1.
Iowa State University
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Iowa State University of Science and Technology is a public flagship land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State is classified as a Research University with very high activity by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Iowa State is also a member of the Association of American Universities, Iowa State has also been designated an Innovation and Economic Prosperity University, a designation awarded to only 54 public universities in the U. S. D. Level, plus a degree program in Veterinary Medicine. Iowa State Universitys athletic teams, the Cyclones, compete in Division I of the NCAA and are a member of the Big 12 Conference. The Cyclones field 16 varsity teams and have won numerous NCAA national championships, in 1856, the Iowa General Assembly enacted legislation to establish the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm. This institution was established on March 22,1858, by the General Assembly. Story County was chosen as the location on June 21,1859, beating proposals from Johnson, Kossuth, Marshall, the original farm of 648 acres was purchased for a cost of $5,379. Iowa was the first state in the nation to accept the provisions of the Morrill Act of 1862, Iowa subsequently designated Iowa State as the land-grant college on March 29,1864. From the start, Iowa Agricultural College focused on the ideals that higher education should be accessible to all and these ideals are integral to the land-grant university. The institution was coeducational from the first preparatory class admitted in 1868, the formal admitting of students began the following year, and the first graduating class of 1872 consisted of 24 men and two women. The Farm House, the first building on the Iowa State campus, was completed in 1861 before the campus was occupied by students or classrooms. It became the home of the superintendent of the Model Farm and in later years, Iowa States first president, Adonijah Welch, briefly stayed at the Farm House and penned his inaugural speech in a second floor bedroom. The colleges first farm tenants primed the land for agricultural experimentation, the Iowa Experiment Station was one of the universitys prominent features. Practical courses of instruction were taught, including one designed to give a training for the career of a farmer. Courses in mechanical, civil, electrical, and mining engineering were also part of the curriculum, in 1870, President Welch and I. P. Robert, professor of agriculture, held three-day farmers institutes at Cedar Falls, Council Bluffs, Washington, and Muscatine. These became the earliest institutes held off-campus by a land grant institution and were the forerunners of 20th century extension, in 1872, the first courses were given in domestic economy and were taught by Mary B. Iowa State became the first land grant university in the nation to offer training in economy for college credit
2.
Reiman Gardens
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Reiman Gardens is a 17- acre university-owned public garden located immediately south of Jack Trice Stadium on the Iowa State University campus in Ames, Iowa. Reiman Gardens is a garden with events, programs, lectures, tours. It is open seven days per week,9,00 am to 4,30 pm, with extended hours in the summer season, the Gardens are closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day. Reiman Gardens consists of a dozen distinct garden areas, a conservatory and an indoor butterfly wing, butterfly emergence cases, a gift shop. ISU students and their classes are admitted free of charge, as are the Gardens members, an admission fee is charged to the public. Many United Way of Story County agencies directors can receive free passes to distribute to their clients, Iowa State University has had a horticulture garden since 1914, Reiman Gardens is the third location for these gardens. Todays gardens began in 1993 with a gift from Bobbi and Roy Reiman, construction began in 1994 and the Gardens initial 5 acres were officially dedicated on September 16,1995. The landscape design was created by Rodney Robinson Landscape Architects, the Gardens officially opened its 30, 000-square-foot conservatory complex with an open house on November 2,2002. In 2007, a construction project removed the cafe and moved the shop to the north of the conservatory building. The old gift shop and cafe space was converted into meeting space, Architects Smith Metzger designed the Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing, the Mahlstede Learning Center, Conservatory Complex and Hunziker Garden House. Reiman Gardens uses a process called Dimensional Design to create its annual theme, using a holistic approach, Dimensional Design requires a team effort from all departments. Thus, the Gardens staff develops educational programs, interpretation, communications, events and amenities that one theme. The theme encourages guests to view the garden and its mission from a different perspective each time they visit, the theme year planning also gives structure to displays and programs and generates innovative ideas that turn into horticulture displays. This is named for Roy Reimans mother, Christina, Hunziker Garden House - Named in honor of Marge Hunziker, the building dedication was a gift from her husband Erb and their six sons. This prairie-style building was designed by Architects Smith Metzger to represent a home and serve as a backdrop for the Town, inside the building is a large workroom that serves as a program workspace, meeting facility, a storage room, and restrooms. Dunlap Courtyard Garden - annual plantings and catalpa trees, Mahlstede Horticulture Learning Center - Named for ISU horticultural professor John P. Mahlstede, this building originally housed staff and The Speer Room, where many classes and events are held. It is thought to be one of the most beautiful rooms in Iowa with sweeping views of the Gardens pictured from glass walls that extend from ceiling to floor, staff offices were removed from this building in a renovation project of 2008. Rose Gardens - over 2,000 rose plants, representing 254 different varieties and this garden received the All-America Rose Selections Presidents Award, given annually to a single public garden
3.
Beardshear Hall
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Beardshear Hall is an administration building at Iowa State University located on Morrill Road. The building was constructed in 1906 and was completely out of stone. As a result of the fire to Old Main, fireproofing the new building was a high priority, fireproof buff Bedford stones were used extensively in the construction of the new Central Building. Massive scagliola columns were used in the interior, columns so like marble that even experts were deceived, the building materials were so fireproof that only the hardwood furniture was capable of burning. In 1938 the building was renamed Beardshear Hall, after William Beardshear, other offices directly impacting student life still located in Beardshear Hall include the Office of Student Financial Aid and the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs
4.
Iowa
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Iowa is a U. S. state in the Midwestern United States, bordered by the Mississippi River on the east and the Missouri River and the Big Sioux River on the west. Surrounding states include Wisconsin and Illinois to the east, Missouri to the south, Nebraska and South Dakota to the west, in colonial times, Iowa was a part of French Louisiana and Spanish Louisiana, its state flag is patterned after the flag of France. After the Louisiana Purchase, people laid the foundation for an economy in the heart of the Corn Belt. Iowa is the 26th most extensive in area and the 30th most populous of the 50 United States. Its capital and largest city by population is Des Moines, Iowa has been listed as one of the safest states in which to live. Its nickname is the Hawkeye State, Iowa derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many Native American tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa is bordered by the Mississippi River on the east, the Missouri River and the Big Sioux River on the west, Iowa is the only state whose east and west borders are formed entirely by rivers. Iowa has 99 counties, but 100 county seats because Lee County has two, the state capital, Des Moines, is in Polk County. Iowas bedrock geology generally increases in age from west to east, in northwest Iowa, Cretaceous bedrock can be 74 million years old, in eastern Iowa Cambrian bedrock dates to c.500 million years ago. Iowa is generally not flat, most of the consists of rolling hills. Iowa can be divided into eight landforms based on glaciation, soils, topography, Loess hills lie along the western border of the state, some of which are several hundred feet thick. Northeast Iowa along the Mississippi River is part of the Driftless Zone, consisting of steep hills, several natural lakes exist, most notably Spirit Lake, West Okoboji Lake, and East Okoboji Lake in northwest Iowa. To the east lies Clear Lake, man-made lakes include Lake Odessa, Saylorville Lake, Lake Red Rock, Coralville Lake, Lake MacBride, and Rathbun Lake. The states northwest area has remnants of the once common wetlands. Iowas natural vegetation is tallgrass prairie and savanna in areas, with dense forest and wetlands in flood plains and protected river valleys. Most of Iowa is used for agriculture, crops cover 60% of the state, grasslands cover 30%, as of 2005 Iowa ranked 49th of U. S. states in public land holdings. Endangered or threatened plants include western prairie fringed orchid, eastern prairie fringed orchid, Meads milkweed, prairie bush clover, the explosion in the number of high-density livestock facilities in Iowa has led to increased rural water contamination and a decline in air quality. Iowa has a continental climate throughout the state
5.
Geographic coordinate system
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A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
6.
Story County, Iowa
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Story County is a county in the U. S. state of Iowa. As of the 2010 census, the population was 89,542, Story county comprises the Ames, IA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Des Moines-Ames-West Des Moines, IA Combined Statistical Area. The county is home to Iowa State University in Ames, the land that today is known as Story County was originally prairie with the exception of some groves along the larger streams in the area. In 1846 the boundaries of Story County were established, the County has an area of 576 square miles and is square in shape. The county was named after Joseph Story, a preeminent United States Supreme Court Justice, the first settlers in Story County came mainly from Indiana, New York and Pennsylvania. Later, many Norwegians, Germans and Danes came directly from overseas, the first large population influx occurred during the 1850s. Story County was not mentioned in the Federal Census in 1850, by 1860 the population had increased to 4,501. Three commissioners appointed by the Iowa legislature selected the location of county seat on June 27,1853, Nevada was named after the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California. Railroad construction did more to develop Story County, as it did for the entire American West, the first railroad came to the county in 1864. Railroads were such a factor in determining the location of towns that several communities in Story County moved to be closer to the rail line. Some flourishing little towns that were bypassed by the railroad soon disappeared, in its history, Story County has had five courthouse structures in use. The first courthouse, a frame building, was built in 1856 but was destroyed by fire in 1863. It was replaced by a similar structure, soon after, a new courthouse was planned, and it was completed in 1877. The three-storey building was situated on the town square, in the building was a tower in which school children could climb to see a panoramic view of the landscape, which was removed later due to safety reasons. A post-modern style courthouse in was built in 1967 and dedicated on May 18,1968 and that courthouse today houses the Board of Supervisors, Auditor, Treasurer, Recorder, Assessor, Information Technology, Facilities Management, Health and Planning & Development Offices. A cannon from the Civil War rests on the lawn, the current courthouse, the Story County Justice Center, is the newest addition to the family of County Facilities. Opening in 2002, the Justice Center is the heart of the law enforcement, the Story County Sheriffs Office, Attorney, and Clerk of Court are all housed in this building. Story County consists of 16 townships and 15 incorporated cities, and 4 unincorporated towns, the population of 79,981 in the 2000 census consisted of 71,114 in urban areas and 8867 in rural areas
7.
