Iowa Highway 4 (Iowa 4) is a
state highway
A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...
which runs from north to south across the state of
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
. It is long, beginning at an intersection with
Iowa Highway 44
Iowa Highway 44 (Iowa 44) is an east–west highway in the central and west-central portions of the state. It runs parallel to Interstate 80, which runs to the south for most of Iowa 44's route. Iowa 44 begins at its junction with U. ...
in
Panora and ending at the
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
state line north of
Estherville
Estherville is a city in Emmet County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,904 in the 2020 census, a decline from 6,656 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Emmet County.
History
Emmet County was initially created by an act of th ...
. It continues north as
Minnesota State Highway 4
Minnesota State Highway 4 (MN 4) is a highway in southwest and west-central Minnesota, which runs from Iowa Highway 4 at the Iowa state line (near Dunnell, MN and Estherville, IA), and continues north to its northern terminus at its interchange ...
. The route was created on January 1, 1969, when several route designations were changed to match other states' route numbers. Before 1969, Iowa 4 was known as Iowa 17.
Route description
![Iowa Highway 4 ends in Panora](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Iowa_Highway_4_ends_in_Panora.jpg)
Iowa Highway 4 begins at Panora at Iowa 44. It goes north and is briefly overlapped with
Iowa Highway 141
Iowa Highway 141 (Iowa 141) is an east–west highway in the western and central portions of the state. It is the most direct link between Sioux City and Des Moines. It also serves as a freeway link between Des Moines and the outlying com ...
north of
Yale
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...
. It continues north until
Jefferson Jefferson may refer to:
Names
* Jefferson (surname)
* Jefferson (given name)
People
* Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States
* Jefferson (footballer, born 1970), full name Jefferson Tomaz de Souza, Brazilian foo ...
, where it intersects
U.S. Highway 30
U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route in the system of the United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. With a length of , it is the third longest ...
(US 30). It goes north, then turns west to enter
Churdan, then turns north until meeting
Iowa 175. At Iowa 175, the highway turns west, with Iowa 175, passing through
Lohrville. It turns north west of Lohrville, and continues north through
Rockwell City, where it intersects
US 20.
![Emmetsburg Iowa](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Emmetsburg_Iowa.jpg)
After crossing US 20 at a diamond interchange, Iowa 4 continues north, and intersects
Iowa 7. They overlap through
Pomeroy, then Iowa 4 goes north through
Pocahontas
Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, known as Matoaka, 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman, belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of ...
, which is where it intersects
Iowa 3. North of Pocahontas, Iowa 4 meets
Iowa 10 east of
Havelock before passing through
Mallard
The mallard () or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Arge ...
. Iowa 4 then goes north into
Emmetsburg
Emmetsburg is a city in Palo Alto County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,706 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Palo Alto County. Emmetsburg is located around the southern bay of Five Island Lake.
History
The to ...
, where it meets
US 18.
Iowa 4 and US 18 continue west of Emmetsburg together, then Iowa 4 turns north to go through
Graettinger. Iowa 4 then turns slightly northwesterly to go through
Wallingford, before meeting
Iowa 9 in
Estherville
Estherville is a city in Emmet County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,904 in the 2020 census, a decline from 6,656 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Emmet County.
History
Emmet County was initially created by an act of th ...
. Iowa 4 then goes northeasterly out of Estherville before ending at the Minnesota border.
History
Iowa 4 was created on January 1, 1969, during an effort by the
Iowa State Highway Commission
The Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) is the government organization in the U.S. state of Iowa responsible for the organization, construction, and maintenance of the primary highway system. Located in Ames, Iowa, DOT is also responsi ...
(IHC) to renumber Iowa's state highways. The goal of the effort was to reduce confusion among drivers crossing into Iowa from other states by aligning Iowa's route numbers with their adjoining routes in other states.
However, most of the route on which Iowa 4 is now applied has been in the primary highway system since it was created in 1920.
At its designation, Primary Road No. 17 was a much longer route than Iowa 4 is today. Primary Road No. 17 began in
Albia at Primary Road Nos. 8 (now
US 34) and 59 (now
Iowa 5) and headed northwest through
Knoxville
Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state's ...
and
Des Moines
Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...
. It continued west and north by passing through
Adel and
Perry
Perry, also known as pear cider, is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally the perry pear. It has been common for centuries in England, particularly in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire. It is also made ...
before turning more northerly at
Jefferson Jefferson may refer to:
Names
* Jefferson (surname)
* Jefferson (given name)
People
* Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States
* Jefferson (footballer, born 1970), full name Jefferson Tomaz de Souza, Brazilian foo ...
. It entered
Rockwell City,
Pocahontas
Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, known as Matoaka, 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman, belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of ...
,
Emmetsburg
Emmetsburg is a city in Palo Alto County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,706 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Palo Alto County. Emmetsburg is located around the southern bay of Five Island Lake.
History
The to ...
, and
Estherville
Estherville is a city in Emmet County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,904 in the 2020 census, a decline from 6,656 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Emmet County.
History
Emmet County was initially created by an act of th ...
. It ended at the intersection of Primary Road Nos. 4 (now
US 71) and
9 in
Spirit Lake.
In 1926, when the
U.S. Highway System
The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these h ...
was introduced, Iowa 17 was shortened on both ends. A service bulletin from the IHC in late 1925 listed Iowa 17 would begin in Jefferson and follow the same route to Estherville.
However, maps published the highway commission in 1927 show the route extended south to Adel ending at
US 6.
By 1931, it had been extended north to the Minnesota state line along what was then Emmet County Road H (CR H).
Ten years later, the southern end of the route shifted west to its current in end
Panora, replacing Iowa 150 in its entirety. The sections that were
duplicate routes with US 30,
US 169, and
Iowa 141
Iowa Highway 141 (Iowa 141) is an east–west highway in the western and central portions of the state. It is the most direct link between Sioux City and Des Moines. It also serves as a freeway link between Des Moines and the outlying com ...
were removed, while the standalone section between
Grand Junction and
Perry
Perry, also known as pear cider, is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally the perry pear. It has been common for centuries in England, particularly in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire. It is also made ...
became part of
Iowa 144.
Over the next 28 years, sections of Iowa 17 were straightened and the paving of the route was completed.
, construction of a new four-lane
expressway
Expressway may refer to:
* Controlled-access highway, the highest-grade type of highway with access ramps, lane markings, etc., for high-speed traffic.
* Limited-access road, a lower grade of highway or arterial road.
*Expressway, the fictional s ...
for
US 20 has caused a portion of that route to be rerouted onto Iowa 4. The expressway begins eastbound at Iowa 4 and extends across the rest of the state to
Dubuque
Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a r ...
.
Major intersections
References
External links
{{Attached KML
The Iowa Highways Pageby Jason Hancock
004