Burlington

Sister cities

• Barbacena

History

Prior to European settlement, the area was neutral territory for the Sauk and Meskwaki peoples, who called it Shoquoquon (Shok-ko-kon), meaning Flint Hills. In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson organized two parties of explorers to map the Louisiana Purchase. The Lewis and Clark Expedition followed the Missouri River, while Lt. Zebulon Pike followed the Mississippi River. In 1805, Pike landed at the bluffs below Burlington and raised the United States Flag for the first time on what would become Iowa soil and recommended construction of a fort. The recommendation went unheeded. The American Fur Company of John Jacob Astor established a post in the area in 1829. Settlement began in 1833, shortly after the Black Hawk Purchase, when Samuel (aka Simpson) White, Amzi Doolitle, and Morton M. McCarver crossed the Mississippi River from Big Island and staked claims there. According to an account A.T. Andreas wrote in 1875, White erected a cabin in the area, later platted to be Front Street between Court and High streets. Andreas called White and Doolittle the Romulus and Remus of their settlement, referring to the mythic heroes who founded Rome, a city surrounded by hills. A few weeks later, William R. Ross joined them and established a general store. In November and December, he surveyed the settlement for White and Doolittle. In the spring of 1834 they allowed John Gray, who purchased the first lot with his wife Eliza Jane, to rename the town for $50. Gray chose to name it Burlington in honor of his hometown in Vermont. The Grays' daughter Abigail was born in Burlington that same year, the first European-descended American settler child born on Iowa soil. In 1837, Burlington was designated the second territorial capital of the Wisconsin Territory. The Iowa Territory was…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,309
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  912
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  833
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  700
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  666
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  641
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  624
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  607

Largest nearby schools

• Burlington Community High School
  High · Burlington · 1,092 students · 17.9:1 ratio
• Edward Stone Middle School
  Middle · Burlington · 489 students · 15.8:1 ratio
• West Burlington Arnold Jr./Sr. High School
  High · West Burlington · 487 students · 15.7:1 ratio
• Aldo Leopold Intermediate School
  Middle · Burlington · 464 students · 11.3:1 ratio
• West Burlington Elem School
  Elementary · West Burlington · 429 students · 14.3:1 ratio
• Black Hawk Elementary School
  Elementary · Burlington · 316 students · 13.7:1 ratio
• Sunnyside Elementary School
  Elementary · Burlington · 277 students · 10.7:1 ratio
• James Wilson Grimes School
  Elementary · Burlington · 269 students · 10.8:1 ratio