Municipal corporation
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A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. Municipal incorporation occurs when such municipalities become self-governing entities under the laws of the state or province in which they are located, often, this event is marked by the award or declaration of a municipal charter. A city charter or town charter is a document establishing a municipality such as a city or town. The concept developed in Europe during the Middle Ages and is considered to be a version of a constitution. Traditionally the granting of a charter gave a settlement and its inhabitants the right to town privileges under the feudal system, townspeople who lived in chartered towns were burghers, as opposed to serfs who lived in villages. Towns were often free, in the sense that they were protected by the king or emperor. Today the process for granting charters is determined by the type of government of the state in question, in monarchies, charters are still often a royal charter given by the Crown or the state authorities acting on behalf of the Crown. In federations, the granting of charters may be within the jurisdiction of the level of government such as a state or province. In Brazil, municipal corporations are called municípios and are created by means of legislation at the state level. All municipal corporations must also abide by a municipal law which is passed and amended at the municipal level. In Canada charters are granted by provincial authorities, in Germany, municipal corporations existed since antiquity and through medieval times, until they became out of favour during the absolutism. In order to strengthen the spirit, the city law of Prussia dated 19 November 1808 picked up this concept. It is the basis of municipal law. In India, a Municipal Corporation is a local government body. This standard varies from state to state, according to laws passed by state legislatures, the Corporation of Chennai was the first Municipal Corporation in India. It was established on 29 September 1688 by the British East India Company, the second was Hyderabad Municipal Corporation established in 1869 by the Nizam rulers of Hyderabad State. The third was the Calcutta Municipal Corporation, established in 1876, the Bombay Municipal Corporation was established in 1888 by the Bombay Municipal Corporation Act. The Delhi Municipal Council was established in 1911 during the Delhi Durbar when New Delhi was proclaimed to be the new Capital of India and it was elevated to Municipal Corporation level on 7 April 1958 by an Act of Parliament which established the Municipal Corporation of Delhi
8.
Iowa Senate
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The Iowa Senate is the upper house of the Iowa General Assembly. There are 50 seats in the Iowa Senate, representing 50 single-member districts across the state populations of approximately 60,927 per constituency. Each Senate district is composed of two House districts, the Senate meets at the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines. Unlike the lower house, the Iowa House of Representatives, Senators serve four-year terms, there are no term limits for the Senate. The President of the Senate presides over the body, whose powers include referring bills to committee, recognizing members during debate, unlike the more powerful Speaker of the Iowa House of Representatives, the Senate President cannot appoint committee chairmanships or shuffle committee memberships. The Lieutenant Governor of Iowa was the officer of the Senate until 1988. The other partisan Senate leadership positions, such as the Majority and Minority leaders, are elected by their party caucuses to head their parties in the chamber. The President of the Senate is Republican Jack Whitver of the 19th District, the Majority Leader is Republican Bill Dix of the 25th District. The Minority Leader is Democratic Rob Hogg of the 33rd District, samuel J. Kirkwood, two time Governor of Iowa, two time U. S. Senator, U. S. Secretary of the Interior. Tom Vilsack, Governor of Iowa from 1999 to 2007, briefly Democratic candidate for the President of the United States in 2008, george A. Wilson, Governor of Iowa from 1939 to 1943. Patty Judge, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture from 1999 to 2007, Lieutenant Governor of Iowa from 2007 to 2011 Steve King, current U. S. House Representative, Senator who has been serving since 2015
9.
Herman Quirmbach
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Quirmbach, Ph. D. is the Iowa State Senator from the 23rd District. A Democrat, he has served in the Iowa Senate since 2003 and served on the Ames City Council from 1995 to 2003. He received his B. A. from Harvard College and his M. A. and Ph. D. from Princeton University, the Ph. D. in 1983 and he also serves as vice chair of the Education Appropriations Subcommittee. Quirmbach was re-elected in 2006 with 11,782 votes, defeating Republican opponent Linda Livingston, tsien, an American biochemist and Nobel Laureate, were roommates during their freshman year
10.
Democratic Party (United States)
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The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The Democrats dominant worldview was once socially conservative and fiscally classical liberalism, while, especially in the rural South, since Franklin D. Roosevelt and his New Deal coalition in the 1930s, the Democratic Party has also promoted a social-liberal platform, supporting social justice. Today, the House Democratic caucus is composed mostly of progressives and centrists, the partys philosophy of modern liberalism advocates social and economic equality, along with the welfare state. It seeks to provide government intervention and regulation in the economy, the party has united with smaller left-wing regional parties throughout the country, such as the Farmer–Labor Party in Minnesota and the Nonpartisan League in North Dakota. Well into the 20th century, the party had conservative pro-business, the New Deal Coalition of 1932–1964 attracted strong support from voters of recent European extraction—many of whom were Catholics based in the cities. After Franklin D. Roosevelts New Deal of the 1930s, the pro-business wing withered outside the South, after the racial turmoil of the 1960s, most southern whites and many northern Catholics moved into the Republican Party at the presidential level. The once-powerful labor union element became smaller and less supportive after the 1970s, white Evangelicals and Southerners became heavily Republican at the state and local level in the 1990s. However, African Americans became a major Democratic element after 1964, after 2000, Hispanic and Latino Americans, Asian Americans, the LGBT community, single women and professional women moved towards the party as well. The Northeast and the West Coast became Democratic strongholds by 1990 after the Republicans stopped appealing to socially liberal voters there, overall, the Democratic Party has retained a membership lead over its major rival the Republican Party. The most recent was the 44th president Barack Obama, who held the office from 2009 to 2017, in the 115th Congress, following the 2016 elections, Democrats are the opposition party, holding a minority of seats in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The party also holds a minority of governorships, and state legislatures, though they do control the mayoralty of cities such as New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and Washington, D. C. The Democratic Party traces its origins to the inspiration of the Democratic-Republican Party, founded by Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and that party also inspired the Whigs and modern Republicans. Organizationally, the modern Democratic Party truly arose in the 1830s, since the nomination of William Jennings Bryan in 1896, the party has generally positioned itself to the left of the Republican Party on economic issues. They have been liberal on civil rights issues since 1948. On foreign policy both parties changed position several times and that party, the Democratic-Republican Party, came to power in the election of 1800. After the War of 1812 the Federalists virtually disappeared and the national political party left was the Democratic-Republicans. The Democratic-Republican party still had its own factions, however. As Norton explains the transformation in 1828, Jacksonians believed the peoples will had finally prevailed, through a lavishly financed coalition of state parties, political leaders, and newspaper editors, a popular movement had elected the president
11.
Jerry Behn
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Jerry Behn is the Iowa State Senator from the 24th District and minority leader in the Iowa Senate. A Republican, he has served in the Iowa Senate since 1997 and he also serves on the Administration and Regulation Appropriations Subcommittee. Behn was last re-elected in 2008 with 22,970 votes, defeating Democratic opponent, Behn was a candidate for the Republican nomination for governor in 2010 but withdrew, endorsing Terry Branstad. His platform included promoting fiscal restraint, preserving right-to-work laws, and he called for voters to vote against retention for those Iowa Supreme Court justices who decided that Iowas Defense of Marriage Act was unconstitutional in Varnum v. Brien. Senator Jerry Behn official Iowa Legislature site Senator Jerry Behn official Iowa General Assembly site Senator Jerry Behn at Iowa Senate Republican Caucus Profile at Project Vote Smart
12.
