Welcome to Iowa!

Iowa is in the Midwestern U.S. It is the 29th state of the United States, having joined the Union on December 28, 1846. The state is named for the Ioway tribe of Native Americans that lived here before the arrival of settlers in the 19th century. Iowa’s nickname is the Hawkeye State.

Iowa's natural flora is tallgrass prairie and savanna while the topography of the state is gently rolling plains. Loess hills, a distinctive topographic feature resulting from wind-blown glacial till, lie along the western border of the state. In some areas, the Loess Hills soil is several hundred feet thick. The distinctive nature of the Loess Hills reminded early pioneers of the Rhine River Valley in Germany and the Moselle River Valley of Germany, Luxembourg, and France. As a result, it was in this area of the state where grapes were first cultivated. In the eastern part of the state, along the Mississippi River, is a section of low rugged hills covered with conifers and hardwoods. It’s a distinctly different landscape from the rest of Iowa and frequently a surprise to visitors.

In 2007, Iowa’s estimated population was 2,988,046. The state’s population includes about 97,000 foreign-born residents. Iowans are mostly of Western European descent. The  largest ancestry groups in Iowa are: German, Dutch, Irish, Italian, English, and Norwegian. The racial make up of the state is mostly Caucasion and includes Hispanic, African-American, Asian, and American Indian citizens as well.

Iowa’s capitol city is Des Moines, which sits at the junction of interstate highways 35 and 80 near the center of the state. Other population centers include Waterloo/Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Dubuque, and Davenport in the eastern part of the state, and Sioux City and Council Bluffs on the western border.

Agriculture is a major industry in Iowa with the main products being pork, beef, soybeans, eggs and dairy products. Iowa is also the nation’s leading producer of ethanol. And while agriculture and agriculturally related manufacturing and service industries account for nearly 25% of the state’s GDP, Iowa is also a center for advanced manufacturing, financial service, insurance, high tech bio-science, publishing, and information industries.

Many visitors to Iowa find that the state and its people are a study in contrasts. Iowa is the birthplace of John Wayne, Norman Borlaug, Bix Beiderbecke, Johnny Carson, Simon Estes, President Herbert Hoover, Harry Reasoner, George Washington Carver, Buffalo Bill, Mamie Doud Eisenhower and others famous for their contribution to American history, politics, and culture. Iowa is home to the first in the nation political caucuses, which every four years begin the election process for a new American president.

But not far outside its modern small cities, visitors to Iowa will find a countryside straight from a Grant Wood painting – not surprising since Grant Wood was an Iowa native. Meet an Iowa farmer on a country road, and he’s likely to raise one finger from the steering wheel in friendly greeting – even though he’s never seen you before and not likely to again. Iowa is the birthplace of the 4H Emblem, the home of The Bridges of Madison County, RAGBRAI - the Des Moines Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, and the Iowa Great Lakes region of blue water glacial lakes.

With the Mississippi River forming our eastern border and the Missouri River our western border, Iowa has long been called The Land Between Two Rivers. Here you’ll find a land blessed with well educated and genuinely hospitable people waiting to make you feel right at home with their easy, outgoing, and neighborly manner. Iowa is a land rich in diversity and fulfilling experiences. IowaWines.org invites you to visit, explore, and get better acquainted.