Dubuque, Iowa

Dubuque is a city in Dubuque County, Iowa, located on the Mississippi River. The city population is estimated at over 62,000. Dubuque is the center of a small metro area known locally as "The Tri-State Area," the name coming from the fact that the city's location is where Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois meet. Adjacent towns include Asbury, Sageville, Key West and Peosta, Iowa, and East Dubuque, Illinois. Dubuque is often called "The Key City" and also the "City of Five Flags" because five different flags — English, Spanish, Royal French, Republican French, and American — have historically flown over the land on which the city now sits. The median household income for Dubuque is $36,785, and the median family income is estimated at $46,564.

Deere and Company has a large one mile long manufacturing plant - called Dubuque Works - just north of the city, which is a major employer in the area. This manufacturing plant concentrates mainly on building construction equipment. The A.Y. McDonald Manufacturing Company has its headquarters in Dubuque, along with its main manufacturing plant located in the Dubuque Industrial Center. Nordstrom and McGraw-Hill operate distribution centers in the area as well. Eagle Window & Door also has its headquarters and a manufacturing facility in Dubuque. Other major employers include the Dubuque Community School District, Finley Hospital, Mercy Hospital, McGraw-Hill Higher Education, Flexsteel, and McKesson.

Dubuque's waterfront features the Ice Harbor, where the Diamond Jo Casino and William M. Black are based. Recently the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium, the Grand Harbor Hotel and Waterpark, and the Grand River Events Center have been built just north of the Ice Harbor. Several city buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places: the Fourth Street Elevator, located in downtown Dubuque, is the shortest and steepest railroad in existence; the Dubuque County Courthouse, famous for its Beaux Arts architecture; the Julien Dubuque Bridge; and the Shot Tower, which was used to produce lead shot. The city has a number of notable parks, particularly Eagle Point City Park and the Mines of Spain State Recreation Area. The Dubuque Arboretum and Botanical Gardens are also famous, having won a number of prestigous awards. Many Catholic religious orders maintain monasteries and motherhouses in Dubuque including Mount St. Francis Motherhouse (Franciscans), New Melleray Abbey (Cistercian), Sinsinawa Mound Motherhouse (Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters), Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey (Cistercian), Mount Carmel Motherhouse (Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary) and Mount Loretto Motherhouse (Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary). There are also 2 theological seminaries operating in the city: the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary (Presbyterian), and Wartburg Theological Seminary (Lutheran ELCA).

Dubuque is the home of a large number of higher education institutions including Loras College, Clarke College, the University of Dubuque, Emmaus Bible College, Northeast Iowa Community College, which operates campuses in Dubuque and Peosta (Iowa), and Capri Cosmetology College. Dubuque is also the home of the Colts Drum and Bugle Corps. Each summer the Colts and Dubuque host Music on the March, a Drum Corps International-sanctioned marching competition at Dubuque Senior High School. The Dubuque Thunderbirds are a MJHL Junior B Hockey team that play at the Five Flags Center. Two ships of the US Navy have been named USS Dubuque after the city. The city has also been featured in the movies "F.I.S.T." and "Take This Job and Shove It," which were filmed in Dubuque.