Iowa - Corn, Caucuses, and the Insurance Capital
Iowa occupies some of the most productive farmland on Earth. The state's 3.2 million residents live across a gently rolling landscape between the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, where deep black soil supports an agricultural output that shapes global commodity markets. Iowa is the nation's top producer of corn and hogs, and among the leading producers of soybeans, eggs, and ethanol. The agricultural supply chain, from seed companies to grain elevators to meat processing plants, touches nearly every small town in the state.
Des Moines, the capital and largest city, has developed a distinct identity as the headquarters of the American insurance industry. Principal Financial Group, EMC Insurance, and numerous other carriers and reinsurers maintain home offices here. The city's cost of living sits well below the national average, which has helped attract financial services operations looking for affordable labor markets. The Des Moines metro area has grown steadily while many rural Iowa counties have lost population for decades.
Iowa's role in presidential politics is outsized relative to its population. The Iowa caucuses, traditionally the first nominating contest in the presidential election cycle, have drawn candidates, journalists, and campaign spending to the state every four years since 1972. Culturally, the University of Iowa in Iowa City runs one of the most respected creative writing programs in the country, the Iowa Writers' Workshop. The Field of Dreams movie site near Dyersville draws baseball fans from across the nation, and Major League Baseball has staged games there in recent years.
John Deere, though headquartered just across the border in Moline, Illinois, has major manufacturing operations throughout Iowa. The Amana Colonies, a cluster of German-heritage villages in east-central Iowa, operate as both a historical attraction and a food production brand. The Mississippi River bluffs in the northeast corner of the state are strikingly different from the flat western plains, offering some of the most scenic terrain in the Midwest.
Show more
Iowa occupies some of the most productive farmland on Earth. The state's 3.2 million residents live across a gently rolling landscape between the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, where deep black soil supports an agricultural output that shapes global commodity markets. Iowa is the nation's top producer of corn and hogs, and among the leading producers of soybeans, eggs, and ethanol. The agricultural supply chain, from seed companies to grain elevators to meat processing plants, touches nearly every small town in the state.
Des Moines, the capital and largest city, has developed a distinct identity as the headquarters of the American insurance industry. Principal Financial Group, EMC Insurance, and numerous other carriers and reinsurers maintain home offices here. The city's cost of living sits well below the national average, which has helped attract financial services operations looking for affordable labor markets. The Des Moines metro area has grown steadily while many rural Iowa counties have lost population for decades.
Iowa's role in presidential politics is outsized relative to its population. The Iowa caucuses, traditionally the first nominating contest in the presidential election cycle, have drawn candidates, journalists, and campaign spending to the state every four years since 1972. Culturally, the University of Iowa in Iowa City runs one of the most respected creative writing programs in the country, the Iowa Writers' Workshop. The Field of Dreams movie site near Dyersville draws baseball fans from across the nation, and Major League Baseball has staged games there in recent years.
John Deere, though headquartered just across the border in Moline, Illinois, has major manufacturing operations throughout Iowa. The Amana Colonies, a cluster of German-heritage villages in east-central Iowa, operate as both a historical attraction and a food production brand. The Mississippi River bluffs in the northeast corner of the state are strikingly different from the flat western plains, offering some of the most scenic terrain in the Midwest.
Country selected
Region selected
Optional — select or proceed
