Living in Downtown Iowa City

Iowa City is nationally recognized as one of the most attractive places to live and to retire. It is a unique and wonderful place attracting people from all over the world. Iowa City enjoys a diverse population, including a large community of writers and artists and offers great entertainment, a successful pedestrian plaza, world-class health care and is home to the University of Iowa which is integrated with the downtown.

Downtown Iowa City is home to a variety of restaurants, full service grocery store, outstanding hotels, live theatre and entertainment venues, unique shops, art galleries, an active senior citizen’s center, concerts and festivals. It provides a variety of living opportunities for all ages and boasts a nationally recognized Public Library which has served the community from a downtown location since 1896 with 745,000 visitors a year and over 1.5 million checkouts.

Iowa City Ranks Among The Best

• The Milken Institute ranked Iowa City No. 1 in the country among small metropolitan areas in economic performance and job creation. (Milken Institute Best Performing Cities index for 2003)
• Men’s Journal named Iowa City one of the top ten healthiest, safest and sexiest places to live in America in 2003.
• Forbes ranked Iowa City number 2 out of 96 Best Small Places in the Country in its list of Best Places for Business and Careers.
• The Wall Street Journal ranked Iowa City one of the best places to retire in America.
• Editor & Publisher Market Guide ranked Iowa City as the most livable U.S. city on the Better Living Index.
• Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine ranked Iowa City as the second healthiest city in the United States crediting the health benefits of University Hospitals and abundant recreational areas.
• Business Week ranked Iowa City one of the most attractive places to retire. “As people challenge the conventional notion of retirement, they’re rethinking the types of places where they want to spend their later years. For an increasing number of Americans, that means choosing an area where they can have access to culture, education, entertainment, history, and a shot at a rewarding full or part – time job.”
• Fortune lists Iowa City as having a higher percentage of college graduates than any other city in the Unites States as measured by Moran Stahl and Boyer, a consulting firm specializing in business location selection.
• The list goes on. Iowa City is routinely ranked as one of the safest, healthiest, most livable, most educated, and most economically viable cities in the country. It consistently ranks among the top Cities in the country in which to retire