Iowa Highway 21
Encyclopedia
Iowa Highway 21 is a state highway
that runs from north to south in central Iowa
. It has a length of 97 miles (156.1 km). Iowa Highway 21 has its southern terminus at Iowa Highway 149
west of Hedrick
and its northern terminus at a freeway interchange with U.S. Highway 20
in Waterloo
.
before intersecting Iowa Highway 92. It proceeds through What Cheer
before intersecting Iowa Highway 22 west of Thornburg
. It continues north to Deep River
where it intersects Iowa Highway 85
. After passing through Guernsey
, it then intersects Interstate 80
, then meets U.S. Highway 6. It overlaps with U.S. 6 going eastward, then turns north near Victor
. It then intersects Iowa Highway 212
before entering Belle Plaine
, then intersects U.S. Highway 30. It goes north to Dysart
, where it turns west, overlapping with Iowa Highway 8. It then turns north and ends at U.S. Highway 20
at the southern city limit of Waterloo.
to the Minnesota
border and was eventually replaced by U.S. Highway 59.
The current Iowa Highway 21 was created in October 1934 and went between Victor and Dysart. It was extended south in 1939 to from Victor to Iowa 92, north from Dysart to U.S. 20 in Waterloo in 1969, and south again from Iowa 92 to Iowa 149 in 1980.
Highway
A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...
that runs from north to south in central Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
. It has a length of 97 miles (156.1 km). Iowa Highway 21 has its southern terminus at Iowa Highway 149
Iowa Highway 149
Iowa Highway 149 is a highway which runs from south to north in Iowa. It has a length of . Iowa 149 begins at U.S. Route 34 in Ottumwa and ends at Williamsburg at Interstate 80. The first of Iowa 149 are overlapped by U.S. Route 63 Business, the former route of U.S. Route 63 through...
west of Hedrick
Hedrick, Iowa
Hedrick is a city in Keokuk County, Iowa, United States. The population was 837 at the 2000 census. Hedrick is notable for its well-preserved brick Main Street and its depot...
and its northern terminus at a freeway interchange with U.S. Highway 20
U.S. Route 20 in Iowa
U.S. Route 20 in Iowa is a major east–west artery which runs across the state, separating the northern third of Iowa from the southern two-thirds. It enters Iowa from Nebraska, concurrent with Interstate 129 and U.S Route 75, crossing the Missouri River at Sioux City. US 20 runs in a...
in Waterloo
Waterloo, Iowa
Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census the population decreased by 0.5% to 68,406. Waterloo is part of the Waterloo – Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is the more populous of the two...
.
Route description
Iowa Highway 21 begins one mile (1.6 km) west of Hedrick and goes north through DeltaDelta, Iowa
Delta is a city in Keokuk County, Iowa, United States. The population was 410 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Delta is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
before intersecting Iowa Highway 92. It proceeds through What Cheer
What Cheer, Iowa
What Cheer is a city in Keokuk County, Iowa, United States. The population was 678 at the 2000 census.- The name What Cheer :When the future What Cheer was founded in 1865, it was named Petersburg for Peter Britton, the settlement's founder. This name was rejected by the Post Office, forcing a...
before intersecting Iowa Highway 22 west of Thornburg
Thornburg, Iowa
Thornburg is a city in Keokuk County, Iowa, United States. The population was 84 at the 2000 census.-History:The Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway built a 66-mile branch to What Cheer via Thornburg in 1879 The town was founded by the railroad and named in memory of Major Thomas T....
. It continues north to Deep River
Deep River, Iowa
Deep River is a city in Poweshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 288 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Deep River is located at ....
where it intersects Iowa Highway 85
Iowa Highway 85
Iowa Highway 85 is a state highway that runs from east to west in eastern Iowa. Its western terminus is at the eastern city limits of Montezuma. Its eastern terminus is at Iowa Highway 21 east of Deep River.-Route description:...
. After passing through Guernsey
Guernsey, Iowa
Guernsey is a city in Poweshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 70 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Guernsey is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
, it then intersects Interstate 80
Interstate 80 in Iowa
In the U.S. state of Iowa, Interstate 80 runs east–west between the Omaha-Council Bluffs area and the Quad Cities area, serving Des Moines and Iowa City. It was built along the U.S. Highway 6 corridor and as a result, three sections of Interstate 80 overlap US 6 in Iowa...
, then meets U.S. Highway 6. It overlaps with U.S. 6 going eastward, then turns north near Victor
Victor, Iowa
Victor is a city in Poweshiek and Iowa Counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 893 in the 2010 census, a decline from the 952 population in the 2000 census.-History:-Geography:Victor is located at ....
. It then intersects Iowa Highway 212
Iowa Highway 212
Iowa Highway 212 is a state highway in Iowa County, Iowa. It runs from Iowa Highway 21 south of Belle Plaine to U.S. Route 6 in Marengo. Iowa 212 was once a much longer highway, nearly , covering parts of the Lincoln Highway.-Route description:...
before entering Belle Plaine
Belle Plaine, Iowa
Belle Plaine is a city in Benton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,878 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, then intersects U.S. Highway 30. It goes north to Dysart
Dysart, Iowa
Dysart is a city in Tama County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,303 at the 2000 census. The Mayor of Dysart is currently Don E. Lyons.-Geography:Dysart is located at ....
, where it turns west, overlapping with Iowa Highway 8. It then turns north and ends at U.S. Highway 20
U.S. Route 20 in Iowa
U.S. Route 20 in Iowa is a major east–west artery which runs across the state, separating the northern third of Iowa from the southern two-thirds. It enters Iowa from Nebraska, concurrent with Interstate 129 and U.S Route 75, crossing the Missouri River at Sioux City. US 20 runs in a...
at the southern city limit of Waterloo.
History
The current version of Iowa Highway 21 is the second occurrence of the route number in the state. The first one went north from Ida GroveIda Grove, Iowa
Ida Grove is a city in Ida County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,350 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Ida County.-Geography:Ida Grove is located at...
to the Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
border and was eventually replaced by U.S. Highway 59.
The current Iowa Highway 21 was created in October 1934 and went between Victor and Dysart. It was extended south in 1939 to from Victor to Iowa 92, north from Dysart to U.S. 20 in Waterloo in 1969, and south again from Iowa 92 to Iowa 149 in 1980.