Iowa City Community

Iowa City has been chosen the number one place to live in the country by Editor & Publisher magazine, and one of "The Ten Most Enlightened Towns in America" by Utne magazine.

• "A picturesque campus, a thriving social scene, and the excitement of Big Ten athletic teams."—The Insider's Guide to the Colleges 2007.
• The best town in the Midwest, and one of the best 30 towns in America.—Outside magazine, 2007.
• Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine ranked Iowa City its No. 10 "smart city" in 2006 for its reasonable cost of living and thriving cultural scene.
• USA Today ranks Iowa City/Coralville the third most-educated metropolitan area in the United States.
• American City Business Journals rate Johnson County No. 1 in Iowa and in the top 4 percent in the country when it comes to quality of living.

A forward-looking community provides a special setting for The University of Iowa. Iowa City is casual and cosmopolitan, a meeting place for scholars, artists, and scientists. The relationship between Iowa City and the University is friendly, cooperative, and supportive. Faculty and staff share the responsibilities of community government and service with people outside the University. Together they create an environment for growth in learning and business, in health and social well-being.

Iowa City and neighboring Coralville are home to 80,000 people. The communities lie within 300 miles of Chicago, Minneapolis, and St. Louis. The cities are accessible from major highways, by major bus lines, and by airlines serving the Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids.

The University both provides and attracts a wide variety of cultural opportunities, Big Ten athletic events, and a number of business endeavors resulting from scientific and educational research that originated at Iowa. In the summers, Iowa City sponsors weekly downtown jazz and pop concerts, and all through the year major poets, writers, artists, historians, scientists, and others speak or perform in University venues or to read at local bookstores.

Excellent public schools, close, safe, and comfortable neighborhoods, and a highly educated population make Iowa City a great place to live. The nearby countryside, good state parks, and the Iowa River provide many opportunities for walking, biking, and boating. Twenty miles to the north is Cedar Rapids, Iowa’s second-largest city, home to the Eastern Iowa Airport and a population of about 120,000.

Art Events
Museums
Information for Visitors
Iowa City/Coralville Convention and Visitors Bureau