Iowa City is one of the best places to live in the Midwest. It is the home of the University of Iowa and is a focus for culture and education. There are many things that make Iowa City seem like a small town but with big town features. There is a life size chess board in the downtown plaza. Many people sit on the plaza’s limestone benches to talk politics, philosophy or sports. There is even an outdoor mini stage nearby.

Iowa City hosts a jazz festival every summer and an Iowa Arts Festival that features the state of Iowa’s best visual art and music. There is even an open air theater Shakespearean stage, the Riverside Theatre. Broadway productions have been hosted by the University of Iowa’s Hancher Auditorium over the years.

The University of Iowa is one of the country’s top public universities. It’s Writers’ Workshop is internationally recognized and has fostered the talents of Ray Bradbury, Flannery O’Connor, Jane Smiley and Kurt Vonnegut. The University also includes one of the largest teaching hospitals in the country. The University of Iowa hospitals and clinics have been named one of America’s best hospitals by U.S. News & World Report.

Iowa City also cares about the unique rolling hills and tall grasses of it’s prairie location. There are 41 public parks, and many overlook the beautiful Iowa River. There are networks of walking and biking trails as well. The Coralville Reservoir is just a few miles north of the city and has many recreational activities in it’s 5,000 acres. There is boating, fishing, swimming, water skiing along with hiking, biking and cross country skiing trails. The recent Devonian Fossil Gorge contains fossils more than 350 million years old. The gorge is recent because it was unearthed in the 1993 floods.

There is a lot of culture and history around Iowa City as well. The Amana Colonies are only 20 minutes away. The seven colonies feature German home style food and traditional crafts. West Branch, Iowa is also near Iowa City and is the birthplace of Herbert Hoover. The presidential library of Hoover is located there. Cedar Rapids is only 30 miles north and features a Czech Village.

Iowa City has a strong economy with a major university and several Fortune 500 companies. It’s the corporate headquarters for ACT, Moore North America, Pearson, Lear, Oral B Laboratories/Gillette and Procter & Gamble to just name a few. The city has a variety of programs to assist with starting businesses and has land for additional industrial/commercial development.

If you need a car to drive around, then come to the Ford Iowa City dealership for a great deal.