[Kon-Peki]

> Iowa is mostly a rural state

Iowa isn't mostly a rural state (though I'm sure plenty of Iowans think that way). It's approaching 65-70% urban - not even close to being in the top 10 most rural states in the US.

What is really surprising it that the small towns all over Iowa have excellent urban form. Suburban sprawl is mostly limited to Des Moines, with a little bit in Council Bluffs (part of the Omaha metro area).

Check out the US Census urban area map and notice how many urban areas there are in Iowa (If a city is represented with a dot, it is an urban area of fewer than 10,000 people):

https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/UA20/UA_2020_WallMap...

[foooobaba]

Iowa is the 12th most rural state according to 2020 US census [1][2]. It is 63.2%, urban, so true it’s not mostly rural in terms of total population, but it’s pretty rural.

[1] https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/geography/guidance/g...

[2] https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/ua/State_Urban_Ru...

[Kon-Peki]

The 2020 Census was messed up, partly because of Covid and partly due to "politics".

I stand by my assertion that Iowa is the area of 65-70% urban and within a group of states that are in that range. It could just as easily be the 20th most rural state as the 12th. But go back and look at that list - this group of states are significantly more urban than the ~10 most rural states.

Iowa doesn't have a lot of small landholdings outside of the towns/cities. Basically you are either living on a city-sized lot or a 100+ acre farm, with very little in between. So there is definitely the rural identity associated with Iowa, but the population facts paint a very different picture.

You really should take a trip out there and visit some smaller towns. The urbanity will surprise you.