Dubuque

Sister cities

• Handan
• Pyatigorsk
• Dornbirn

History

Spain gained control of the Louisiana Territory west of the Mississippi River following the 1763 defeat of the French; the British took over all territory to the east. The first permanent European settler in what is now Dubuque was Quebecois pioneer Julien Dubuque, who arrived in 1785. In 1788, he received permission from the Spanish government and the local Meskwaki people to mine the area's rich lead deposits. Control of Louisiana and Dubuque's mines shifted briefly back to France in 1800, then to the United States in 1803, following the Louisiana Purchase. The Meskwaki continued to mine with the full support of the U.S. government until 1830 when the Meskwaki were illegally pushed out of the mine region by American prospectors. The city of Dubuque was named after Julien Dubuque, who settled at the southern end of a large flat plain adjacent to the Mississippi River. The city was officially chartered in 1833 as part of the unorganized territory of the U.S., and is the oldest city in Iowa. The region was designated as the Iowa Territory in 1838 and was included in the newly created State of Iowa in 1846. After the lead resources were exhausted, the city became home to numerous industries. Dubuque became a center for the timber industry because of its proximity to forests in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and was later dominated by various mill working businesses. Also important were boat building, brewing, and later, the railroad industry. In 1874, the Diamond Jo Line moved its company headquarters to Dubuque. Diamond Jo Line established a shipyard at Eagle Point in 1878. Just two years later, the company was the largest employer in Dubuque, putting 78 people to work, 75 of whom worked at the shipyard earning their collective $800$1,000 per week in wages. Between 1860 and…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which are land and are covered by water. Lake Peosta Channel separates Chaplain Schmitt Island from the mainland. Downtown Dubuque is the city's central business district, housing many government and cultural institutions. It serves as the transportation and commercial hub, located along the Mississippi River in east-central Dubuque. Notable neighborhoods include Fenelon Place Residential Historic District, Jackson Park, Old Main Street and the Dubuque Millworking Historic District. The Port of Dubuque features the Grand Harbor Resort, Alliant Energy Amphitheater, and Grand River Center. Historic landmarks like the Shot Tower and the Dubuque County Courthouse reflect the city's regional importance. The North End, settled by German immigrants in the late 19th century, remains a working-class area with factories and key sites including Bee Branch Creek, Eagle Point Park, Holy Ghost Catholic Church, Linwood Cemetery, Lock and Dam No. 11, Mathias Ham House and Sacred Heart Catholic Church. The South End, historically Irish American, features Irish pubs, churches, and neighborhoods with "old money" homes, including St. Pius X Seminary, St. Raphael's Cathedral, Mines of Spain State Recreation Area and the Wartburg Theological Seminary. The West End, developed after World War II, is a suburban area that grew with the baby boom, featuring shopping centers like Plaza 20 and Kennedy Mall. It includes middle-class neighborhoods, parks, schools, and industrial areas, extending into the suburbs of Asbury and Peosta. Notable sites include the Dubuque Arboretum and Botanical Gardens and Emmaus University. Image:Red Stone.JPG|Redstone Bed & Breakfast Image:Mississippi River Bridge.JPG|Mississippi…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,682
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  3,450
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  3,287
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,169
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  3,085
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,077
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,908
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,852

Largest nearby schools

• Hempstead High School
  High · Dubuque · 1,584 students · 14.5:1 ratio
• Dubuque Senior High School
  High · Dubuque · 1,435 students · 10.6:1 ratio
• Eleanor Roosevelt Middle School
  Middle · Dubuque · 1,093 students · 14:1 ratio
• George Washington Middle School
  Middle · Dubuque · 624 students · 11.8:1 ratio
• Eisenhower Elementary School
  Elementary · Dubuque · 566 students · 15.7:1 ratio
• John Kennedy Elementary School
  Elementary · Dubuque · 541 students · 13.5:1 ratio
• Carver Elementary School
  Elementary · Dubuque · 535 students · 15.7:1 ratio
• Thomas Jefferson Middle School
  Middle · Dubuque · 459 students · 8.8:1 ratio