Republican Party (United States)
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The Republican Party, commonly referred to as the GOP, is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, the other being its historic rival, the Democratic Party. The party is named after republicanism, the dominant value during the American Revolution and it was founded by anti-slavery activists, modernists, ex-Whigs, and ex-Free Soilers in 1854. The Republicans dominated politics nationally and in the majority of northern States for most of the period between 1860 and 1932, there have been 19 Republican presidents, the most from any one party. The Republican Partys current ideology is American conservatism, which contrasts with the Democrats more progressive platform, further, its platform involves support for free market capitalism, free enterprise, fiscal conservatism, a strong national defense, deregulation, and restrictions on labor unions. In addition to advocating for economic policies, the Republican Party is socially conservative. As of 2017, the GOP is documented as being at its strongest position politically since 1928, in addition to holding the Presidency, the Republicans control the 115th United States Congress, having majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The party also holds a majority of governorships and state legislatures, the main cause was opposition to the Kansas–Nebraska Act, which repealed the Missouri Compromise by which slavery was kept out of Kansas. The Northern Republicans saw the expansion of slavery as a great evil, the first public meeting of the general anti-Nebraska movement where the name Republican was suggested for a new anti-slavery party was held on March 20,1854, in a schoolhouse in Ripon, Wisconsin. The name was chosen to pay homage to Thomas Jeffersons Republican Party. The first official party convention was held on July 6,1854, in Jackson and it oversaw the preserving of the union, the end of slavery, and the provision of equal rights to all men in the American Civil War and Reconstruction, 1861–1877. The Republicans initial base was in the Northeast and the upper Midwest, with the realignment of parties and voters in the Third Party System, the strong run of John C. Fremont in the 1856 United States presidential election demonstrated it dominated most northern states, early Republican ideology was reflected in the 1856 slogan free labor, free land, free men, which had been coined by Salmon P. Chase, a Senator from Ohio. Free labor referred to the Republican opposition to labor and belief in independent artisans. Free land referred to Republican opposition to the system whereby slaveowners could buy up all the good farm land. The Party strove to contain the expansion of slavery, which would cause the collapse of the slave power, Lincoln, representing the fast-growing western states, won the Republican nomination in 1860 and subsequently won the presidency. The party took on the mission of preserving the Union, and destroying slavery during the American Civil War, in the election of 1864, it united with War Democrats to nominate Lincoln on the National Union Party ticket. The partys success created factionalism within the party in the 1870s and those who felt that Reconstruction had been accomplished and was continued mostly to promote the large-scale corruption tolerated by President Ulysses S. Grant ran Horace Greeley for the presidency. The Stalwarts defended Grant and the system, the Half-Breeds led by Chester A. Arthur pushed for reform of the civil service in 1883
13.
Iowa House of Representatives
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The Iowa House of Representatives is the lower house of the Iowa General Assembly. The upper house is the Iowa Senate, there are 100 seats in the Iowa House of Representatives, representing 100 single-member districts across the state, formed by dividing the 50 Senate districts in half. Each district has a population of approximately 30,464 as of the 2010 United States Census, the House of Representatives meets at the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines. Unlike the upper house, the Iowa Senate, state House representatives serve two-year terms with the whole chamber up for re-election in even-numbered years, there are no term limits for the House. The Speaker of the House presides over the House in the leadership position, controlling the flow of legislation. The Speaker is elected by the majority party caucus, followed by confirmation of the full House on passage of a floor vote, other House leaders, such as the majority and minority leaders, are elected by their respective party caucuses according to each partys strength in the chamber. William S. Beardsley, Governor of Iowa from 1949 to 1954 William W. Belknap, U. S. Army major general, james Wilson, U. S. Secretary of Agriculture from 1897 to 1913
14.
Lisa Heddens
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Lisa Heddens is the Iowa State Representative from the 46th District and is an assistant majority leader. She has served in the Iowa House of Representatives since 2003 and she received her BS from Iowa State University. Political experience includes serving as assistant minority leader in the Iowa House, Heddens was re-elected in 2006 with 8,371 votes, defeating Republican John Griswold and Libertarian Eric Cooper. Heddens obtained her certificate in elementary education from Iowa State University. Heddens is married to her husband Jeff, who works for the Iowa Department of Public Defense and they have two children, Makenzie and Paul
15.
Robert Bacon (Iowa politician)
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Robert Rob Bacon is a Republican politician and legislator from the state of Iowa. He was elected to the Iowa House of Representatives in 2012 to represent the 48th district and he was previously elected to the Iowa Senate in 2010 to represent District 5, which serves Wright, Hamilton, and Story Counties. Bacon was born in Chicago and his hometown is Maxwell, Iowa, Bacon is married to Carol, and together they have four children. Bacon is a funeral director, and has been managing funeral homes since 1983. He is the owner of Bacon Funeral Homes
16.
Iowa's 4th congressional district
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Iowas 4th congressional district is a congressional district in the U. S. state of Iowa that covers the northwest part of the state. The district includes Sioux City, Ames, Mason City, Fort Dodge, the district is currently represented by Republican Steve King. Since the 1880s, there have been changes in the location or nature of Iowas 4th Congressional District. From 1886 until 1941, the district was made up of rural counties in northeastern Iowa. During that era, the included areas from Mason City east to the Mississippi River. In 1941, Iowas 5th Congressional District was renumbered as Iowas 4th Congressional District, and counties in the old 4th District were placed in the 3rd District and the 2nd District. From 1941 until 1960 the 4th Congressional District included the five counties of each of the two southernmost tiers, plus four counties between Des Moines and Iowa City. Representative Karl M. LeCompte was reelected in the reconfigured 4th District in 1942, in 1958, when LeCompte did not run for reelection, Democrat Steven V. Carter defeated Republican John Kyl. A recurrence of cancer would claim Carters life before the end of his only term, in 1961 the 4th Congressional District was expanded to include five central Iowa counties - Warren, Marion, Marshall, Tama and Benton - but retained its rural character. Kyl held this seat until he was out in the massive Democratic landslide of 1964. However, he regained his old seat in 1966, and was reelected two more times, the rural character of the district was changed when most of its territory was merged with the Des Moines-based 5th District of Democratic incumbent Neal Smith after the 1970 census. Polk County was added, while most of the counties were taken out. Smith defeated Kyl in the 1972 congressional election, the district became even less rural in 1981, when Story County was added, and other rural counties were taken out. The district was altered after the 1990 census, when it was reconfigured to take in the southwest quadrant of the state from Des Moines to Council Bluffs. Smith was reelected in 1992, but defeated in 1994 by Republican Greg Ganske, the 2001 remap made the 4th district a north-central Iowa district. It could not be said to be the successor of any of the previous districts and it was a primarily rural district, though it included Ames and Mason City. It did not include any of the nine largest cities. The plan went into effect in 2003 for the 108th U. S. Congress, the 5ths incumbent congressman, Tom Latham, had his home in Alexander drawn into the 4th, and was elected from this district five times
17.
Steve King
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King is a member of the Republican Party and has been serving in Congress since 2003. King was born on May 28,1949, in Storm Lake, Iowa, the son of Mildred Lila, a homemaker, and Emmett A. King, a state police dispatcher. His father has Irish and German ancestry, and his mother has Welsh roots, King has also stated that he is Latino, although it has since been established that he is not. King graduated in 1967 from Denison Community High School and he is married to Marilyn, with whom he has three children. Raised a Methodist, King attended his wifes Catholic church, converting 17 years after marrying her, King attended Northwest Missouri State University from 1967 to 1970, and was a member of the Alpha Kappa Lambda Fraternity, majoring in math and biology. Congressman King avoided the draft with 2S deferments in 1967,1968 and 1969, nine days after receiving his third deferment, President Richard Nixon signed an amendment to the Military Service Act of 1967 that created the draft lottery. Under the new system, draft deferments were still allowed. Because he had been receiving deferments under the old system, King was still shielded from being drafted in the lottery system as long as he maintained his deferments. In 1975, he founded King Construction, a moving company. King founded the Kiron Business Association in the 1980s and his involvement with the Iowa Land Improvement Contractors Association led to regional and national offices in that organization and a growing interest in public policy. In 1996, he ran for Iowas 6th Senate district and defeated Democrat Eileen Heiden 64%–35%, in 2000, he won re-election to a second term, defeating Democratic Party candidate Dennis Ryan 70%–30%. From 1996 to 2002, King served as an Iowa state senator, in May 2001, King visited Cuba. Appropriations Business and Labor Commerce Judiciary Oversight Budget State Government 2002 In 2002, the incumbent, fellow Republican Tom Latham, had his home drawn into the reconfigured 4th district. He ranked first in the four-way Republican primary with 31% of the vote, King won the general election, defeating Council Bluffs city councilman Paul Shomshor 62%–38%. He won all the counties in the predominantly Republican district except Pottawattamie,2004 King won re-election to a second term, defeating Democratic candidate Joyce Schulte, 63%–37%. He won all the counties in the district except Clarke,2006 In 2006, King won re-election to a third term, defeating Democratic candidate Joyce Schulte, 59%–36%. He won all the counties in the district except Clarke and Union,2008 King won re-election to a fourth term, defeating Democratic candidate Rob Hubler, 60%–37%. For the first time in his career he won all 32 counties in his district,2010 King won re-election to a fifth term, defeating Matt Campbell, 66%–32%
18.
