Iowa

The Minor League soccer teams are:. It is also one of the highest scoring states on advanced placement tests. The Minor League hockey teams are:. It has one of the lowest high-school dropout rates in the nation and is tied with New Jersey for having the 2nd highest percentage of students who go on to college after high-school. The Minor League baseball teams are:. Massachusetts is known for having one of the best public school systems in the nation. List of United States Senators who have represented Iowa:. Massachusetts also is home to well-known independent research institutions, including Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Marine Biological Laboratory.

The caucus, held in January of the election year, involves people gathering in homes or public places and choosing their candidate, rather than casting secret ballots, as is done in a primary election. Music schools include Berklee and the New England Conservatory. president. Other notable Massachusetts colleges include Hampshire College and the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts). The state gets considerable attention every four years because of its presidential caucus, a gathering of voters which, along with the New Hampshire primary a week later, has become the starting gun for choosing the two major-party candidates for U.S. In addition to MIT, technology-oriented universities include Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and University of Massachusetts Lowell, which includes the former Lowell Institute of Technology ("Lowell Tech"). The Iowa Code is republished in full in odd years (i.e., 1999, 2001, 2003, etc..) and is supplemented in even years. Massachusetts is home to one Ivy League university (Harvard) and four of the Seven Sisters (Mount Holyoke, Radcliffe College (now a research institute at Harvard), Smith, and Wellesley).

The Iowa Legislative Service Bureau is a non-partisan governmental agency that is responsible for organizing, updating and publishing the Iowa Code. News & World Report, 10 of the nation's top-50 colleges and universities are located in Massachusetts: Amherst College, Boston College, Brandeis University, Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, Tufts University, Wellesley College and Williams College. The Code of Iowa contains the statutory laws of the State of Iowa. According to U.S. Congressmen:. Massachusetts hosts more prominent colleges and universities than any other state in the U.S. The five U.S. The population of metropolitan Boston surges noticeably during the school year due to the concentration of colleges and universities in the area (see list of colleges and universities in metropolitan Boston).

Senators:. Eight Boston-area institutions (Boston College, Boston University, Brandeis, Harvard, MIT, Northeastern, Tufts, and UMass/Boston) call themselves "research universities;" they became, according to them, "engines of economic growth" following World War II, and currently contribute $7 billion annually to the local economy [3] (http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/nr/2003/econimpact.html). The current Governor is Tom Vilsack (Democrat) and the two U.S. population, but is home to many of its most renowned preparatory schools, colleges, and universities[2] (http://www.utexas.edu/world/univ/state/) (see full list of colleges and universities in Massachusetts). The state capital is Des Moines. Massachusetts contains only 2.5% of the U.S. One of the suggested ideas is switching from 180 days to a year-round school system. Massachusetts cities and towns of historical or cultural importance include.

An overhaul of the current education system is being planned. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has a total of 50 cities and 301 towns, grouped into 14 counties. In 2003, Iowa had the second highest average SAT scores by state, and tied for second highest average ACT scores in states where more than 20% of graduates were tested. The national office of ACT is in Iowa City, and the ITBS and ITED testing programs used in many states are provided by the University of Iowa. See also: List of Massachusetts counties; List of cities in Massachusetts. Iowa has a strong emphasis on education, which is shown in standardized testing scores. Barnstable and Dukes Counties have adopted modern county charters, enabling them to act as efficient regional governments. Iowans' responses in 2001 to the question "What is your religion, if any?" were as follows:. The governments of Bristol, Plymouth, and Norfolk Counties remain substantially unchanged.

"Rural flight" as it is called has led to offers of free land and tax breaks as enticements to newcomers. This law was later amended to abolish Hampshire County on January 1, 1999; Essex County on July 1 of that same year; and Berkshire County on July 1, 2000. Chapter 34B of the Massachusetts General Laws (http://www.state.ma.us/legis/laws/mgl/gl-34B-toc.htm) provides that other counties may also vote to abolish themselves, or to reorganize as a "regional council of governments", as Hampshire and Franklin Counties have done. 89% of the total number of cities in those states have fewer than 3000 people; hundreds have fewer than 1000. Between 1996 and 2004 almost half a million people, nearly half with college degrees, left the six states. The law abolishing Middlesex County also provided for the elimination of Hampden County and Worcester County on July 1, 1998. Iowa, in common with five other Mid-West states (Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, North and South Dakota), is feeling the brunt of falling populations. Later that year, the Franklin County Commission voted itself out of existence. Females made up approximately 50.9% of the population. The government of Middlesex County was officially abolished on July 11, 1997.

