(1846) Iowa becomes the 29th US statePresident James K. Polk signs a law making an area that was part of the Louisiana Purchase the 29th state. Iowa, named for a Native American tribe, joins the nation as a slave-free state and will support the Union in the Civil War.Iowa is a state in the Midwestern United States, bordered by the Mississippi River on the east and the Missouri River and the Big Sioux River on the west. Surrounding states include Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the east, Missouri to the south, Nebraska to the west, South Dakota to the northwest, and Minnesota to the north.
Population: 3.13 million (2016) Area: 56,272 sq miles (145,743 km²) Colleges and universities: Iowa State University · University of Iowa · University of Northern Iowa · Drake University · Grinnell College Capital: Des Moines Governor: Kim Reynolds Senators: Joni Ernst · Chuck Grassley