2008 Flood
A local newspaper reported on June 11, 2008, that water exceeded the emergency spillway at the Coralville Reservoir outside of Iowa City. As a result, the City of Iowa City and the University of Iowa were seriously affected by unprecedented flooding of the Iowa River, which caused widespread property damage and forced evacuations in large sections of the city. By Friday, June 13, 2008, the Iowa River had risen to a record level of 30.46 ft (5:00 PM CST) with a crest of approximately 33 ft predicted for Wednesday, June 18, 2008. Much of the city’s 500-year flood plain saw mild to catastrophic effects of the rapidly flowing, polluted water. Officials at the University of Iowa reported that up to 19 buildings were affected by rising waters. Extensive efforts to move materials from the University’s main library were undertaken as large groups of sandbagging volunteers began to construct a massive levee near the building. Approximately $300 million worth of art, including work by Picasso, owned by the University was secretly moved to a holding place in the Chicago area before the fine arts area was heavily hit with flood water.

On Friday, June 13, University employees were encouraged to stay home, and travel was strongly discouraged in Iowa City; one city statement advised, "If you live in east Iowa City, stay in east Iowa City; if you live in west Iowa City, stay in west Iowa City." The Burlington St. bridge was the only bridge that remained open, other than the I-80 bridge on the edge of town, to connect the east and west sides of the Iowa River. On Saturday, June 14, officials at the University of Iowa began to power down the University's primary power generating plant along the Iowa River to prevent structural damage. Backup units continued to provide necessary power and steam services for essential University services, including the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Water began touching the bottom of the Park St. bridge forcing the Army Corp. of Engineers to drill several holes in the bridge to allow air trapped underneath to escape. Also on Saturday, Mayor Regenia Bailey issued a curfew restricting anyone except those authorized by law enforcement from being within 100 yards of any area affected by the flood between 8:30 PM and 6 AM.

Little do most people or residents consider is that a University of Iowa construction site was damming the river just north of the bridge at Iowa Avenue and south of the train bridge crossing the river adjacent to the Iowa Memorial Union. The site had been erected some 10 months prior presumably in order to work on the University of Iowa steam power and thermal control system. It is unknown whether the Army Corps of Engineers were persuaded by University officials to maintain water levels below 26 feet in order to maintain the work site in the 3 weeks preceding the major flood event, or if Army Corps of Engineers made the decision to preserve the site on their own. This is a fact that many of Iowa City's river side residents are aware of, particularly those living along Normandy Drive adjacent to City Park. This dam structure has been referred to as the "copper dam" because of its rusty orange color. The structure almost certainly impeded flow of the river, and the Army Corps of Engineers' decision to forgo the discharge of additional multi-thousands of cubic feet of water in weeks prior has been criticized by many, and displaced residents even attempted to bring a class action law suit against the Army Corps of Engineers and the University of Iowa.

Geography and climate
Iowa City is located along the Iowa River.

The city has a total area of 24.5 square miles (63.3 km²), of which, 24.2 square miles (62.6& km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.7 km²) of it (1.15%) is water.

The elevation at the Iowa City Municipal Airport is 668 ft (203.6 m) above sea level.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 62,220 people, 25,202 households, and 11,189 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,575.0 people per square mile (994.3/km²). There were 26,083 housing units at an average density of 1,079.4 per square mile (416.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.33% White, 3.75% African American, 0.31% American Indian, 5.64% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.25% from other races, and 1.68% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.95% of the population.

There were 25,202 households out of which 21.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.2% were married couples living together, 2% were households with same-sex couples (2000 U.S. Census), 3.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 55.6% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the city the population was spread out with 16.2% under the age of 18, 32.8% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 15.9% from 45 to 64, and 7.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females there were 96.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,977, and the median income for a family was $57,568. Males had a median income of $35,435 versus $28,981 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,269. About 2.7% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.2% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over.

Iowa City is commonly known as a college town. It is home to the University of Iowa and a small campus of Kirkwood Community College. The population increases during the months when the two schools are in session.

Iowa City is tied with Stamford, Connecticut, for the US metropolitan area with the highest percentage of the adult population holding a bachelor's degree or higher; 44 percent of adults hold a degree.

Metropolitan area
The Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area consists of Johnson and Washington counties in Iowa; Washington County was added to the MSA after the 2000 census. It had a 2000 census population of 131,676, and a 2008 estimated population of 149,437.

Iowa City is flanked by Coralville and North Liberty. University Heights is completely contained within the boundaries of Iowa City, near Kinnick Stadium. Tiffin, Solon, and Hills are other small towns within a few miles.

