Iowa City is the largest city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. The population was 74,828 at the 2020 census, making it the state's fifth-most populous city. The Iowa City metropolitan area, which encompasses Johnson and Washington counties, has a population of over 171,000. The metro area is also a part of a combined statistical area with the Cedar Rapids metro area known as the Iowa City–Cedar Rapids region; collectively, this region has a population of nearly 500,000.
Home of the University of Iowa, the city served as the third and final capital of the Iowa Territory (1841–1846) and the first capital of the state of Iowa (1846–1857). The Old Capitol building, where the state legislature met, is now a National Historic Landmark and museum on the University of Iowa campus. The University of Iowa Art Museum and Plum Grove Historic House, the home of the first governor of Iowa, are also tourist attractions.
History
thumb|Building in which the Iowa Territorial Legislature first met in Iowa City. Image recorded after the building, which was called Butler's Capitol, had been moved from its original location near Clinton and Washington streets to an alley-side location along Dubuque Street a half-block south of College Street. In this second location, as shown, it became the notorious City Hotel.
Iowa City was created by an act of the Legislative Assembly of the Iowa Territory on January 21, 1839, fulfilling the desire of Governor Robert Lucas to move the capital out of Burlington and closer to the center of the territory. This act began:
<blockquote>An Act to locate the Seat of Government of the Territory of Iowa ... so soon as the place shall be selected, and the consent of the United States obtained, the commissioners shall proceed to lay out a town to be called "Iowa City".
</blockquote>
Commissioners Chauncey Swan and John Ronalds met on May 1 in the small settlement of Napoleon, south of present-day Iowa City, to select a site for the new capital city. The following day, the commissioners selected a site on bluffs above the Iowa River north of Napoleon, placed a stake in the center of the proposed site and began planning the new capital city. Commissioner Swan, in a report to the legislature in Burlington, described the site:
<blockquote>Iowa City is located on a section of land lying in the form of an amphitheater. There is an eminence on the west near the river, running parallel with it. </blockquote>
By June of that year, the town had been platted and surveyed from Brown St. in the north to Burlington St. in the south, and from the Iowa River eastward to Governor St.
Iowa City was selected and surveyed as the territorial capital site in 1839. Construction of the Old Capitol Building commenced that year, but the city did not officially serve as the territorial capital until 1841, when the building neared completion. The territorial legislature convened in the Old Capitol Building from 1842 until territorial government ceased on December 28, 1846, when Iowa achieved statehood. In 1857 the state capital was moved to Des Moines.
thumb|A bird's-eye-view map of Iowa City 1868
John F. Rague is credited with designing the Iowa Old Capitol Building. He had previously designed the 1837 capitol of Illinois and was supervising its construction when he got the commission to design the new Iowa capitol in 1839. He quit the Iowa project after five months, claiming his design was not followed, but the resemblance to the Illinois capitol suggests he strongly influenced the final Iowa design. One surviving 1839 sketch of the proposed capital shows a radically different layout, with two domes and a central tower. The cornerstone of the Old Capitol Building was laid in Iowa City on July 4, 1840. Iowa City served as the third and last territorial capital of Iowa, and the last four territorial legislatures met at the Old Capitol Building until December 28, 1846, when Iowa was admitted into the United States as the 29th state of the union. Iowa City was declared the state capital of Iowa, and the government convened in the Old Capitol Building.
thumb|The [[Iowa Old Capitol Building ]]
1970 riots
Following the Kent State shootings on May 4, 1970, anti-war protests escalated nationally and in Iowa City. On April 30, President Richard Nixon announced that U.S. forces would invade Cambodia because of the recent communist coup. Students around the country protested this escalation of the Vietnam War. On May 4, the National Guard fired on students at Kent State University, killing four and wounding nine people, which ignited protests all over the country.
