Facts about Iowa

Iowa Facts

Learn facts about Iowa for kids.

Have you ever visited Iowa before? Are you ready to learn some cool facts about Iowa if you haven't? I love learning facts about all of the different states. I would like to share some of those cool facts with you! I will be posting facts about each of the fifty states in the United States. The states will be done in alphabetical order! Last week, we posted facts about Indiana. This week, we are posting cool facts about Iowa. You will learn about Iowa's state flag, bird, and other facts.

Did you know that Iowa was the 29^th state to join the union? Yep, that is correct! Iowa officially joined the union on December 28, 1846! Iowa is located in the Midwestern region of the United States. Iowa is bordered by six (6) states: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, and South Dakota. Iowa is the twenty-sixth (26^th) largest state in the United States. Iowa is a big state. About 3,193,079 people are living in Iowa. Did you know that a book author named Hugh Swanson Sidey was born in Iowa?

 

What state do you reside in?

 

Cool facts about Iowa:

1. Iowa is known for a few things: the highest production of corn in the United States, Otto Frederick Rohwedder, who invented the first bread-slicing machine, and Blue Bunny Ice Cream. The nicknames for Iowa are The Hawkeye State and the Corn State. The Hawkeye State is Iowa’s official nickname. The Hawkeye State became Iowa’s official nickname sometime in 1838. The Iowa state motto is Our Liberties We Prize and Our Rights We Will Maintain. The Iowa state motto was adopted in 1847. The abbreviation for Iowa is IA.

2. Iowa's capital is Des Moines, which officially became the capital sometime in 1855 and has an estimated population of around 212,031 people.

3. The Iowa state bird is the American Goldfinch, which was chosen as the state bird for Iowa in 1933. Male American Goldfinches are bright, beautiful yellow birds with black on their foreheads and wings and some white on their tails and wings.

4. The Iowa official state flower is the Prairie rose, also known as the wild Prairie rose. This climbing plant grows throughout the state and starts blooming during the late spring and summer months. It is a beautiful rose!! The prairie rose became Iowa’s official state flower in 1897.

5. Iowa’s state flag was officially adopted on March 29, 1921. The flag was designed by Dixie May Cornell Gebhardt. Dixie May Cornell Gebhardt lived in Iowa. Iowa’s state flag has three vertical stripes: one blue, one white, and one red stripe. The blue stripe stands for loyalty, justice, and truth. The white stripe stands for purity, and the red stripe stands for courage. A bald eagle with a white stripe holds a banner in its beak that reads OUR LIBERTIES WE PRIZE AND OUR RIGHTS WE WILL MAINTAIN (state motto).

6. Corn, hay, soybeans, oats, turnips, and wheat are some of the crops grown in Iowa.

7. Some cool places to visit in Iowa are Maquoketa Caves State Park, Jackson County, The Grout Museum of History and Science, and the Amana Colonies.

8. Some animals in Iowa are American beavers, bats, bobcats, deer mice, fox squirrels, river otters, white-tailed deer, and zapus.

9. Iowa can get very hot and cold, depending on the time of year. The hottest temperature recorded in Iowa was 118 degrees Fahrenheit in Keokuk, Iowa, on July 20, 1934. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Iowa was -47 degrees (47 degrees below zero) Fahrenheit in Elkader, Iowa, on February 3, 1996.

 

Share a remarkable fact about Iowa with us?

 

 

Get your free printable Iowa worksheet here:

 Iowa worksheet

Visit my printables section for a wide selection of worksheets and coloring sheets!

 

 

Books about Iowa:

1. To Iowa in the Back Seat by Kristi R. Bradbury

2. I is for Iowa by Ryan Rivera

3. H is for Hawkeye: An Iowa Alphabet by Patricia A. Pierce

4. Good Night Iowa by Adam Gamble

Parents/caretakers, be sure books are child-friendly before reading them to your child/children.

 

You can Click here to purchase the 50 States workbook on Amazon.

You can also use the 50 States tab at the top of my page to find all the posts from all 50 states in one convenient place. 

 

Tune in next week to learn some really cool facts about Kansas! 

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Mimi is a talented author who has written the popular "JOEY SAVES THE DAY!" book series, along with other engaging titles. She is passionate about learning, reading, drawing, and writing. As a dedicated homeschooling mother, she cares for two children while also supporting her two adult children, who have already embarked on their own life journeys.