Iowa’s Most Beautiful City Previously Labeled The Ugliest In A Different Study

There's no doubt if you've lived somewhere long enough, you're going to take pride in your town. You're likely to brag about it when you have family or friends visit from out of town. You're likely to boast about its beauty or scenery, too.

That is, assuming it's a nice-looking town. I am a Cedar Falls resident, and I love to dote on the beauty of the town, it's got lakes, the Cedar River, and tons of trails.

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Now if you remember, there was a story we shared with you earlier this year that claimed to have named Iowa's ugliest city. In that story we did, it was claimed that the ugliest city in the Hawkeye State was Ames. Yes, Ames... the college town, home to Iowa State University.

I thought that study was, as we put it, sketchy right from the get-go. Well, as is ALWAYS the case with these silly studies, a new one has come along that negates the "research" in the old study.

The website World Atlas has a nice story just published early in the fall, that lists Iowa's seven beautiful cities. And, GASP, wouldn't you know it, they put Ames on the shortlist. because the list is in alphabetical order, technically no city is ranked higher. That said, Ames starts with an "A" and is hence, the first city on the list.

It's worth noting, the whole list seems to be made of eastern Iowa locations. Aside from Ames and Des Moines that is.

The list:

• Ames
• Cedar Falls
• Cedar Rapids
• Davenport
• Des Moines
• Dubuque
• Iowa City

So there you have it. All three towns that house a state college made the list. Everyone goes home happy, and we continue to pretend western Iowa doesn't exist. It's a beautiful win-win!