Iowa truly is the most underrated state in the country, and we don’t get nearly as much credit as we deserve. People like to poke fun at us, saying that Iowa has nothing to offer but flat land and cornfields, but those of us lucky enough to call this place home know that Iowa is so much more than that. Here are 21 reasons why Iowa is the most underrated state in the country:

  1. Iowa produces more corn than any other state, even more than some countries. This is used in everything from your toothpaste to your gas.

TumblingRun/Flickr

  1. And the most soybeans, which do some pretty great things like: feeding your bacon and hamburger, or making crayons and paints.

Jeff/Flickr

  1. Iowa also produces more pork than any other state in the country. Which means you can thank Iowa for all the bacon.

Didriks/Flickr

  1. Without Iowa, your energy bill would probably be higher too, as Iowa produces a major portion of the country’s wind energy.

Don Graham/Flickr

  1. Iowa is also the leading producer of renewable fuels such as ethanol and bio-diesel.

futureatlas.com/Flickr

  1. Not to mention we have the highest graduation rates and the highest literacy rates in the nation.

Jeramey Jannene/Flickr

  1. And if that’s not enough, Iowa City was named one of six UNESCO Cities of Literature, alongside Edinburgh and Dublin.

Steve Shupe/Flickr

  1. Iowa is also a great place to live. We have a low cost of living, and some of the cheapest housing in the nation.

Frank DiBona/Flickr

  1. Because of the Iowa Caucus, our state plays an extremely important role in national politics.

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  1. And Iowa is one of the safest states in the country, the sixth safest, to be exact.

Movoto.com

  1. Iowa is a great place to retire. According to MoneyRates.com, Iowa is the second best place to retire after Hawaii.

Photoflurry/Flickr

  1. Plus, you get to enjoy all four seasons, each one more beautiful than the last.

Sundar M/Flickr

  1. And we have the best capitol city in the country. In 2014, Forbes named it the best city for young professionals, and it was also named the wealthiest capitol city.

Jason Mrachina/Flickr

  1. We also invented the first electronic computer, and that in itself is a pretty big deal.

Joe Wolf/Flickr

  1. Plus, there is nowhere else in the world where you can see a sunrise this beautiful.

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  1. Or a sunset this breathtaking.

Rich Herrmann/Flickr

  1. And while many people think Iowa looks like this…

Wing-Chi Poon/Wikimedia Commons

  1. It actually looks like this.

U.S. Department of Agricu/Flickr

  1. Or this…

Michael Leland/Flickr

  1. And this…

Michael Kappel/Flickr

  1. It’s truly the most magical place, and there’s nowhere else like it.

blueforce4116/Flickr

Iowa may be underrated, but there is no place I would rather be. What are some more things that make Iowa the most underrated state?

TumblingRun/Flickr

Jeff/Flickr

Didriks/Flickr

Don Graham/Flickr

futureatlas.com/Flickr

Jeramey Jannene/Flickr

Steve Shupe/Flickr

Frank DiBona/Flickr

Gage Skidmore/Flickr

Movoto.com

Photoflurry/Flickr

Sundar M/Flickr

Jason Mrachina/Flickr

Joe Wolf/Flickr

Carl Wycoff/Flickr

Rich Herrmann/Flickr

Wing-Chi Poon/Wikimedia Commons

U.S. Department of Agricu/Flickr

Michael Leland/Flickr

Michael Kappel/Flickr

blueforce4116/Flickr

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