Council Bluffs, Iowa
Council Bluffs, Iowa | |
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Seal | |
| Nickname: "The Gateway of the American West" | |
| Motto: "Iowa's Spirit" | |
Location of Council Bluffs in Pottawattamie County, Iowa | |
Council Bluffs Location in Iowa Council Bluffs Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates: 41°14′12″N 95°51′07″W / 41.23667°N 95.85194°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Iowa |
| County | Pottawattamie |
| Incorporated | January 19, 1853 |
| Area | |
• City | 45.672 sq mi (118.290 km2) |
| • Land | 42.964 sq mi (111.275 km2) |
| • Water | 2.709 sq mi (7.016 km2) |
| Elevation | 978 ft (298 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• City | 62,799 |
• Estimate (2023) | 62,399 |
| • Rank | US: 619th IA: 10th |
| • Density | 1,452.4/sq mi (560.79/km2) |
| • Urban | 819,508 (US: 55th) |
| • Metro | 1,001,010 (US: 51st) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 51501, 51502, 51503 |
| Area code | 712 |
| FIPS code | 19-16860 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2393650 |
| Sales tax | 7.0% |
| Website | councilbluffs-ia.gov |
Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. Located on the east bank of the Missouri River, it sits across from Omaha, Nebraska. The city had a population of 62,799 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth-most populous city in Iowa and the largest in Southwest Iowa. Council Bluffs is also a principal city in the Omaha–Council Bluffs metropolitan area.
Until about 1853, Council Bluffs was known as Kanesville. Kanesville was the historic starting point of the Mormon Trail. Kanesville is also the northernmost anchor town of the other emigrant trails because there was a steam-powered boat which ferried the settlers' wagons and cattle across the Missouri River. In 1869, the first transcontinental railroad to California was connected to the existing U.S. rail network at Council Bluffs.