History of Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque is a city in the United States|U.S. State of Iowa, located along the Mississippi River. Its population was estimated at 57,798 in 2005,{{cite web|title = 2006 Dubuque population |accessdate = March 23|accessyear = 2007|url = http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFPopulation?_event=ChangeGeoContext&geo_id=16000US1922395&_geoContext=&_street=&_county=Dubuque&_cityTown=Dubuque&_state=04000US19&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010&_submenuId=population_0&ds_name=null&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null®=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry=}} making it the eighth-largest city in the state. It is the county seat of Dubuque County, and the center of the Dubuque Metropolitan Area, which has a population of 92,384.{{cite web|title = 2006 Dubuque Metropolitan Area population |accessdate = March 23|accessyear = 2007|url = http://www.census.gov/popest/counties/tables/CO-EST2006-01-19.xls}}
The city lies at the junction of 3 states: Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a region locally known as the Tri-State Area. It serves as the main commercial, industrial, educational, and cultural center for the area. Dubuque is the oldest city in Iowa, and played a key role in the early settlement of the state, and the Upper Midwest. For this reason, it is commonly called the "Key City."
Dubuque has a rich history and culture that gives it greater prominence than its size would suggest. It is one of the few large cities in Iowa with hills, and is home to a large tourist industry, driven by the city's unique architecture, and river location. Also, it is home to 5 institutions of higher education, making it a center for culture and learning.
While Dubuque has long been a center of manufacturing, the economy has recently witnessed rapid growth and diversification in other areas. In 2005, it led the state and the Midwest in job growth, ranking as the 22nd fastest-growing economy nationally.{{cite web|title = Dubuque Job Growth Ranking |accessdate = February 5|accessyear = 2007|url = http://www.greaterdubuque.org/news/dubuque_top_job_growth.html}} Today, alongside industry, the city has large health care, education, tourism, publishing, and financial service sectors.
For all of the positive changes occurring, the city has recently received significant national recognition on a variety of fronts. In 2006, Money Magazine named Dubuque as having the shortest commute time of any city in the nation at only 11.8 minutes.{{cite web|title = Commute times by city |accessdate = March 25|accessyear = 2007|url = http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2006/top25s/shortcommute.html}} In March 2007, the city was recognized as one of the "100 Best Communities for Young People" by the America's Promise Youth Foundation.{{cite web|title = 100 Best communities for young people |accessdate = March 25|accessyear = 2007|url = http://www.americaspromise.org/100Best.aspx?id=968}} In April 2007, the city was voted 15th in the "Best Small Places For Business and Careers" ranking by Forbes Magazine, climbing 60 spots from 2006.{{cite web|title = 2007 Dubuque Business Ranking: Forbes Magazine| accessdate = April 17|accessyear = 2007|url = http://www.forbes.com/lists/2007/5/07bestplaces_Best-Small-Places-For-Business-And-Careers_Rank.html}} And finally, in June 2007, Dubuque won the All-America City Award, one of 10 cities nationally to do so.{{cite web|title = All America Cities 2007 |accessdate = June 13|accessyear = 2007|url = http://www.ncl.org/aac/2007/2007%20AAC%20Winners.htm
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