6.4% of Iowa's population were reported as under 5, 25.1% under 18, and 14.9% were 65 or older. Mismanagement of Middlesex County's public hospital in the mid 1990s left that county on the brink of insolvency, and in 1997 the legislature stepped in by assuming all assets and obligations of the county. The 5 largest ancestry groups in Iowa are German (35.7%), Irish (13.5%), English (9.5%), American (6.6%), Norwegian (5.7%). The government of Nantucket County, which is geographically coterminous with the Town of Nantucket, is operated along similar lines- the town selectmen (executive branch) act as the county commissioners. The racial makeup of the state is:. Thus, residents of the other three Suffolk County communities do not have a voice on the county commission, but all the county expenses are paid by the city of Boston. Census Bureau, as of 2003, Iowa's population was estimated at 2,944,062 people. The government of Suffolk County was substantially integrated with the city government of Boston more than one hundred years ago, to the extent that the members of the Boston city council are ex officio the Suffolk County Commissioners, and Boston's treasurer and auditor fulfill the same offices for the county.

According to the U.S. By the 1990s, most functions of county governments (including operation of courts and road maintenance) had been taken over by the state, and most county governments were seen as inefficient and outmoded. Iowa also produces the nations largest amount of ethanol. However, many residents also identify with neighborhoods, villages, or other districts of their towns. Its industrial outputs are food processing, machinery, electric equipment, chemical products, publishing and primary metals. Census Bureau, which in most data products considers towns to be minor civil divisions, equivalent to townships in other states (usually with much weaker forms of government). Iowa's main agricultural outputs are hogs, corn, soybeans, oats, cattle and dairy products. This complicates comparisons with other states, as most residents identify strongly with the town or city in which they reside, and not with the "populated places" as defined and used in the U.S.

Its per capita income for 2003 was $28,340. In contrast, the cities and towns of Massachusetts divide up all of the land between them and there are no "unincorporated" areas or population centers. The state's total gross state product for 2003 was $103 billion. County governments have significant importance, particularly to those living outside towns, and often perform major functions such as operating airports. Iowa is home of 49 endangered & 35 threatened animal species as well as 64 endangered & 89 threatened plant species [1] (http://www.iowadnr.com/education/wldresbs.html). In contrast, the state is completely apportioned into counties. These are some of the wild animals that can be found in Iowa:. Between the towns are unincorporated areas, usually quite large, which do not belong to any town.

These are the United States highways that go through Iowa:. In many states, a town is a compact incorporated area. These are the interstate highways that go through Iowa:. Massachusetts municipalities are subject to a budgetary law known as "Proposition 2―", by which they may not increase expenditures by more than 2―% per annum without the approval of the voters in a plebiscite. National parks, etc. Massachusetts has a very limited home rule mechanism; in order to exercise jurisdiction outside of these bounds, a municipality must petition the General Court for special legislation giving it that authority. The state capital, Des Moines, is located in Polk County (#60). These cities are legally styled "the City Known as the Town of X".

Iowa has 99 counties. There are now a number of municipalities which are legally cities and thus have city councils, but retained the word "town" in their names, including Agawam, Methuen, Watertown, Weymouth, and Westfield. Considering the size of the state (145,743 kmē), there is very little elevation difference. This distinction dates to the 1820s; prior to that, all municipalities were governed by Town Meeting. The point of highest elevation (509 m) is Hawkeye Point, located in a feedlot north of Sibley in northwest Iowa. The mean elevation of the state is 335 m. Politically, the only difference between a town and a city is that a town is governed under the Town Meeting or Representative Town Meeting form of government, whereas a city has a city council (and may or may not have a mayor, a city manager, or both). The point of lowest elevation (146 m) is Keokuk in southeast Iowa. Massachusetts law maintains a distinction between "cities" and "towns"; the largest town in population is Framingham.

