Iowa City Travel Guide

Former capitol of Iowa (before Des Moines), Iowa City is a college town. The campus of the University of Iowa straddles the Iowa River. While Iowans are generally a conservative lot, the university is more liberal (sometimes called "ten square miles surrounded by reality" elsewhere in the state). The small downtown area next to campus has many good restaurants, interesting stores, a pedestrian area with sculptures, and various music events in the summer.

Adjoining Iowa City is Coralville (so named because it is built on huge fossilized coral deposits). Coralville is the commercial counterpart to Iowa City, having the state's largest mall, other strip malls, and no real downtown to speak of.