So, you're thinking about attending a college or university in Iowa?

One of the Midwest states, Iowa is composed mostly of gently rolling plains. There is very little elevation difference across the state, considering its size, leading it to be a generally flat locale. Due to significant glaciation in the distant past, Iowa has the highest average radon concentrations in the nation. This has led to the rich Iowa farmland that it is known so well for, but has also caused many cities in the state to pass requirements for radon resistant construction in all new homes. Iowa is bordered by Minnesota to the north, Wisconsin and Illinois to the east, Missouri to the south, and Nebraska and South Dakota to the west.

The climate in Iowa experiences extremes in both heat and cold. The average annual temperature is around 50°F throughout the state. Snowfall is common in the winter. The capital city receives an average of 36.3 inches of snow every winter. In summer, the weather becomes hot and humid, with daytime temperatures exceeding 100°F at times.

Spring in Iowa brings with it increased precipitation and warming temperatures along with the beginning of the severe weather season. There are only about 50 days of thunderstorm activity a year, but some of these can bring with them high winds and hail. The state is also a a moderately high risk of tornado activity. On average, Iowa experiences 37 tornadoes per year.

Iowa had an estimated population of 2,966,334 back in 2005. This includes approximately 97,000 foreign-born citizens, or around 3.3% of the total population. It's been recorded that about 6.4% of Iowa residents are under the age of five, 25.1% are under 18, and 14.9% are 65 or older.

The state of Iowa is fairly evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats today, though, in the past, they have leaned toward a liberal populist tradition. Because Iowa holds the first presidential caucus of the nation, it has become the starting point for the choosing of the two major-party candidates for president. In the 2004 presidential election, George W. Bush won the state with only 49.9% of the vote. In 2006, the Democrats won two seats from the Republicans.

Christians are the dominant religious presence in Iowa. 75% of the population claims Christianity as their belief system. Of these, 50% are Protestant Christians of various denominations while 23% are Roman Catholic. Of the remaining population, 6% claim other religions while 13% identify themselves as being non-religious.

There are currently nine income tax brackets in Iowa, ranging from 0.36% to 8.98%. Income tax is levied on net state income of individuals, trusts, and estates. The current state sales tax is set at 5%. Counties have two different options for collecting additional sales tax revenues. These are the regular local tax option and the school infrastructure local option tax, which differ primarily in how long they remain in effect after being imposed.

Historically, Iowa has placed a strong emphasis on education. It was ranked as having the second highest average SAT scores by state and tied for the second highest average ACT scores for states in which more than 20% of graduates were tested in 2003. For those looking to attend a college or university in Iowa, there are several options available. Some of the schools located here are:

• Iowa State University

• The University of Iowa

• Cornell College

To find more information about universities and colleges in this area, visit the Online College Degrees page on this website.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Iowa".

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