In the northeast along the Mississippi River is a section of the Driftless Area, which in Iowa consists of low rugged hills covered with conifers - a landscape not usually associated with this state. Massachusetts shares with the six New England states, plus New York and New Jersey, a governmental structure known as the "New England town.". Some of these are several hundred feet thick. The three largest Protestant denominations in Massachusetts are: Baptist (4% of total state population), Episcopalian (3%), Methodist & Congregationalist (tied 2%). Loess hills lie along the western border of the state. The religious affiliations of the people of Massachusetts are:. The topography of the state is gently rolling plains. The five largest ancestries in Massachusetts are Irish (22.5%), Italian (13.5%), English (11.4%), French (8%), German (5.9%).

Man-made lakes include Saylorville Lake, Lake Red Rock, and Rathbun Lake. Historically, the coast has been much more urban than Western Massachusetts, which is very rural, save for the cities of Springfield and Worcester. There are many natural lakes in the state, most notably Spirit Lake, West Okoboji Lake, and East Okoboji Lake in northwest Iowa (see Iowa Great Lakes). The bulk of this population surrounds Greater Boston, with approximately 5,800,000 people, and the North and South Shores. The Mississippi River forms the eastern boundary of the state. The boundary along the west is formed by the Missouri River south of Sioux City and by the Big Sioux River north of Sioux City. The population of Massachusetts is 6,433,422 (US Census, 2003). Iowa is bordered by Minnesota on the north, Nebraska and South Dakota on the west, Missouri on the south, and Wisconsin and Illinois on the east. See the list of Massachusetts places by per capita income.

Highlights:. Other sectors vital to the Massachusetts economy include higher education, health care, financial services and tourism.
. Thanks largely to the Ocean Spray cooperative, Massachusetts is the second largest cranberry producing state in the union (after Wisconsin). The state is named for the Native American Iowa people. Its industrial outputs are machinery, electric equipment, scientific instruments, printing, and publishing. Post Office abbreviation for the state is IA. Its agricultural outputs are seafood, nursery stock, dairy products, cranberries, and vegetables.

The official name of the state is "State of Iowa", and the U.S. Per capita personal income in 2003 was $39,504, 4^th in the nation. Iowa is the 29th state of the United States, having joined the union on December 28, 1846. The Bureau of Economic Analysis (http://www.bea.gov/) estimates that Massachusetts's total state product in 2003 was $297 billion. Leonard Boswell (D). See the articles on same-sex marriage in the United States and same-sex marriage in Massachusetts. Tom Latham (R). Following a November 2003 decision of the state's Supreme Court, Massachusetts became the first state to issue same-sex marriage licenses on May 17, 2004.

Steve King (R). When informed that the Democratic National Convention would be in Boston, House Majority Leader Dick Armey remarked, "If I were a Democrat, I suspect I'd feel a heck of a lot more comfortable in Boston than, say, America." While campaigning in the western part of the country, President Bush would often jab, "My opponent says he's in touch with the West, but sometimes I think he means Western Massachusetts." The stump speech that he used at many of his campaign stops included many such disparaging remarks directed at Massachusetts and New England in general. Jim Nussle (R). During the 2004 Presidential Election, Massachusetts was the target of many GOP regionalist attacks along the campaign trail. Jim Leach (R). During the Colonial period, Massachusetts was one of the leading states in the fight for independence. Tom Harkin (D). The liberal tendencies of Massachusetts extend throughout American history: in the 19th century, Massachusetts was a center of abolitionism, having been the first state to abolish slavery by law.

Chuck Grassley (R). Two of these governors, Paul Cellucci and Jane Swift took office when their predecessors resigned to take other positions. University of Northern Iowa. Although Republicans have held the governor's office continuously from 1991 to the present, many of these (especially William Weld, the first of the recent lineage of Republican governors) are considered among the most moderate or progressive Republicans in the nation. University of Iowa. Congress. Iowa State University. state represented by one party in the U.S.

1% "Evangelical". It is the home of the Kennedy family of political fame, and routinely votes for the Democratic Party in federal elections. As of 2004, it is by far the largest U.S. 1% "Assemblies of God". Massachusetts has a reputation as being a politically liberal state, and is often used as an archetype of liberalism in the U.S. 1% "Non Denominational". The most populated part of western Massachusetts is the "Pioneer Valley", alongside the Connecticut River, which flows across Western Massachusetts from north to south. 1% "Church of Christ". Western Massachusetts is more rural and sparsely populated, especially in the Berkshires, the branch of the Appalachian Mountains which forms the western border of the state.