2010 United States Census
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The 2010 United States Census, is the twenty-third and currently most recent United States national census. National Census Day, the day used for the census, was April 1,2010. As part of a drive to increase the accuracy,635,000 temporary enumerators were hired. The population of the United States was counted as 308,745,538, as required by the United States Constitution, the U. S. census has been conducted every 10 years since 1790. The 2000 U. S. Census was the previous census completed, participation in the U. S. Census is required by law in Title 13 of the United States Code. On January 25,2010, Census Bureau Director Robert Groves personally inaugurated the 2010 Census enumeration by counting World War II veteran Clifton Jackson, more than 120 million census forms were delivered by the U. S. Post Office beginning March 15,2010, the number of forms mailed out or hand-delivered by the Census Bureau was approximately 134 million on April 1,2010. The 2010 Census national mail participation rate was 74%, from April through July 2010, census takers visited households that did not return a form, an operation called non-response follow-up. In December 2010, the Census Bureau delivered population information to the president for apportionment, personally identifiable information will be available in 2082. The Census Bureau did not use a form for the 2010 Census. In several previous censuses, one in six households received this long form, the 2010 Census used only a short form asking ten basic questions, How many people were living or staying in this house, apartment, or mobile home on April 1,2010. Were there any additional people staying here on April 1,2010 that you did not include in Question 1, mark all that apply, Is this house, apartment, or mobile home – What is your telephone number. What is Person 1s age and Person 1s date of birth, is Person 1 of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin. Does Person 1 sometimes live or stay somewhere else, the form included space to repeat some or all of these questions for up to twelve residents total. In contrast to the 2000 census, an Internet response option was not offered, detailed socioeconomic information collected during past censuses will continue to be collected through the American Community Survey. The survey provides data about communities in the United States on a 1-year or 3-year cycle, depending on the size of the community, rather than once every 10 years. A small percentage of the population on a basis will receive the survey each year. In June 2009, the U. S. Census Bureau announced that it would count same-sex married couples, however, the final form did not contain a separate same-sex married couple option
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Metropolitan area
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As social, economic and political institutions have changed, metropolitan areas have become key economic and political regions. The Greater São Paulo is a term for one of the multiple definitions the large metropolitan area located in the São Paulo state in Brazil. A metropolitan area combines an urban agglomeration with zones not necessarily urban in character and these outlying zones are sometimes known as a commuter belt, and may extend well beyond the urban zone, to other political entities. For example, El Monte, California is considered part of the Los Angeles metro area in the United States, in practice, the parameters of metropolitan areas, in both official and unofficial usage, are not consistent. Population figures given for one area can vary by millions. A polycentric metropolitan area is one not connected by continuous development or conurbation, in defining a metropolitan area, it is sufficient that a city or cities form a nucleus that other areas have a high degree of integration with. The Australian Bureau of Statistics defines statistical divisions as areas under the influence of one or more major towns or a major city. However, this definition has become obsolete with the conurbation of several statistical divisions into a larger metropolitan areas. In Brazil, metropolitan areas are called metropolitan regions, each State defines its own legislation for the creation, definition and organization of a metropolitan region. The creation of a region is not intended for any statistical purpose, although the Brazilian Institute of Geography. Their main purpose is to allow for a management of public policies of common interest to all cities involved. They dont have political, electoral or jurisdictional power whatsoever, so living in a metropolitan region do not elect representatives for them. Statistics Canada defines a metropolitan area as an area consisting of one or more adjacent municipalities situated around a major urban core. To form a CMA, the area must have a population of at least 100,000. To be included in the CMA, adjacent municipalities must have a degree of integration with the core. As of the Canada 2011 Census, there were 33 CMAs in Canada, including six with a population over one million—Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa, Calgary and Edmonton. In Denmark the only area is Greater Copenhagen, consisting of the Capital Region of Denmark along with the neighboring regions Region Zealand. Greater Copenhagen has an population of 1.25 million people
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Central Time Zone
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The North American Central Time Zone is a time zone in parts of Canada, the United States, Mexico, Central America, some Caribbean Islands, and part of the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Central Standard Time is six hours behind Coordinated Universal Time, during summer most of the zone uses daylight saving time, and changes to Central Daylight Time which is five hours behind UTC. The province of Manitoba is the province or territory in Canada that observes Central Time in all areas. Also, most of the province of Saskatchewan is on Central Standard Time year-round, major exceptions include Lloydminster, a city situated on the boundary between Alberta and Saskatchewan. The city charter stipulates that it shall observe Mountain Time and DST, putting the community on the time as all of Alberta, including the major cities of Calgary. As a result, during the summer, clocks in the province match those in Alberta. The Central Time Zone is the second most populous in the US after the Eastern Time Zone, lanett and Valley observe Eastern Time historically because they were textile mill towns and the original home office of their mills was in West Point, Georgia. Some eastern counties observe Central Time because they are close to the border of the Middle Tennessee counties surrounding the Nashville metropolitan area. Louisiana Michigan, All of Michigan observes Eastern Time except the four Upper Peninsula counties that border Wisconsin, other westernmost counties from this area such as Ontonagon observe Eastern Time. South Dakota, Eastern half as divided by the Missouri river adjacent to the state capital, note, the metropolitan area of Pierre is Central, including Fort Pierre. Wisconsin Most of Mexico—roughly the eastern three-fourths—lies in the Central Time Zone, except for six northwestern states, the federal entities of Mexico that observe Central Time, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua all use Central Standard Time year-round. The Galápagos Islands in Ecuador uses Central Standard Time all year-round, Daylight saving time is in effect in much of the Central time zone between mid-March and early November. The modified time is called Central Daylight Time and is UTC−5, in Canada, Saskatchewan does not observe a time change. One reason that Saskatchewan does not take part in a change is that, geographically. The province elected to move onto permanent daylight saving by being part of the Central Time Zone, Mexico decided not to go along with this change and observes their horario de verano from the first Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October. In December 2009, the Mexican Congress allowed ten border cities, eight of which are in states that observe Central Time, to adopt the U. S. daylight time schedule effective in 2010
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Daylight saving time
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Daylight saving time is the practice of advancing clocks during summer months by one hour so that evening daylight lasts an hour longer, while sacrificing normal sunrise times. Typically, regions that use Daylight Savings Time adjust clocks forward one hour close to the start of spring, American inventor and politician Benjamin Franklin proposed a form of daylight time in 1784. New Zealander George Hudson proposed the idea of saving in 1895. The German Empire and Austria-Hungary organized the first nationwide implementation, starting on April 30,1916, many countries have used it at various times since then, particularly since the energy crisis of the 1970s. The practice has both advocates and critics, DST clock shifts sometimes complicate timekeeping and can disrupt travel, billing, record keeping, medical devices, heavy equipment, and sleep patterns. Computer software often adjusts clocks automatically, but policy changes by various jurisdictions of DST dates, industrialized societies generally follow a clock-based schedule for daily activities that do not change throughout the course of the year. The time of day that individuals begin and end work or school, North and south of the tropics daylight lasts longer in summer and shorter in winter, with the effect becoming greater as one moves away from the tropics. However, they will have one hour of daylight at the start of each day. Supporters have also argued that DST decreases energy consumption by reducing the need for lighting and heating, DST is also of little use for locations near the equator, because these regions see only a small variation in daylight in the course of the year. After ancient times, equal-length civil hours eventually supplanted unequal, so civil time no longer varies by season, unequal hours are still used in a few traditional settings, such as some monasteries of Mount Athos and all Jewish ceremonies. This 1784 satire proposed taxing window shutters, rationing candles, and waking the public by ringing church bells, despite common misconception, Franklin did not actually propose DST, 18th-century Europe did not even keep precise schedules. However, this changed as rail transport and communication networks came to require a standardization of time unknown in Franklins day. Modern DST was first proposed by the New Zealand entomologist George Hudson, whose shift work job gave him time to collect insects. An avid golfer, he also disliked cutting short his round at dusk and his solution was to advance the clock during the summer months, a proposal he published two years later. The proposal was taken up by the Liberal Member of Parliament Robert Pearce, a select committee was set up to examine the issue, but Pearces bill did not become law, and several other bills failed in the following years. Willett lobbied for the proposal in the UK until his death in 1915, william Sword Frost, mayor of Orillia, Ontario, introduced daylight saving time in the municipality during his tenure from 1911 to 1912. Starting on April 30,1916, the German Empire and its World War I ally Austria-Hungary were the first to use DST as a way to conserve coal during wartime, Britain, most of its allies, and many European neutrals soon followed suit. Russia and a few other countries waited until the year
22.
