Iowa is a strongly agricultural state, and also has historically and still to some extent presently, the production of farm implements, washing machines, refrigerators and processed foods. Its industrial outputs are food processing, machinery, electric equipment, chemical products, nd primary metals. Iowa produces the nation’s largest amount of ethanol for gasoline. Des Moines also serves as a center for the insurance industry.

Council Bluffs Iowa is across the Missouri River from Omaha, Nebraska, and is part of the Omaha metropolitan area, with a population of over 800,000 in the two states. Council Bluff has become a major center of gambling casinos. Casinos in the city include Harrah’s and Horseshoes. Davenport in the eastern part of the state is on the Mississippi River across from the city of Moline, Illinois and is also known for its casinos. It is one of the Quad Cities in Iowa and Illinois. John Deere Corporation has for a long time made tractors, lawnmowers and other machinery in the area, first with a plant in Davenport, and more recently in a plant across the river in Moline, Illinois. John Deere has become a multi-national corporation but still produces much of its equipment in the United States, including in Waterloo, Davenport and Dubuque, Iowa, and in Moline in Illinois. Davenport has had a certain amount of problems due to its lack of levees to protect it from floods from the Mississippi River. An interesting nearby site is the Quad City Botanical Center, across the river in Rock Island, Illinois. These large gardens contain both local plants and tropical plants in large hothouses. Cedar Rapids is home to several large businesses and industries, including in food processing, General Mills, Cargill, Quaker Oats, and Archer Daniels Midland (ADM). Hi-tech and computer companies have also moved into Cedar Rapids and other towns in Iowa. At the center of the city is a famous large modern art metal sculpture known as the Tree of the Five Seasons, which is a three-dimensional form of the city’s logo. Near the center of the city is the Czech Village, and area that has maintained the identity of ethnic Czech businesses. There is also the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library in the area.

Have you ever wanted to go camping with views of a beautiful natural setting but also be able to eat at a nice restaurant, go shopping and maybe even do a little golfing? Then try camping at Squaw Creek campground. It’s only a six minute drive from a major shopping district of Marion Iowa (a suburb of Cedar Rapids) and has beautiful views of natural restored prairies and meadows. We go to this campground to “get away from it all” as well as to shop, eat out and maybe take in a movie. If you like to golf, then go to Squaw Creek Golf Course (renamed Donald K. Gardner Golf Course) adjacent to the park. This 18-hole championship course offers golfers a wide variety of holes. This course is very challenging for the advanced player offering length, hazards, and trees. Yet, it is still very enjoyable to play for those of average ability. A major shopping district is only a 6 minute drive from the campground with many restaurants, movie theatres and shopping malls. We like to shop, eat out and maybe see a movie. But we also like to come back to the campground at the end of the day to once again “get away from it all” and enjoy the natural beauty of Iowa’s prairie landscape as it must have existed many years ago, before shopping malls!