Dubuque sparkles with beauty, attractions

Lush views and a variety of attractions make Dubuque a riverside gem / Photo courtesty Dubuque County Auditor's Office & Community Incorporated

By B.J. Smith
For Iowa.com

A song asked, “Do you remember Dubuque?”

How could you not?

The quintessential river city dominates Dubuque County, with a commanding view of the Mississippi River Valley from tall, limestone bluffs. It is a regional transportation hub served by major highways, railroads and an airport in addition to the mighty Mississippi. Dubuque’s industrial, business and residential areas sport a range of architectural styles. There’s even riverboat gambling and other gaming opportunities.

Dubuque County shares borders with both Wisconsin and Illinois. First populated by the Fox tribe and visited by French trappers and miners, Dubuque County was later settled by German, Irish and Swiss, who developed many of the original towns. With the addition of students who attend the many colleges and religious seminaries in the county, its population now is varied as a patchwork quilt.

The bluffs, cold streams, deciduous forests and hills of Dubuque County contribute to the “Little Switzerland” character of northeastern Iowa. It remains home to stands of native prairie, as well. The numerous small communities in the county developed around major farming areas and railroad expansion of the late 1800s.

Among the many links to the past, culture and fun that a visitor can find here are National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium, Dubuque Museum of Art, Crystal Lake Cave, Dubuque Arboretum & Botanical Gardens, Mines of Spain & E.B. Lyons Nature Center, Field of Dreams movie site, National Farm Toy Museum, New Melleray Abbey, Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey, Grand Opera House, Basilica of St. Francis Xavier, and the Old Jail Gallery.

The largest employers in Dubuque County are John Deere Dubuque Works, Eagle Window & Door, A.Y. McDonald, Flexsteel Industries, Mercy Hospital, Finley Hospital,  Medical Associates, McGraw Hill Higher Education and McKesson.

Sources: Denise Dolan, Dubuque County Auditor; Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce

Cities in Dubuque County

Asbury pop. 2450
Balltown pop. 73
Bankston pop. 27
Bernard pop. 97
Cascade pop. 1958
Centralia pop. 101
Dubuque pop. 57686
Durango pop. 24
Dyersville pop. 4035
Epworth pop. 1593
Farley pop. 1334
Graf pop. 73
Holy Cross pop. 339
Luxemburg pop. 246
New Vienna pop. 400
Peosta pop. 1052
Rickardsville pop. 191
Sageville pop. 203
Sherrill pop. 186
Worthington pop. 381
Zwingle pop. 100

Source: Iowa League of Cities