ZIP Code
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ZIP Codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, was chosen to suggest that the travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly. The basic format consists of five numerical digits, an extended ZIP+4 code, introduced in 1983, includes the five digits of the ZIP Code, a hyphen, and four additional digits that determine a more specific location within a given ZIP Code. The term ZIP Code was originally registered as a servicemark by the U. S. Postal Service, USPS style for ZIP is all caps and the c in code is also capitalized, although style sheets for some publications use sentence case or lowercase. The early history and context of postal codes began with postal district/zone numbers, the United States Post Office Department implemented postal zones for numerous large cities in 1943. For example, Mr. John Smith 3256 Epiphenomenal Avenue Minneapolis 16, by the early 1960s a more organized system was needed, and on July 1,1963, non-mandatory five-digit ZIP Codes were introduced nationwide. Three months later, on October 1,1963, the U. S, an earlier list in June had proposed capitalized abbreviations ranging from two to five letters. The abbreviations have remained unchanged, with one exception, according to the historian of the U. S. Robert Moon, an employee of the post office, is considered the father of the ZIP Code, he submitted his proposal in 1944 while working as a postal inspector. The post office gives credit to Moon only for the first three digits of the ZIP Code, which describe the sectional center facility or sec center, an SCF is a central mail processing facility with those three digits. The SCF sorts mail to all post offices with those first three digits in their ZIP Codes, the mail is sorted according to the final two digits of the ZIP Code and sent to the corresponding post offices in the early morning. Sectional centers do not deliver mail and are not open to the public, Mail picked up at post offices is sent to their own SCF in the afternoon, where the mail is sorted overnight. The United States Post Office used a character, which it called Mr. ZIP. He was often depicted with a such as USE ZIP CODE in the selvage of panes of stamps or on labels contained in, or the covers of. In 1983, the U. S. Postal Service introduced an expanded ZIP Code system that it called ZIP+4, often called plus-four codes, add-on codes, or add ons. But initial attempts to promote use of the new format met with public resistance. For Post Office Boxes, the rule is that each box has its own ZIP+4 code. However, there is no rule, so the ZIP+4 Code must be looked up individually for each box. It is common to use add-on code 9998 for mail addressed to the postmaster,9999 for general delivery, for a unique ZIP Code, the add-on code is typically 0001
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Geographic Names Information System
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It is a type of gazetteer. GNIS was developed by the United States Geological Survey in cooperation with the United States Board on Geographic Names to promote the standardization of feature names, the database is part of a system that includes topographic map names and bibliographic references. The names of books and historic maps that confirm the feature or place name are cited, variant names, alternatives to official federal names for a feature, are also recorded. Each feature receives a permanent, unique feature record identifier, sometimes called the GNIS identifier, the database never removes an entry, except in cases of obvious duplication. The GNIS accepts proposals for new or changed names for U. S. geographical features, the general public can make proposals at the GNIS web site and can review the justifications and supporters of the proposals. The Bureau of the Census defines Census Designated Places as a subset of locations in the National Geographic Names Database, U. S. Postal Service Publication 28 gives standards for addressing mail. In this publication, the postal service defines two-letter state abbreviations, street identifiers such as boulevard and street, department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey, National Mapping Division, Digital Gazeteer, Users Manual. Least Heat Moon, William, Blue Highways, A Journey Into America, standard was withdrawn in September 2008, See Federal Register Notice, Vol.73, No. 170, page 51276 Report, Principles, Policies, and Procedures, Domestic Geographic Names, U. S. Postal Service Publication 28, November 2000. Board on Geographic Names website Geographic Names Information System Proposals from the general public Meeting minutes
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Des Moines, Iowa
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Des Moines /dᵻˈmɔɪn/ is the capital and the most populous city in the U. S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County, a small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22,1851, as Fort Des Moines and it is located on and named after the Des Moines River, which likely was adapted from the French colonial name, Rivière des Moines, meaning River of the Monks. The citys population was 203,433 as of the 2010 census, the five-county metropolitan area is ranked 91st in terms of population in the United States with 599,789 residents according to the 2013 estimate by the United States Census Bureau. Des Moines is a center of the U. S. insurance industry and has a sizable financial services. The city was credited as the one spot for U. S. insurance companies in a Business Wire article. The city is the headquarters for the Principal Financial Group, the Meredith Corporation, Ruan Transportation, EMC Insurance Companies, and Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield. Other major corporations such as Wells Fargo, Voya Financial, Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, ACE Limited, Marsh, Monsanto, in recent years Microsoft, Hewlett Packard and Facebook have established data processing and logistical facilities in the Des Moines metro. Forbes magazine ranked Des Moines as the Best Place for Business in both 2010 and 2013, in 2014, NBC ranked Des Moines as the Wealthiest City in America, according to its criteria. Des Moines is an important city in U. S. presidential politics, as the capital of the state, many presidential candidates set up campaign headquarters in Des Moines. Des Moines takes its name from Fort Des Moines, which was named for the Des Moines River and this was adopted from the name given by French colonists. Des Moines translates literally to either from the monks or of the monks, the historian Virgil Vogel claimed that the name was derived from Moingona, the Algonquian clan name for Loon, one of the clans of the local Native American people. Some historians and researchers lacking linguistic or Algonquianist training concluded that Moingona meant people by the portage or something similar and this was the site of the earliest known encounters between the Moingona and European explorers took place. This was some 200 miles from the Des Moines River, based on archeological evidence, the juncture of the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers has attracted humans for at least 7,000 years. Several prehistoric occupation areas have been identified by archeologists in downtown Des Moines, discovered in December 2010, the Palace is an expansive 7, 000-year-old site found during excavations prior to construction of the new wastewater treatment plant in southeastern Des Moines. It contains well-preserved house deposits and numerous graves, more than 6,000 artifacts were found at this site. State of Iowa archaeologist John Doershuk was assisted by University of Iowa archaeologists at this dig, at least three Late Prehistoric villages, dating from about AD1300 to 1700, stood in or near what developed later as downtown Des Moines. In addition,15 to 18 prehistoric American Indian mounds were observed in area by early settlers
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United States Census Bureau
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The United States Census Bureau is a principal agency of the U. S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureaus primary mission is conducting the U. S. Census every ten years, in addition to the decennial census, the Census Bureau continually conducts dozens of other censuses and surveys, including the American Community Survey, the U. S. Economic Census, and the Current Population Survey, furthermore, economic and foreign trade indicators released by the federal government typically contain data produced by the Census Bureau. The Bureaus various censuses and surveys help allocate over $400 billion in federal funds every year and help states, local communities, the Census Bureau is part of the U. S. Department of Commerce and its director is appointed by the President of the United States. The Census Bureau now conducts a population count every 10 years in years ending with a 0. Between censuses, the Census Bureau makes population estimates and projections, the Census Bureau is mandated with fulfilling these obligations, the collecting of statistics about the nation, its people, and economy. The Census Bureaus legal authority is codified in Title 13 of the United States Code, the Census Bureau also conducts surveys on behalf of various federal government and local government agencies on topics such as employment, crime, health, consumer expenditures, and housing. Within the bureau, these are known as surveys and are conducted perpetually between and during decennial population counts. The Census Bureau also conducts surveys of manufacturing, retail, service. Between 1790 and 1840, the census was taken by marshals of the judicial districts, the Census Act of 1840 established a central office which became known as the Census Office. Several acts followed that revised and authorized new censuses, typically at the 10-year intervals, in 1902, the temporary Census Office was moved under the Department of Interior, and in 1903 it was renamed the Census Bureau under the new Department of Commerce and Labor. The department was intended to consolidate overlapping statistical agencies, but Census Bureau officials were hindered by their role in the department. An act in 1920 changed the date and authorized manufacturing censuses every 2 years, in 1929, a bill was passed mandating the House of Representatives be reapportioned based on the results of the 1930 Census. In 1954, various acts were codified into Title 13 of the US Code, by law, the Census Bureau must count everyone and submit state population totals to the U. S. President by December 31 of any year ending in a zero. States within the Union receive the results in the spring of the following year, the United States Census Bureau defines four statistical regions, with nine divisions. The Census Bureau regions are widely used. for data collection, the Census Bureau definition is pervasive. Title 13 of the U. S. Code establishes penalties for the disclosure of this information, all Census employees must sign an affidavit of non-disclosure prior to employment. The Bureau cannot share responses, addresses or personal information with anyone including United States or foreign government, only after 72 years does the information collected become available to other agencies or the general public
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Metropolitan statistical area
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In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or town would be, as such, the precise definition of any given metropolitan area can vary with the source. A typical metropolitan area is centered on a large city that wields substantial influence over the region. However, some areas contain more than one large city with no single municipality holding a substantially dominant position. MSAs are defined by the Office of Management and Budget and used by the Census Bureau, U. S. Census statistics for metropolitan areas are reported according to the following definitions. The U. S. Office of Management and Budget defines a set of core based statistical areas throughout the country, CBSAs are delineated on the basis of a central urban area or urban cluster – in other words, a contiguous area of relatively high population density. CBSAs are composed of counties and county equivalents, the counties containing the core urban area are known as the central counties of the CBSA. Outlying counties are included in the CBSA if the employment interchange measure is 25% or more, although numbers are estimates. Some areas within these counties may be rural in nature. As well as MSAs, CBSAs are subdivided into statistical areas based on the population of the core urban area. Under certain conditions, one or more CBSAs may be grouped together to form a larger entity known as a combined statistical area. Previous terms that are no longer used include standard metropolitan statistical area, in New England, towns have precedence over counties, so statistically similar areas are defined in terms of town-based units known as New England city and town areas. United States of America Outline of the United States Index of United States-related articles Book, United States Demographics of the United States United States Census Bureau List of U. S
