History of Iowa City, Iowa in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: April 5, 2026

Iowa City, located in Johnson County, Iowa, serves as the county seat and is the state's fifth-largest city with a population of nearly 75,000 as of 2020. Its metropolitan area, including Johnson and Washington counties, is home to over 171,000 residents. Iowa City is part of a combined statistical area with Cedar Rapids, forming a region with a total population approaching 500,000.

1900: Irving B. Weber Born

In 1900, Iowa City historian Irving B. Weber was born.

1912: Erection of the 'Black Angel' monument

In 1912, an 8.5-foot bronze monument was erected for the Feldevert family in the Iowa City cemetery. It became known as the 'Black Angel'.

1912: Iowa City Gold Sox Founded

In 1912, the Iowa City Gold Sox, a semi-professional baseball team, was founded in Iowa City.

1913: Iowa City Gold Sox Disbanded

In 1913, the Iowa City Gold Sox were active in Iowa City.

1915: Walter A. Jessup Presidency

In 1915, Walter A. Jessup became president of the University of Iowa.

1940: Virgil M. Hancher Presidency

In 1940, Virgil M. Hancher became president of the University of Iowa.

1966: Philip Hubbard's Statement

In 1966, Philip Hubbard stated that students should not accept everything that is dished out to them and supported their right to protest.

December 1969: ROTC Article

In December 1969, the Alumni Review had an article called "ROTC: Alive and well at Iowa".

May 4, 1970: Kent State Shootings

On May 4, 1970, the National Guard fired on students at Kent State University, killing four and wounding nine, igniting protests across the country, including in Iowa City.

May 1970: Account of Protests

An account of the May 1970 protests can be read in the June–July issue of the Iowa Alumni Review.

July 1970: Iowa Alumni Review Documentation

The June–July 1970 issue of the Iowa Alumni Review documented a fire that caused extensive structural damage.

1970: Philip Hubbard's Perspective

In 1970, Philip Hubbard, University Vice-Provost, gave an administrator's perspective of the protests of the 1960s in his autobiography.

1970: Questioning of ROTC Presence

In the spring of 1970, the ROTC presence on campus and the academic credit received for service was called into question.

1978: Winter Season

In the 1978-79 winter season, snow cover was continuous.

May 18, 1997: Severe Hailstorm

On May 18, 1997, a severe hailstorm struck the Iowa City area.

1997: Irving B. Weber Death

In 1997, Iowa City historian Irving B. Weber died.

1999: Kirk Ferentz Coaching Tenure Begins

Kirk Ferentz became the head coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes football team in 1999.

2000: Census Data

As of the census of 2000, there were 62,220 people residing in the city.

2000: MSA Expansion

Following the 2000 census, the U.S. Census Bureau expanded the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) to include Washington County.

2000: Household and Family Characteristics

In 2000, 21.2% of households had children under 18, 35.2% were married couples, and 2% were same-sex couples.

2000: Kirk Ferentz Coaching Tenure Continues

The 1999–2000 season marked the start of Kirk Ferentz's tenure as head coach, the longest in NCAA FBS.

November 2001: Old Capitol Cupola Fire

In November 2001, the cupola of the Old Capitol caught fire during renovations, destroying the cupola and heavily damaging the building.

2004: Robert Gallery NFL Draft

In 2004, Iowa Hawkeyes football player Robert Gallery was the 2nd overall draft pick in the NFL.

2004: Old Capitol Cultural District Certification

In 2004, the Old Capitol Cultural District was one of the first Cultural Districts certified by the State of Iowa.

2004: Inaugural Iowa Biennial Exhibition

The Iowa Biennial Exhibition [TIBE] began in 2004 as an international survey of contemporary miniature printmaking held at the University of Iowa.

April 13, 2006: EF2 Tornado Strikes Iowa City

On April 13, 2006, an EF2 tornado struck Iowa City, causing severe property damage and displacing residents, including many University of Iowa students. It was the first recorded tornado to directly hit the city.

2006: Old Capitol Reopens

In 2006, after extensive restoration, the Old Capitol building reopened to the public.

2006: Iowa Biennial Exhibition

The 2006 Iowa Biennial Exhibition [TIBE] was held.

2007: "ICKY" Award Nomination

In 2007, the 2006 Iowa Biennial Exhibition received a "ICKY" award nomination.

2007: Iowa City media market ranking

In 2007, the Cedar Rapids-Waterloo-Iowa City-Dubuque media market, which includes Iowa City and Johnson County, was ranked 87th by Nielsen Media Research for the 2007–2008 TV season.

June 11, 2008: Coralville Reservoir Spillway Exceeded

On June 11, 2008, the water exceeded the emergency spillway at the Coralville Reservoir outside of Iowa City.

June 13, 2008: Iowa River Rises to Record Level

By Friday, June 13, 2008, the Iowa River had risen to a record level of 30.46 feet (9.28 m).

June 18, 2008: Predicted Crest of Iowa River

On Wednesday, June 18, 2008, the Iowa River was predicted to crest at approximately 33 feet (10 m).

November 2008: UNESCO City of Literature Designation

In November 2008, UNESCO designated Iowa City as the world's third City of Literature.

2008: Iowa City media market ranking

In 2008, the Cedar Rapids-Waterloo-Iowa City-Dubuque media market, which includes Iowa City and Johnson County, was ranked 87th by Nielsen Media Research for the 2007–2008 TV season.

2009: Iowa City MSA Commuting Statistics

In 2009, the Iowa City metropolitan statistical area (MSA) was ranked seventh highest in the United States for percentage of commuters who walked to work (8.2 percent).

2009: Iowa City Book Festival Founded

The Iowa City Book Festival began as an annual summer event in 2009, sponsored by the University of Iowa Libraries.

2010: Educational Attainment and Demographics

As of the 2010 census, about 58.0% of adults held a bachelor's degree or higher and 79.7% were white alone, not Hispanic or Latino, 6.2% were Asian alone, and 5.8% were black alone.

2010: Census Data

As of the census of 2010, there were 67,862 people residing in Iowa City.

2010: Metro Population Increase

By 2010, the expansion of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area resulted in a metro population of 152,586.

2013: Book Festival Management Changes

In 2013, management of the Iowa City Book Festival was handed off to the Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature, and the event was moved to October.

2013: Iowa City MSA Commuting Statistics

In 2013, the Iowa City MSA was ranked sixth lowest in the United States for percentage of workers who commuted by private automobile (73.4 percent). During the same year, 11.1 percent of Iowa City area commuters walked to work.

2016: Geoff Fruin City Manager

As of 2016, Geoff Fruin is the city manager of Iowa City.

2017: Seattle Designated City of Literature

In 2017, Seattle became the second American City of Literature, following Iowa City's designation.

2017: Iowa City bicycle friendly community

In 2017, both Iowa City and the University of Iowa were awarded 'silver' status as a bicycle friendly community and university, respectively, by the League of American Bicyclists.