Iowa City
University of Iowa
Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the only City of Literature in the U.S., as awarded by UNESCO in 2008. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of about 67,862. The Census Bureau estimated the 2014 population at 73,415, 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 adjacent to the town of Coralville, and 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 has a population over 150,000.
Iowa City was the second capital of the Iowa Territory and the first capital
city of the State of Iowa. The Old Capitol building is a National Historic
Landmark in the center of the University of Iowa campus. The University of Iowa
Art Museum and Plum Grove, the home of the first Governor of Iowa, are also
tourist attractions. In 2008 Forbes magazine named Iowa City the second-best
small metropolitan area for doing business in the United States.
Old Capitol building
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.
The Iowa Avenue Literary Walk, a series of bronze relief panels that feature
authors' words as well as attribution, is a tribute to the city's rich literary
history. 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.
Theatre Building
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".
new construction
The February 2010 issue of The Advocate magazine had an article titled "Gayest Cities in America" which ranked Iowa City third in a list of 15 cities with an abundance of gay-friendly (male) resources, behind Atlanta, Georgia, and Burlington, Vermont.
Text from Wikipedia
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Johnson County Courthouse