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Boone, Iowa
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Boone is a city in Des Moines Township, and county seat of Boone County, Iowa, United States. It is the city of the Boone, Iowa Micropolitan Statistical Area. This micropolitan statistical area, along with the Ames, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area comprise the larger Ames-Boone, the population of the city was 12,661 at the 2010 census. Coal mining played an important part in the history of the Boone area. Local blacksmiths were already mining coal from the banks of Honey Creek south of what became Boone in 1849, Boone was platted as a town in 1865 by John Insley Blair. It was incorporated the year, when the Chicago and North Western Transportation Company railroad station was built there. The town was originally named Montana, it was renamed to Boone in 1871, the nearby town of Boonesboro was also chartered in 1866, Boonseboro was annexed to Boone in 1887. Commercial mining was spurred by the arrival of the railroad, in 1867, Canfield and Taylor opened a mine just west of town. Their mine shaft was 242 feet deep, and they hauled coal to the railroad by wagon, in 1874, a railroad spur was built to the mine. This mine was taken over by the railroad, and operated for 30 years. There were coal seams in the Boone area, the vein, about 3 feet thick, was always worked using longwall mining, while the lower vein was always mined using room. In 1912, United Mine Workers Local 869 in Boone had 554 members, the first Caseys General Store was also founded in Boone, Iowa in 1968. The Twister Hill scene where Bill Harding and Jo Harding try, according to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.02 square miles, all of it land. Ledges State Park is located four miles south of Boone and is a popular destination, at the 2010 census, there were 12,661 people,5,380 households and 3,278 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,403.7 inhabitants per square mile, there were 5,917 housing units at an average density of 656.0 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 96. 7% White,0. 8% African American,0. 3% Native American,0. 4% Asian,0. 5% from other races, hispanic or Latino of any race were 2. 0% of the population. 32. 1% of all households were made up of individuals and 12. 5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, the average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age was 38.1 years
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Micropolitan statistical area
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The micropolitan area designation was created in 2003. Like the better-known Metropolitan Statistical Areas, an area is a geographic entity used for statistical purposes based on counties. The OMB has identified 576 micropolitan areas in the United States, the term micropolitan gained currency in the 1990s to describe growing population centers in the United States that are removed from larger cities, in some cases by 100 miles or more. Because the designation is based on the core urban clusters population and not on that of the whole area, for example, the Ottawa–Peru, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area had a 2010 census population of 154,908. That would put its total population ahead of roughly 100 individual locations classified as a Metropolitan Statistical Area in 2010. The largest of the areas, centered on Torrington, Connecticut, had a population in excess of 180,000 in 2000, mcCarthy, Michael J. Main Street America Gets a New Moniker. Archived from the original on Jul 27,2005, dreamtowns that offer refuge from big cities and congested suburbs
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Boone County, Iowa
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Boone County is a county in the U. S. state of Iowa. As of the 2010 census, the population was 26,306, Boone County comprises the Boone, IA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Des Moines-Ames-West Des Moines, IA Combined Statistical Area. Boone County was established January 13,1846, from free land and it was named after Captain Nathan Boone, son of Daniel Boone, an American pioneer, who had formed the Wilderness Trail and founded the town Boonesborough, Kentucky. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 574 square miles. There were 11,756 housing units, of which 10,728 were occupied, as of the census of 2000, there were 26,224 people,10,374 households, and 7,137 families residing in the county. The population density was 46 people per square mile, there were 10,968 housing units at an average density of 19 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 98. 53% White,0. 36% Black or African American,0. 20% Native American,0. 22% Asian,0. 26% from other races,0. 83% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 26. 70% of all households were made up of individuals and 11. 80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, the average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.95. In the county, the population was out with 24. 80% under the age of 18,8. 40% from 18 to 24,27. 10% from 25 to 44,23. 30% from 45 to 64. The median age was 39 years, for every 100 females there were 95.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.70 males, the median income for a household in the county was $40,763, and the median income for a family was $49,346. Males had an income of $32,504 versus $23,838 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,943, about 4. 50% of families and 7. 60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8. 00% of those under age 18 and 5. 90% of those age 65 or over. Jordan Logansport Mackey Moingona Zenorsville Boone County is divided into seventeen townships, † county seat Boone County Courthouse National Register of Historic Places listings in Boone County, Iowa Boone County governments website Boone County Republican, Google news archive. —PDFs of 1,242 issues, dating from 1873 to 1897
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Combined statistical area
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A combined statistical area is composed of adjacent metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas in the United States and Puerto Rico that can demonstrate economic or social linkage. These areas that retain their own designations as metropolitan or micropolitan statistical areas within the larger combined statistical area. The primary distinguishing factor between a CSA and an MSA is that the social and economic ties between the individual MSAs within a CSA are at lower levels than between the counties within an MSA, cSAs represent multiple metropolitan or micropolitan areas that have an employment interchange of 25. CSAs often represent regions with overlapping labor and media markets, as of July 2012, there are 166 combined statistical areas in the United States, plus three in Puerto Rico. S. S. Combined Statistical Areas of the United States and Puerto Rico, link United States Government United States Census Bureau 2010 United States Census USCB population estimates United States Office of Management and Budget
31.
County seat
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A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is used in the United States, Canada, Romania, China, in the United Kingdom and Ireland, county towns have a similar function. In the United States, counties are the subdivisions of a state. Depending on the state, counties may provide services to the public, impose taxes. Some types of subdivisions, such as townships, may be incorporated or unincorporated. The city, town, or populated place that houses county government is known as the seat of its respective county, a county seat is usually, but not always, an incorporated municipality. The exceptions include the county seats of counties that have no incorporated municipalities within their borders, such as Arlington County, Virginia, likewise, some county seats may not be incorporated in their own right, but are located within incorporated municipalities. For example, Cape May Court House, New Jersey, though unincorporated, is a section of Middle Township, in some of the colonial states, county seats include or formerly included Court House as part of their name. Most counties have only one county seat, an example is Harrison County, Mississippi, which lists both Biloxi and Gulfport as county seats. The practice of multiple county seat towns dates from the days when travel was difficult, there have been few efforts to eliminate the two-seat arrangement, since a county seat is a source of pride for the towns involved. There are 36 counties with multiple county seats in 11 states, Coffee County, for example, the official county seat is Greensboro, but an additional courthouse has been located in nearby High Point since 1938. For example, Clearwater is the county seat of Pinellas County, Florida, in New England, the town, not the county, is the primary division of local government. Historically, counties in this region have served mainly as dividing lines for the judicial systems. Connecticut and Rhode Island have no county level of government and thus no county seats, in Vermont, Massachusetts, and Maine the county seats are legally designated shire towns. County government consists only of a Superior Court and Sheriff, both located in the shire town. Bennington County has two towns, but the Sheriff is located in Bennington. In Massachusetts, most government functions which would otherwise be performed by county governments in other states are performed by town governments. As such, Massachusetts has dissolved many of its county governments, two counties in South Dakota have their county seat and government services centered in a neighboring county
32.
Nevada, Iowa
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Nevada is a city in and the county seat of Story County, Iowa, United States. The population was 6,798 in the 2010 census, an increase from 6,658 in the 2000 census and it is also part of the Ames, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a part of the larger Ames-Boone, Iowa Combined Statistical Area. Eight miles west of Nevada is Ames which is larger in population. Nonetheless, Nevada is the county seat with all Story County offices located there, the citys name is pronounced differently from the state with the same name. It was named after the Sierra Nevada mountains, a post office has been in operation in Nevada since 1854. Nevadas longitude and latitude coordinates in decimal form are 42.019152, -93.451775. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 5.08 square miles. As of the census of 2010, there were 6,798 people,2,761 households, the population density was 1,343.5 inhabitants per square mile. There were 2,990 housing units at a density of 590.9 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 94. 3% White,1. 3% African American,0. 3% Native American,1. 0% Asian,1. 7% from other races, hispanic or Latino of any race were 3. 4% of the population. 29. 6% of all households were made up of individuals and 10. 5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, the average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age in the city was 37.1 years. 25. 3% of residents were under the age of 18,7. 6% were between the ages of 18 and 24,27. 1% were from 25 to 44,26. 1% were from 45 to 64, and 14% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48. 6% male and 51. 4% female, as of the census of 2000, there were 6,658 people,2,716 households, and 1,787 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,594.7 people per square mile, there were 2,882 housing units at an average density of 690.3 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 96. 97% White,0. 59% African American,0. 14% Native American,0. 66% Asian,0. 54% from other races, hispanic or Latino of any race were 1. 02% of the population. 28. 1% of all households were made up of individuals and 11. 5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, the average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.92. Age spread,24. 9% under the age of 18,9. 8% from 18 to 24,30. 8% from 25 to 44,20. 3% from 45 to 64, the median age was 35 years
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Land-grant university