Iowa City is one of the two namesakes of the "Cedar Rapids/Iowa City Technology Corridor", which includes the above communities plus Linn, Benton, and Jones counties. This area had a 2008 estimated population of 404,889.

Economy
Iowa City is home to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC), the state's only comprehensive tertiary care medical center. The Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center in Iowa City is an NCI-designated Cancer Center, one of fewer than 60 in the country.

ACT college testing services is headquartered in Iowa City.

In 2004. Forbes Magazine named Iowa City the third Best Small Metropolitan Area in the United States.

In June 2006, Kiplinger's Personal Finance rated Iowa City #10 on its list of the Top 50 Smart Places to Live.

Arts and culture
In the early 1970s, the Old Capitol was renovated and University administrative offices were relocated to Jessup Hall. All but one of the major rooms were restored to their appearance when Iowa City was the state capital. In November 2001 the cupola caught fire during the renovation of its gold leaf dome. The cupola was destroyed and the building was heavily damaged. In 2006, after an extensive restoration, the building re-opened to the public. The building now serves as the Old Capitol Museum, as well as a venue for speeches, lectures, press conferences and performances in the original state senate chamber.

This literary heritage is also shown in the Iowa Avenue Literary Walk, a series of bronze relief panels that feature authors' words as well as attribution. The panels are visually connected by a series of general quotations about books and writing stamped into the concrete sidewalk. All 49 authors and playwrights featured in the Literary Walk have ties to Iowa.

In November 2008 UNESCO designated Iowa City as the world's third City of Literature, making it a part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.

In 2004, the Old Capitol Cultural District was one of the first Cultural Districts certified by the State of Iowa. The district extends from the University of Iowa Pentacrest, south to the Johnson County Courthouse, east to College Green Park, and north into the historic Northside Neighborhood.

Utne Reader ranked Iowa City eighth in its 1997 survey of "America's 10 Most Enlightened Towns".

The February 2010 issue of The Advocate magazine feature an article titled "Gayest Cities in America" which subjectively ranked Iowa City third in a list of 15 cities with an abundance of gay-friendly resources, ahead of Bloomington, Indiana and behind Burlington, Vermont. The article was reported and discussed in The Daily Iowan.

Cultural events
Iowa City has a variety of cultural events. It has a strong literary history and is the home of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, whose graduates include John Irving, Flannery O'Connor, T.C. Boyle, and many other prominent American authors; the nation's leading Non-Fiction Writing Program; the Iowa Playwrights' Workshop; the Iowa Summer Writing Festival; and the Nobel Peace Prize-nominated International Writing Program, a unique residency program that has hosted writers from more than 120 countries.

Iowa City also sponsors a variety of events in the Summer of the Arts program. These include a nationally renowned jazz festival, a festival of the arts, open-air summer movies and free concerts every Friday night in the pedestrian mall (Ped Mall).

The Iowa Biennial Exhibition [TIBE] began in 2004 as an international survey of contemporary miniature printmaking held its initial exhibition at the University of Iowa. The 2006 exhibition, received a 2007 "ICKY" award nomination in Visual Arts Programming from the Iowa Cultural Corridor Alliance for its exhibition at the University of Iowa’s Project Art Gallery.

In 2007 Landlocked Film Festival was founded as an independent organization. Summer of the Arts was one of several sponsors. Many Landlocked Film Festival events are held at the historic Iowa City Englert Theatre.

Local Landmarks



 * Hancher Auditorium often hosts nationally touring theater, dance and musical shows, and has commissioned more than 100 works of music, theater and dance during the last 20 years. This facility was badly damaged during the Iowa flood of 2008 and plans are being made to rebuild the facility farther uphill, away from the Iowa River.
 * Hamburg Inn No. 2 is a favorite campaign stop for political candidates. It was featured in a 2005 episode of the political drama The West Wing. It has also been a favored campaign stop for many U.S. Presidents, including Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan. It was featured in The New York Times for its widely renowned "pie shakes."
 * Oakland Cemetery contains graves of notable locals as well as the "Black Angel" statue.
 * Plum Grove Historic House was the residence of Robert Lucas, the first territorial governor of Iowa, and the novelist Eleanor Hoyt Brainerd.
 * Moffitt cottages, built in a unique vernacular architectural style, are scattered around eastern Iowa City. "These mystical dwellings look as if Germanic elves constructed houses for Irish pixies," is how one writer described them.

