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We've been diving into the best and worst of the Hawkeye State a WHOLE lot lately.

Last year, we dove into the worst rural town in the Hawkeye State.

By the way, "worst" rural town is somewhat subjective. The Youtuber put together a series of videos of the "worst" rural towns in each state. Each state has it's own corresponding video.

When this guy says "worst" he actually means most affordable. Also, HE'S the one who said it not me!

You can read more about this here.

And then another survey came out that attempted to determine the worst small town in the state. This one is no surprise at all. It also just so happens to be the sight of one of the most gruesome crimes in Iowa history.

Read more about this town here!

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Then this same publisher put together a list of the best small towns in Iowa.

This study determined that Huxley, IA  also known as the "Heart of the Prairie" is the best small town in the state. You can read more about it here.

The latter seems like a great place to live, right? Now, let's move on to one of the more dangerous places in Iowa.

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I found a list of the most dangerous places to live in Iowa. Online publisher Road Snacks determined the top ten list of dangerous Iowa locations via several different factors, which include the FBI's latest report of violent and property crimes.

Here's how the cities that made the top ten;

10. Fort Madison

9. Waterloo

8. Keokuk

7. Burlington

6. Sioux City

5. Des Moines

4. Fort Dodge

3. Davenport

2. Ottumwa

1. Council Bluffs

Council Bluffs, the most dangerous place in Iowa has an average crime rate of approximately 37.67 per 1,000 residents, according to Neighborhood Scout.

As someone who grew up on the East Coast, this number does seem a bit scary. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for example has a crime rate of about 34.66, according to reports. That seems incorrect, right?

One of the biggest cities in the nation has a lower crime rate than Council Bluffs?

Well, let's take a bit of a deeper look on how this site put together this data.

According to Neighborhood Scout, Council Bluffs saw 224 violent crimes in 2022 and 2,127 property crimes. The violent crime rate per 1,000 residents was approximately 3.5 while property crimes were at about 34.

If you compare it to Philadelphia (and take into account the obvious fact that there are way more people in the city of brotherly love) you'll get numbers that seem lower than the Iowa city that we're talking about.

Okay...Not As Scary As I Thought, But What Are Some of the Perks Of Council Bluffs?

Historic Tourist Attractions

If you are looking to take a look at some historic (and unique) touristy spots then look no further than Council Bluffs! This Iowa town was the "eastern terminus of the first transcontinental railroad" AND is currently home to the Union Pacific Railroad Museum.

Also, don't forget to take some time to stop at the Squirrel Cage Jail. It opened in the 1880s and served as the county jail for more than 80 years.

It is one of eighteen revolving jails built. Locals and travelers can take a peak inside of this historical (and maybe haunted) museum.

 

Elkport: Iowa's Ghost Town

Fenelon Street Elevator

The steepest and shortest railway is in Dubuque.

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