2% "Congregational/UCC". Most of the population of the Boston metropolitan area (approximately 5,800,000) does not live in the city; eastern Massachusetts on the whole is fairly densely populated and largely suburban. 2% "Pentecostal". Boston is the largest city, located at the inmost point of Massachusetts Bay, at the mouth of the Charles River, the longest river entirely within Massachusetts. 2% "Protestant". A few cities and towns on the Massachusetts–Rhode Island border are also adjacent to Narragansett Bay. 3% "Presbyterian". Massachusetts is known as the Bay State because of the several large bays that give its coastline its distinctive shape: Massachusetts Bay and Cape Cod Bay on the state's east coast, and Buzzards Bay to the south.

5% "Christian". The islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket lie to the south of Cape Cod. 5% "Baptist". At the southeastern corner of the state is a large, sandy, arm-shaped peninsula called Cape Cod. 5% "Refused". Massachusetts is bordered on the north by New Hampshire and Vermont, on the west by New York, on the south by Connecticut and Rhode Island, and on the east by the Atlantic Ocean. 6% "Other". Massachusetts is commonly referred to by residents both as "the state" and as "the Commonwealth." For example, on March 22, 2005, one Boston Globe story said that opponents of a proposal saw it as "burdening the state with more law schools than it needs," while another published the same day noted that "the Commonwealth faces difficult spending choices.".

13% "Methodist". In his "Life and Works", Adams wrote: "There is, however, a peculiar sense in which the words republic, commonwealth, popular state, are used by English and French writers, who mean by them a democracy, a government in one centre, and that centre a single assembly, chosen at stated periods by the people and invested with the whole sovereignty, the whole legislative, executive and judicial power to be included in a body or by committees as they shall think proper." Source: [1] (http://www.sec.state.ma.us/cis/cismaf/mf1a.htm). 13% "No religion". In this draft, Part Two of the Constitution, under the heading "Frame of Government", states, "that the people...form themselves into a free, sovereign, and independent body politic, or state by the name of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts." The first draft of the Constitution, and all acts and resolves up to 1780, had used the name "State of Massachusetts Bay"; but since the adoption of the second draft of the Constitution the state has always been referred to as The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 16% "Lutheran". The name "Commonwealth" for Massachusetts can be traced to the second draft of the state Constitution, written by John Adams and accepted by the people in 1780. 23% "Catholic". There may have been some anti-monarchic sentiment informing the use of the word Commonwealth, which was also used to mean 'republic'.

1.1% mixed race. In the era leading up to 1780, when the state Constitution was ratified, the word Commonwealth was the preferred term among political writers for a whole body of people constituting a nation or state. 0.3% American Indian. federal government's use of the term "commonwealth" to refer to the status of certain insular areas such as Puerto Rico. 1.3% Asian. states that use the name "Commonwealth"; the others are Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Kentucky; this is distinct from the U.S. 2.8% Hispanic. It is one of four U.S.

2.1% Black. Massachusetts is officially termed "the Commonwealth of Massachusetts" (rather than "State") by its constitution. 92.6% White non-Hispanic. Retrieved March 24, 2005)
* Celebrated only in Suffolk County (Boston, Chelsea, Revere, Winthrop). 6, 18, 20, 30, 34, 52, 59, 61, 63, 65, 67, 69, 71, 75, 77, 136, 151, 169, 218, 275. Secretary of the Commonwealth Massachusetts web page (http://www.sec.state.ma.us/cis/cismaf/mf1a.htm). 29, 35, 74, 80, 129, 235, 280, 380, 480, 680. (Galvin, William F., (2005).

Herbert Hoover National Historical Site. Whenever a holiday falls on a Sunday it is observed on the following Monday. Effigy Mounds National Monument. Constitution, Amendments, Article CXX (November, 1990). Iowa is also a major producer of ethanol. Mass. Although Iowa's primary industry is agriculture, it also produces refrigerators, washing machines, fountain pens, farm implements, and food products that are shipped around the world. 1.