Pedestrian Mall
City Plaza (commonly called the Pedestrian Mall or simply Ped Mall) serves as a gathering place for students and locals and draws large crowds for its summertime events such as the Friday Night Concert Series and the annual Iowa City Jazz Festival and Iowa City Arts Festival. The Ped Mall area contains restaurants, bars, retail, hotels, and the Iowa City Public Library. It is known for its appeal to various local artists and musicians.

The first Panchero's was opened in 1992 next to the University of Iowa campus and is a main stay in Iowa City late night food.

Sports
Iowa City is home of the University of Iowa's athletic teams, known as the Iowa Hawkeyes. A member of the Big Ten Conference, the football team plays at Kinnick Stadium, while men's and women's basketball, volleyball, and the wrestling teams compete at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Iowa City's two public high schools, City and West, are members of the Mississippi Valley Conference.

Parks and recreation
Hickory Hill Park is a large natural area on the north side of town.

City Park is located across the river from north Dubuque Street, and contains walking paths, baseball diamonds and an outdoor pool complex.

Hubbard Park is directly adjacent to the south side of the Iowa Memorial Union building and is a large green space utilized by many students for team activities and events.

Thornberry Dog Park is on the east side of the river in-between two bends in the river referred to by developers as "the peninsula" upstream of City Park. This area is also home to a small Frisbee golf park which is often flooded.

College Green Park is located two blocks directly north of Burlington Street and two blocks east of Gilbert Street and is host to an annual gay pride parade during the spring or summer season.

Mercer Park is on the south east side of town directly adjacent to South East Junior High off of 1st Avenue. It contains play equipment, baseball diamonds and an indoor pool and recreation complex.

Scott Park is on the far east central side of town along Scott Boulevard to the east. It's a large park area with soccer fields, baseball diamonds, and lots of green space where many people walk their dogs.

Napoleon Park is on the very south side of Iowa City along Gilbert Street and hosts many baseball diamonds.

Whispering Prairie Wetlands Park is a nice pond and marsh area on the southeast side of town. It hosts many species of resident and migrating birds, including water fowl.

Court Hill Park is located south of Court Street and extends all the way to Ralston Creek on the south side of Friendship Street. It contains three pavilions, foot ball field with uprights, an incomplete baseball diamond, and play equipment. Newly developed walking trail traverses this park.

Happy Hollow Park, created in 1945, is in Iowa City's historic North Side district at the corner of Brown Street and Governor Street. The facilities include a shelter with restrooms, a pavilion and seating for barbecues and other events, a softball diamond, and playground equipment.

Government
Iowa City is governed by an elected city council of seven members: four council members at large and three district members. The two council members at large who receive the most votes and the three district council members serve four year terms. The other two council members at large serve two year terms. A mayor and mayor pro tem are elected by the council from within its members to serve terms of two years. Current Iowa City Council members are:


 * Matt Hayek (Mayor, At-Large)
 * Ross Wilburn (Mayor Pro Tem, District A)
 * Connie Champion (District B)
 * Regenia Bailey (District C)
 * Mike Wright (At-Large)
 * Terry Dickens (At-Large)
 * Susan Mims (At-Large)

Under this form of council-manager government the powers of the city are vested in the city council. The council is responsible for appointing the city manager (currently the City Manager is Tom Markus) who implements the policy decisions of the city council, enforces city ordinances and appoints city officials. The council also appoints the city attorney and city clerk.

Iowa City is unusual in that it is one of only four cities in Iowa in which the mayor is chosen by the city council. The mayor of Iowa City serves a two-year term and has a vote on council, representing the district or at-large position from which he or she was elected. The mayor is primarily a figurehead or a "first among equals", with some power to set agendas and lead meetings, as well as serving as the public face of city government.

Media


Three radio stations are based out of the University of Iowa. Two have become part of the statewide Iowa Public Radio network: WSUI 910 AM, a National Public Radio affiliate and originator of some Iowa Public Radio news and talk programming; and KSUI 91.7 FM, which broadcasts classical music and concerts by Iowa classical orchestras, opera companies, and other artists, as well as interviews. KRUI 89.7 FM is the University's student-run radio station.

Clear Channel Communications owns two of the Iowa City area's commercial radio stations: KXIC 800 AM, a news/talk station, and KKRQ 100.7 FM, a classic rock station. KCJJ 1630 AM is an independently-owned, 10,000-watt talk radio and hot adult contemporary station that broadcasts from studios in Coralville. Another Iowa City-licensed station, KRNA 94.1 FM, now broadcasts from Cedar Rapids and is operated by Cumulus Media. Radio signals from other cities, including Cedar Rapids and the Quad Cities, also reach the Iowa City area.

