The Fenelon Place Elevator climbs a bluff for wide views over Dubuque, a river city on the Mississippi, right where Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin meet. It is Iowa's oldest city, and its hills, church steeples and old brick buildings give it a look unlike most of the Midwest. About 59,000 people live here.
The riverfront is the draw. The National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium anchors the Port of Dubuque. Galena, Illinois is about 15 miles away and the Field of Dreams site in Dyersville about 25. Mines of Spain and Eagle Point Park are good for walks. Costs are below the national average, especially housing, though moderately priced homes are in short supply. Winters are snowy and icy, steep streets get slick, and spring can bring Mississippi flooding. Crime is moderate, mostly theft and car break-ins.
Cities with a similar character, anywhere on the site.
Out of 10. Open any score to see how it’s worked out. “Data-based” scores come from published figures; “Hey! En Route estimate” scores are worked out from what we know about the city; “Hey! En Route rating” scores were set by our editors.
- Known as
- Masterpiece on the Mississippi; Iowa's oldest city; Gateway to the Driftless Area; Home of the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium
- Founded
- 1833 settled (Julien Dubuque mining post from 1788); 1841 incorporated as a town; 1857 chartered as a city
- Languages
- English; Spanish; Marshallese; Tagalog and other smaller communities
- Airports
- Dubuque Regional Airport (DBQ), about 8 miles south (limited commercial service); Eastern Iowa Airport, Cedar Rapids (CID), about 70 miles southwest; Quad City International (MLI), about 80 miles southeast; Chicago O'Hare (ORD), about 180 miles east; Madison Dane County (MSN), about 90 miles northeast
- Tipping
- Restaurants 18-20%; bars $1-2 per drink or 15-20% of tab; taxis and rideshare 15-20%; hotel housekeeping $3-5 per night; bellhops $2-5 per bag; counter service optional
About this data
Population 59,148 (Census QuickFacts, July 1 2025 estimate); land area 30.91 sq mi (80.1 km2); median value and rent from Census ACS 2020-2024, fetched. Metro figure 99,000 is an approximate Dubuque MSA (Dubuque County) population from memory of Census estimates near 99,000-100,000, not retrieved in this pass, so lower confidence. Elevation, coordinates, founding, events (dates approximate and some not verified as current), hotel ranges, tipping, cost-of-living index, crime rates, airport distances and 1BR rent are approximate or from general knowledge and not verified in this pass. Official URLs found via search but not load-tested