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A land-grant university is an institution of higher education in the United States designated by a state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890. The Morrill Acts funded educational institutions by granting federally controlled land to the states for them to sell, to funds, to establish. This mission was in contrast to the practice of higher education to focus on an abstract liberal arts curriculum. Ultimately, most land-grant colleges became large public universities that offer a full spectrum of educational opportunities. However, some land-grant colleges are schools, including Cornell University. The concept of publicly funded agricultural and technical educational institutions first rose to attention through the efforts of Jonathan Baldwin Turner in the late 1840s. The first land-grant bill was introduced in Congress by Representative Justin Smith Morrill of Vermont in 1857, the bill passed in 1859, but was vetoed by President James Buchanan. Morrill resubmitted his bill in 1861, and it was enacted into law in 1862. Upon passage of the federal land-grant law in 1862, Iowa was the first state legislature to accept the provisions of the Morrill Act, Iowa subsequently designated the State Agricultural College as the land grant college on March 29,1864. The first land-grant institution actually created under the Act was Kansas State University, which was established on February 16,1863, the oldest school that currently holds land-grant status is Rutgers University, founded in 1766 and designated the land-grant college of New Jersey in 1864. The oldest school to ever hold land-grant status was Yale University and this designation was later stripped by the Connecticut legislature under populist pressure and transferred to what would become the University of Connecticut. A second Morrill Act was passed in 1890, aimed at the former Confederate states and this act required each state to show that race was not an admissions criterion, or else to designate a separate land-grant institution for persons of color. Among the seventy colleges and universities which eventually evolved from the Morrill Acts are several of historically black colleges and universities. In imitation of the land-grant colleges focus on agricultural and mechanical research, Congress later established programs of sea grant colleges, space grant colleges and it is also the smallest land-grant university in the country. The Farmers High School of Pennsylvania, later to become The Pennsylvania State University, michigan State and Penn State were subsequently designated as the federal land-grant colleges for their states in 1863. Older state universities – such as the University of Georgia, which was established with a grant of land in 1784 – were also funded through the use of land grants. Indeed, land grants to institutions are a practice inherited from Europe. These earlier examples, however, offered a different mission than the education offered by land-grant institutions established under the Morrill Act
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United States Department of Agriculture
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Approximately 80% of USDAs $140 billion budget goes to the Food and Nutrition Service program. The largest component of the FNS budget is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, after the resignation of Thomas Vilsack on January 13,2017 and the departure of President Barack Obama from office on January 20,2017, the acting Secretary of Agriculture is Michael Young. Activities in this include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides healthy food to over 40 million low-income. The USDA also is concerned with assisting farmers and food producers with the sale of crops and it plays a role in overseas aid programs by providing surplus foods to developing countries. This aid can go through USAID, foreign governments, international bodies such as World Food Program, the Agricultural Act of 1949, section 416 and Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954, also known as Food for Peace, provides the legal basis of such actions. The USDA is a partner of the World Cocoa Foundation, early in its history, the economy of the United States was largely agrarian. Officials in the government had long sought new and improved varieties of seeds, plants. In 1837 Henry Leavitt Ellsworth, a Yale-educated attorney interested in improving agriculture, became Commissioner of Patents and he began collecting and distributing new varieties of seeds and plants through members of the Congress and agricultural societies. In 1839, Congress established the Agricultural Division within the Patent Office and allotted $1,000 for the collection of agricultural statistics, Ellsworth was called the Father of the Department of Agriculture. In 1849, the Patent Office was transferred to the newly created Department of the Interior, in the ensuing years, agitation for a separate bureau of agriculture within the department or a separate department devoted to agriculture kept recurring. Lincoln called it the peoples department, in the 1880s, varied advocacy groups were lobbying for Cabinet representation. Business interests sought a Department of Commerce and Industry, and farmers tried to raise the Department of Agriculture to Cabinet rank, finally, on February 9,1889, President Grover Cleveland signed a bill into law elevating the Department of Agriculture to Cabinet level. In 1887, the Hatch Act provided for the funding of agricultural experiment stations in each state. The Smith-Lever Act of 1914 then funded cooperative extension services in each state to teach agriculture, home economics, with these and similar provisions, the USDA reached out to every county of every state. During the Great Depression, farming remained a way of life for millions of Americans. The Department of Agricultures Bureau of Home Economics, established in 1923, published shopping advice and recipes to stretch family budgets and make food go farther. USDA helped ensure that continued to be produced and distributed to those who needed it, assisted with loans for small landowners. The Department of Agriculture was authorized a budget for Fiscal Year 2015 of $139.7 billion, the Washington Post reports that he said There are days when I have literally nothing to do, he recalled thinking as he weighed his decision to quit
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Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
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The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture responsible for protecting animal health, animal welfare, and plant health. APHIS is the agency for collaboration with other agencies to protect U. S. agriculture from invasive pests. APHIS is the National Plant Protection Authority for the U. S. government, APHIS was created in 1972 by Secretary’s Memorandum No.1769. The origins of the agency predate creation of USDA, to 1854 when the Office of Entomologist, Agricultural Section and it was the first of three agencies that eventually were merged to form APHIS. In 1881, a Cattle Commission was created in the Department of the Treasury that three years later was transferred to USDA, Plant quarantine functions followed in 1912 when USDAs Federal Horticultural Board was created. Between the 1880s and 1930s these evolved into the USDA Bureaus of Entomology, of Animal Industry, in 1953 the three bureaus were combined into the Agricultural Research Service. In 1971, the animal and plant regulatory functions were separated from ARS to create a new entity known as Animal, in 1972, the meat and poultry inspection divisions of the Consumer and Marketing Service were added to APHS, thus creating the contemporary APHIS. In 2003, many APHIS agricultural border inspectors were transferred to U. S. Customs and Border Protection, a unit of the newly created U. S. Department of Homeland Security. APHIS is the agency responsible for responding to animal and plant disease. The originally-stated purpose of APHIS is to “protect the animal and plant resources of the nation” and carry out “a poultry and meat inspection program. ”Governs the prevention, detection, control, and eradication of diseases and pests of animals, where animal is defined as any member of the animal kingdom. Animal Welfare Act,7 U. S. C. §2131 et seq. It exempts birds, rats, or mice bred for use in research, horses not used for research, cold blooded animals, §§ 1821–1831 Prohibits horses subjected to a process called “soring” from participating in and being transported to exhibitions, sales, shows, or auctions. Animal Damage Control Act of March 2,1931,7 U. S. C, Plant Protection Act,7 U. S. C. §7701 et seq. Consolidates all or part of ten existing USDA plant health laws into one comprehensive law. Federal Seed Act, Title III,7 U. S. C, §§ 1551–1611 Requires accurate labeling and purity standards for seeds in commerce, and prohibits the importation and movement of adulterated or misbranded seeds. Animal quarantine laws,21 U. S. C.21 U. S. C, mandates strict controls for the use of any live virus at such research facilities. Permits the Secretary to hire up to five technical experts or scientists at a maximum paygrade of GS-18, § 114i authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to establish and carry out a program for the eradication of pseudorabies in United States swine populations. §§ 151–158 APHIS is divided into six operational units, Animal Care, Determines and promotes standards of humane care and treatment of animals through inspections. Biotechnology Regulatory Services, Protects agricultural and natural resources by ensuring safe development of genetically engineered using a science-based regulatory framework
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Iowa Department of Transportation
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The Iowa Department of Transportation is the government organization in the U. S. state of Iowa responsible for the organization, construction, and maintenance of the primary highway system. Located in Ames, Iowas DOT is also responsible for licensing drivers and programming and planning for aviation, rail, the organization was created in 1904 as the Iowa State Highway Commission, an extension of Iowa State College in Ames. In 1913, the commission was spun off from the college, in 1974, the highway commission was folded into a larger transportation department with other modes of transportation. The decision-making body of the Iowa DOT is the Iowa Transportation Commission, seven people, of whom no more than four people can represent the same political party, make up the commission. Each member of the commission is nominated by the governor and confirmed by the senate for a four-year term, each year the commission creates a comprehensive transportation plan which identifies the transportation needs and creates programs to meet those needs. In addition, the commission promotes the coordinated and efficient use of all modes of transportation that are available, including public transportation, the Iowa DOT is administered by the director, currently Paul Trombino III. The director is appointed by the governor to serve as the administrative officer of the department. The directors duties are chiefly administrative, but he or she does have an important role in government, the director works with the commission to create transportation policy and transportation plans. By December 31, he or she must present the years budget to the commission of their approval. The highway division is the most visible division in the Iowa DOT, the division is responsible for designing highways, acquiring rights of way, building and maintaining the interstate and primary highway systems. It is divided into six districts, each of which responsible for building and maintaining state roads in each respective area of the state. The planning, programming, and modal division is a group which houses the other modes of transportation. The planning and research division is responsible for compiling statistical data and assessing the financial impacts of legislation. The motor vehicle division is responsible for licensing drivers, including commercial, the division regulates height and weight restrictions and handles licensing and titling for all vehicles. Iowa is divided into six districts, In 1904, the Iowa General Assembly passed an act which created the Iowa State Highway Commission. Originally, the IHC was a part of Iowa State College where engineering dean Anson Marston was the first highway commissioner, the commission had a biennial budget of $7,000. The commissions first home was in Engineering Hall at ISC, known today as Marston Hall, the IHCs first task was to study Iowas problematic roads, at the time, less than 2% of which had been improved with gravel or broken stones. While Iowas dirt roads were fine roads when dry, they were impassibly muddy when wet
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CNNMoney
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CNNMoney. com is a financial news and information website, operated by the CNN division of Time Warner. The website was formed as a joint venture between CNN and Time Warners Fortune and Money magazines. Since the spin-off of Time Warners publishing assets, CNNMoney now operates as a subsidiary of CNN. com and is no longer tied to these magazines, CNN Money launched in 2001, replacing CNNfns website. Time Warner had also announced an intention to relaunch the CNNfn television network under the CNNMoney moniker, prior to June 2014, the website was operated as a joint venture between CNN and two Time Warner-published business magazines, Fortune and Money. In June 2014, Time Warners publishing assets were spun-out as Time Inc. as a result, all three properties launched separate web presences
