Dubuque, IA

Dubuque meets the Mississippi River at the edge of the Driftless Area, where bluffs and steep streets interrupt the flatter landscape associated with much of Iowa. The city is the Dubuque County seat and sits at the Iowa-Illinois-Wisconsin junction known locally as the Tri-State Area. Its population was 59,667 in the 2020 census. The present city takes its name from Julien Dubuque, who established a settlement and lead-mining operation beside the river in the late eighteenth century. Nineteenth-century commercial and industrial growth left an unusually large architectural record: the city has documented the historical significance of nearly 5,000 properties, and 615 buildings stand within its five locally designated historic districts.

ATTRU.S. Department of Agriculture Preston Keres/Office of Communications-Photography Services Center / Public domain

The riverfront is now both a civic destination and a route through town. Redevelopment of the Port of Dubuque began in the late 1990s and produced the Mississippi Riverwalk, National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium, Grand River Center, reuse of the Star Brewery, and other waterfront facilities. Along the Riverwalk, the free Art on the River program displays a juried group of sculptures that changes annually. Several blocks inland, former warehouse and factory buildings in the Historic Millwork District have been adapted for apartments, workplaces, restaurants, shops, and events; a 2024 master-plan update continues that mixed-use transition.

ATTRCarol M. Highsmith / Public domain

Outdoor movement extends well beyond the port. Dubuque maintains more than 1,200 acres of parkland and a 43-mile bike-and-hike network, including 25 miles of paved trails. The Bee Branch trail system links neighborhoods with six miles of riverfront and continues toward the Mines of Spain trail system. Eagle Point Park adds blufftop views above Lock and Dam No. 11, while the Port and downtown routes form part of the Mississippi River Trail. For trips that do not require a car, the Jule bus system serves more than 280 stops, carries bicycles on all fixed-route buses, and provides real-time trip planning and mobile ticketing.