2006 tornadoes
On the evening of April 13, 2006, a confirmed EF2 tornado struck Iowa City, causing severe property damage and displacing many from their homes, including many University of Iowa students. It was the first tornado ever recorded to hit the city directly. The tornado caused extensive property damage, with no fatalities reported. The impacts extended across the city's downtown business district, residential areas on the east side, and the university campus, affecting approximately 50+ properties
Several businesses along Riverside Drive and Iowa Highway 1 were destroyed. The 134-year-old Saint Patrick's Catholic Church was heavily damaged only minutes after Holy Thursday Mass, with most of its roof destroyed. Declared a total loss, the building was subsequently demolished. The downtown business district as well as the eastern residential area and several parks suffered scattered damage of varying degrees.
Additionally, several houses in the sorority row area were destroyed. The Alpha Chi Omega house was nearly destroyed, though no one was injured. The building was later razed. Cleanup efforts were underway almost immediately as local law enforcement, volunteer workers from all over the state, and Iowa City residents and college students worked together to restore the city. The total cost of damage was estimated at $12 million–$4 million of which was attributed to Iowa City and Johnson County property.
2008 flood
thumb|The [[University of Iowa Museum of Art on North Riverside Drive during the height of the flood|alt=]]
On June 11, 2008, water exceeded the emergency spillway at the Coralville Reservoir outside of Iowa City. As a result, the City of Iowa City and the University of Iowa were seriously affected by unprecedented flooding of the Iowa River, which caused widespread property damage and forced evacuations in large sections of the city. By Friday, June 13, 2008, the Iowa River had risen to a record level of (5:00 pm CST) with a crest of approximately predicted for Wednesday, June 18, 2008. Much of the city's 500-year floodplain saw mild to catastrophic effects of the rapidly flowing, polluted water. University of Iowa officials reported that 19 campus buildings sustained water damage during the flood, with several, including the main library, requiring extensive remediation. Extensive efforts to move materials from the university's main library were undertaken as large groups of sandbagging volunteers began to construct a massive levee near the building. Prior to the flooding of the fine arts campus, the university evacuated approximately $300 million worth of artwork to a secure facility in the Chicago area.
On Friday, June 13, university employees were encouraged to stay home, and travel was strongly discouraged in Iowa City; one city statement advised, "If you live in east Iowa City, stay in east Iowa City; if you live in west Iowa City, stay in west Iowa City." The Burlington St. bridge was the only bridge that remained open, other than the I-80 bridge on the edge of town, to connect the east and west sides of the Iowa River. On Saturday, June 14, officials at the University of Iowa began to power down the university's primary power-generating plant along the Iowa River to prevent structural damage. Backup units continued to provide necessary power and steam services for essential University services, including the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Water began touching the bottom of the Park Street bridge, forcing the Army Corps of Engineers to drill several holes in the bridge to allow air trapped underneath to escape. Also on Saturday, Mayor Regenia Bailey issued a curfew restricting anyone except those authorized by law enforcement from being within of any area affected by the flood between 8:30 pm and 6 am.
2010s and environmental issues
On October 4, 2019, a Friday climate school strike with Greta Thunberg was held in Iowa City. During the strike, school youths protested against coal power.
Geography and climate
Iowa City is located in eastern Iowa, along the Iowa River, on Interstate 80, approximately west of the Quad Cities (Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa, and Moline and Rock Island, Illinois).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.
The elevation at the Iowa City Municipal Airport is above sea level.
Iowa City has a humid continental climate, hot-summer subtype (Dfa in the Köppen climate classification). Average monthly temperatures range from about in January to in July. Average monthly precipitation is lowest in winter and peaks significantly from May to August, with June being the average wettest month. Showers and thunderstorms are common from May to September, and can be severe, especially from May to July. In winter, snowfall is moderate, occasionally heavy in single storms. Snow cover is occasional in drier and/or warmer winter seasons, but (rarely) can be continuous in the coldest seasons, such as that of 1978–79. The Iowa City area was struck by a severe hailstorm on May 18, 1997, and by tornadoes on April 13, 2006. Relative to Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri, Iowa City's tornado frequency is comparatively low, though higher than northern Iowa locations.