Crescent, IA

Crescent is a Pottawattamie County city at the base of Iowa's Loess Hills, directly across the Mormon Bridge from North Omaha. The 2020 census counted 628 residents. Joseph E. Johnson laid out the town in the 1850s and published a paper there, giving Crescent an early connection to the Latter-day Saint migration route. The Old Lincoln Highway later ran through downtown, adding a coast-to-coast road to the town's map.

The hills now shape Crescent's outdoor life as much as its history. Hitchcock Nature Center, just north, offers trails, camping, and views across the Loess Hills, while Mt. Crescent Ski Hills runs winter slopes and night skiing nearby. Crescent is also close to the DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge and Omaha's airport, zoo, and Old Market. The Mormon Bridge makes Omaha part of the daily trip across the river, while the hills keep Crescent's Iowa side distinct. A city this small has a wide orbit: a river crossing to Nebraska, a historic highway through town, and bluff-top recreation in the same Pottawattamie landscape.