Balltown, IA

Balltown is a city in Dubuque County, Iowa, United States. The 2020 census counted 79 residents. Balltown is part of the Dubuque, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area. Balltown is home to Breitbach's Country Dining, Iowa's oldest restaurant and bar, which was founded in 1852 and twice rebuilt by the community, following its destruction by fire in 2007 and 2008. Zoned schools include Epworth Elementary School in Epworth, Drexler Middle School in Farley, and Western Dubuque High School in Epworth. That mix gives Balltown a clear local shape within Iowa, with older layers still visible in current places. The local scoop is a place whose streets, landmarks, and institutions keep its earlier story close to the present. On June 11th, 2026, Mayor Sherri Sigwarth provided the first Key to the City to Kyle Bauer, co-host on Barstool Sports The Yak show. Balltown was named for John Ball, an early settler said to have lived on a Mississippi river island before 1850.