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United States House of Representatives
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The United States House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the United States Congress which, along with the Senate, composes the legislature of the United States. The composition and powers of the House are established by Article One of the United States Constitution, since its inception in 1789, all representatives are elected popularly. The total number of voting representatives is fixed by law at 435, the House is charged with the passage of federal legislation, known as bills, which, after concurrence by the Senate, are sent to the President for consideration. The presiding officer is the Speaker of the House, who is elected by the members thereof and is traditionally the leader of the controlling party. He or she and other leaders are chosen by the Democratic Caucus or the Republican Conferences. The House meets in the wing of the United States Capitol. Under the Articles of Confederation, the Congress of the Confederation was a body in which each state was equally represented. All states except Rhode Island agreed to send delegates, the issue of how to structure Congress was one of the most divisive among the founders during the Convention. The House is referred to as the house, with the Senate being the upper house. Both houses approval is necessary for the passage of legislation, the Virginia Plan drew the support of delegates from large states such as Virginia, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, as it called for representation based on population. The smaller states, however, favored the New Jersey Plan, the Constitution was ratified by the requisite number of states in 1788, but its implementation was set for March 4,1789. The House began work on April 1,1789, when it achieved a quorum for the first time, during the first half of the 19th century, the House was frequently in conflict with the Senate over regionally divisive issues, including slavery. The North was much more populous than the South, and therefore dominated the House of Representatives, However, the North held no such advantage in the Senate, where the equal representation of states prevailed. Regional conflict was most pronounced over the issue of slavery, One example of a provision repeatedly supported by the House but blocked by the Senate was the Wilmot Proviso, which sought to ban slavery in the land gained during the Mexican–American War. Conflict over slavery and other issues persisted until the Civil War, the war culminated in the Souths defeat and in the abolition of slavery. Because all southern senators except Andrew Johnson resigned their seats at the beginning of the war, the years of Reconstruction that followed witnessed large majorities for the Republican Party, which many Americans associated with the Unions victory in the Civil War and the ending of slavery. The Reconstruction period ended in about 1877, the ensuing era, the Democratic and the Republican Party held majorities in the House at various times. The late 19th and early 20th centuries also saw an increase in the power of the Speaker of the House
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Oakes Ames
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Oakes Ames was an American manufacturer, capitalist, and member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts. As a congressman, he is credited by historians as being the single most important influence in the building of the Union Pacific portion of the transcontinental railroad. He is also noted for the subsequent scandal that alleged the improper sale of stock of the construction company. Ames was born in Easton, Massachusetts, the son of Oliver Ames, Sr. a blacksmith who had built a business of making shovels, the Ames Shovel Shop, and became nicknamed King of Spades. In his youth, he obtained a school education and later worked in the family workshops to learn each step of the manufacturing process. He eventually became a partner in the business, and with his brother Oliver Ames, driven by the settlement of the Midwest, by the discovery of gold in California and Australia, as well as by railroad construction, the shovel manufacturing business boomed. During the Civil War, the firm prospered with contracts for swords, shovels and he was influential in the establishment of the Republican Party in Massachusetts. In 1860, he became a member of the council of Massachusetts. Congressman from the Second District of Massachusetts, in Congress, he became a member of the Committee on Railroads during the early building of the transcontinental railroad. In 1865, President Abraham Lincoln appealed to him to control of the Union Pacific portion of the project, which had become mired down because of the war. Through his influence he obtained contracts for his firm in the construction of the Union Pacific. The contracts were transferred to the Credit Mobilier Company of America after Ames ousted its founder Thomas Durant. His brother Oliver was appointed president of the UP in 1866, the railroad was completed in 1869. In 1872, it was disclosed Ames sold shares in Credit Mobilier to fellow congressmen at a price greatly below the value of the stock. The subsequent public scandal led to a House investigation, which formally recommended expulsion, detractors referred to him as Hoax Ames. Ames died soon afterward at North Easton, Massachusetts, on May 10,1883, the 14th anniversary of the completion of the railroad, the state legislature of Massachusetts passed a resolution exonerating Ames. His son Oliver Ames served as Governor from 1887 to 1890, the pyramidal monument was designed by famous architect Henry Hobson Richardson with sculpted plaques of the Ames brothers by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. At the time of its construction, the monument was located at the highest point attained by the UPs transcontinental route, with a change in the route of the railroad, the monument today is not on any major transportation route
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Massachusetts
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It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the states of Connecticut and Rhode Island to the south, New Hampshire and Vermont to the north, and New York to the west. The state is named for the Massachusett tribe, which inhabited the area. The capital of Massachusetts and the most populous city in New England is Boston, over 80% of Massachusetts population lives in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, a region influential upon American history, academia, and industry. Originally dependent on agriculture, fishing and trade, Massachusetts was transformed into a manufacturing center during the Industrial Revolution, during the 20th century, Massachusetts economy shifted from manufacturing to services. Modern Massachusetts is a leader in biotechnology, engineering, higher education, finance. Plymouth was the site of the first colony in New England, founded in 1620 by the Pilgrims, in 1692, the town of Salem and surrounding areas experienced one of Americas most infamous cases of mass hysteria, the Salem witch trials. In 1777, General Henry Knox founded the Springfield Armory, which during the Industrial Revolution catalyzed numerous important technological advances, in 1786, Shays Rebellion, a populist revolt led by disaffected American Revolutionary War veterans, influenced the United States Constitutional Convention. In the 18th century, the Protestant First Great Awakening, which swept the Atlantic World, in the late 18th century, Boston became known as the Cradle of Liberty for the agitation there that led to the American Revolution. The entire Commonwealth of Massachusetts has played a commercial and cultural role in the history of the United States. Before the American Civil War, Massachusetts was a center for the abolitionist, temperance, in the late 19th century, the sports of basketball and volleyball were invented in the western Massachusetts cities of Springfield and Holyoke, respectively. Many prominent American political dynasties have hailed from the state, including the Adams, both Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, also in Cambridge, have been ranked among the most highly regarded academic institutions in the world. Massachusetts public school students place among the top nations in the world in academic performance, the official name of the state is the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. While this designation is part of the official name, it has no practical implications. Massachusetts has the position and powers within the United States as other states. Massachusetts was originally inhabited by tribes of the Algonquian language family such as the Wampanoag, Narragansett, Nipmuc, Pocomtuc, Mahican, and Massachusett. While cultivation of crops like squash and corn supplemented their diets, villages consisted of lodges called wigwams as well as longhouses, and tribes were led by male or female elders known as sachems. Between 1617 and 1619, smallpox killed approximately 90% of the Massachusetts Bay Native Americans, the first English settlers in Massachusetts, the Pilgrims, arrived via the Mayflower at Plymouth in 1620, and developed friendly relations with the native Wampanoag people. This was the second successful permanent English colony in the part of North America that later became the United States, the event known as the First Thanksgiving was celebrated by the Pilgrims after their first harvest in the New World which lasted for three days
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First Transcontinental Railroad
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The rail line was built by three private companies over public lands provided by extensive US land grants. Construction was financed by state and US government subsidy bonds as well as by company issued mortgage bonds. The Western Pacific Railroad Company built 132 mi of track from Oakland/Alameda to Sacramento, the Central Pacific Railroad Company of California constructed 690 mi eastward from Sacramento to Promontory Summit, Utah Territory. And the Union Pacific built 1,085 mi from the eastern terminus at Council Bluffs near Omaha. The railroad opened for traffic on May 10,1869 when CPRR President Leland Stanford ceremonially drove the gold Last Spike with a silver hammer at Promontory Summit. The coast-to-coast railroad connection revolutionized the settlement and economy of the American West and it brought the western states and territories into alignment with the northern Union states and made transporting passengers and goods coast-to-coast considerably quicker and less expensive. Paddle steamers linked Sacramento to the cities and their facilities in the San Francisco Bay until 1869. The roads rail terminus was moved two months later to the Oakland Long Wharf about a mile to the north, Service between San Francisco and Oakland Pier continued to be provided by ferry. The CPRR eventually purchased 53 miles of UPRR-built grade from Promontory Summit to Ogden, the transcontinental line was popularly known as the Overland Route after the principal passenger rail service that operated over the length of the line until 1962. In 1847 he submitted to the U. S. Congress a Proposal for a Charter to Build a Railroad from Lake Michigan to the Pacific Ocean, Congress agreed to support the idea. Under the direction of the Department of War, the Pacific Railroad Surveys were conducted from 1853 through 1855 and these included an extensive series of expeditions of the American West seeking possible routes. A report on the explorations described alternative routes and included an amount of information about the American West. It included the natural history and illustrations of reptiles, amphibians, birds. The report failed however to include detailed maps of potential routes needed to estimate the feasibility, cost. This in part motivated the United States to complete the Gadsden Purchase, the U. S. Congress was strongly divided on where the eastern terminus of the railroad should be—in a southern or northern city. Three routes were considered, A northern route roughly along the Missouri River through present-day northern Montana to Oregon Territory and this was considered impractical due to the rough terrain and extensive winter snows. A central route following the Platte River in Nebraska through to the South Pass in Wyoming, following most of the Oregon Trail, snow on this route remained a concern. A southern route across Texas, New Mexico Territory, the Sonora desert, connecting to Los Angeles, surveyors found during a 1848 survey that the best route lay south of the border between the United States and Mexico
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