Iowa City and Johnson County are part of the Cedar Rapids-Waterloo-Iowa City-Dubuque media market, which was ranked 87th by Nielsen Media Research for the 2007-2008 TV season. Two television stations, KIIN channel 12 (PBS) and KWKB channel 20 (CW and MyNetwork TV), are licensed to Iowa City. KCRG-TV 9, the ABC affiliate in Cedar Rapids, maintains a news bureau at Old Capitol Mall in downtown Iowa City.

Mediacom, the local cable television company, provides seven Public, educational, and government access (PEG) cable TV channels in Iowa City: City Channel 4, Infovision (channel 5), the Iowa City Public Library Channel (channel 10), Kirkwood Television Services (channel 11), University of Iowa Television (channel 17), Public Access Television (channel 18), and the Iowa City Community School District's channel 21.

Two daily newspapers are published in Iowa City. The Iowa City Press-Citizen, owned by Gannett, publishes seven days a week with a Sunday edition that is packaged with Gannett's Des Moines Sunday Register. The Daily Iowan, an independent newspaper based at the University of Iowa, publishes Monday through Friday while classes are in session. In addition, The Gazette of Cedar Rapids maintains a news bureau in Iowa City.

Transportation


Iowa City has a general aviation airport - the Iowa City Municipal Airport - on the south side of the city. The nearest airport with passenger service is The Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids, about 20 miles to the northwest via Interstate 380.

Interstate 80 runs east-west along the north edge of Iowa City. U.S. Highway 218 and Iowa Highway 27 (the Avenue of the Saints) are co-signed along a freeway bypassing Iowa City to the west. U.S. Highway 6 and Iowa Highway 1 also run through Iowa City.

Iowa City is served by the freight-only Iowa Interstate Railroad and the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway (CRANDIC). The historic Iowa City Depot, shown in the picture at left, is no longer in use for railway services; it has been modified into a commercial office building.

Iowa City Transit, Coralville Transit, and the University of Iowa's Cambus system provide public transportation.

Notable people

 * Nancy C. Andreasen, world known psychiatrist and professor at University of Iowa
 * Bob Barr, former Georgia congressman and 2008 presidential candidate
 * Brian Bell (musician), guitarist of the alternative rock band Weezer
 * Moses Bloom, former mayor of Iowa City and the first Jewish mayor of any major American city.
 * Eleanor Hoyt Brainerd, popular novelist
 * Greg Brown, folk musician
 * Ethan Canin, writer
 * Thomas R. Cech, 1989 Nobel Prize winner in chemistry
 * Tim Dwight, NFL player with Atlanta Falcons, San Diego Chargers, New England Patriots, New York Jets, and Oakland Raiders; played high school football at Iowa City High School and college football at University of Iowa
 * Kenny Fields, former NBA player; born in Iowa City
 * Dan Gable, U.S. Olympic gold medalist; NCAA champion from Iowa State University; former head wrestling coach for Iowa Hawkeyes, leading program to 21 Big Ten Conference championships and 15 national championships; Waterloo native
 * Janet Guthrie, female NASCAR driver
 * Andy Haman, bodybuilding champion
 * Hill Harper, actor
 * Jay Hilgenberg, former center for the Chicago Bears and broadcaster
 * John P. Irish (1843–1923) Iowa and California editor, orator and activist
 * Zach Johnson (1976– ) American professional golfer on the PGA Tour and the 2007 Masters champion
 * Nate Kaeding (1982– ) NFL kicker for San Diego Chargers; played at Iowa City West High School and University of Iowa
 * Alex Ko, Broadway actor
 * Laura Leighton, actress
 * Nia Long, actress
 * Frank H. Maynard, old-time cowboy author born in Iowa City in 1853.
 * Dan McCarney, former head football coach for Iowa State Cyclones, 1995–2006; current defensive line coach for Florida Gators Football
 * James Alan McPherson, writer
 * Corine Mauch, mayor of Zurich
 * Stephanie Novacek, operatic mezzo-soprano
 * Joseph M. Petrick, writer/co-director of The Mother of Invention
 * Jason Reeves, singer-songwriter
 * Marilyn Robinson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Gilead
 * Russell Stover, candy maker
 * David Strackany, folk singer-songwriter aka Paleo
 * John T. Struble, pioneer builder, rancher, and farmer
 * James Van Allen, physicist and astronomer—discoverer of the Van Allen Belts
 * Joey Woody, world champion sprinter