Iowa is the very essence of smalltown America, close to the geographical center of the mainland US, and ranking decidedly
average in size, population and level of personal income.
Iowa's history has been relatively calm. It was opened for settlement after the Black Hawk Treaty of 1832, a one-sided
exercise in negotiations with the Sauk Indians, conducted after many of them had been chased down and slaughtered in neighboring
Wisconsin and Illinois. The Northern European immigrants who replaced them made agricultural development their prime concern,
turning Iowa into the " Foodbasket of America " - a role it generally achieves with scrupulous efficiency.
THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA
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