Muscatine, Iowa

**Muscatine** is a city in Muscatine County, Iowa. In 2020, 23,797 people lived in the city of Muscatine.

## History

Muscatine began as a trading post in 1833. The city was first called **Bloomington** in 1839. The name was later changed because there were so many other cities named Bloomington. Some people think the name "Muscatine" came from the name of a local Native American tribe.

A person from Germany founded a button company in Muscatine in 1884. They made buttons from clam shells found in the Mississippi river. Muscatine was and still is called the "Pearl button capital of the world."

Sam Clemens, also called Mark Twain, worked at the newspaper the city for a short amount of time. He also wrote about Muscatine in his book _Life on the Mississippi_.

> "_And I remember Muscatine--still more pleasantly--for its summer sunsets. I have never seen any, on either side of the ocean, that equaled them. They used the broad smooth river as a canvas, and painted on it every imaginable dream of color, from the_   _and delicacies of the opal, all the way up, through cumulative intensities, to blinding purple and crimson conflagrations which were enchanting to the eye, but sharply tried it at the same time. All the Upper Mississippi region has these extraordinary sunsets as a familiar spectacle. It is the true Sunset Land: I am sure no other country can show so good a right to the name. The sunrises are also said to be exceedingly fine. I do not know._"

## Notable natives

- Samuel Clemmens, also called "Mark Twain" - writer
- Norman Baker- businessman, radio pioneer, helped finish the air-powered calliope
- Roy J Carver- businessman and philanthropist
- C Maxwell Stanley- founder of Stanley Consultants, delegate to the United Nations
- Ellis Parker Butler- writer
- Lee Allen- medical illustrator
- Dr. Ronald K Ross- academic physician
- Dr. David G. Meyers- academic cardiologist
- Ernie Peniston- rhythm and blues musician
- Max Allan Collins-  Writer of screenplay of the movie _Mommy_. The movie was filmed in Muscatine's Wood Creek neighborhood in 1995. He also wrote the graphic novel _Road to Perdition_, which became a screenplay and was filmed in 2002, starring Tom Hanks and Jude Law.
- Terry Beatty- artist who has worked as a penciler and inker in the comic book industry.
- Phil Vischer- creator of _VeggieTales_
- Natalie Larson- Professional artist and marathon runner

## Other websites

- Official website of the City of Muscatine
- Official website of Muscatine County
- Muscatine Chamber of Commerce
- Muscatine Journal
- Muscatine Web Design
- Muscatine Art Center

## Infobox (settlement)

- **name**: Muscatine, Iowa
- **settlement type**: City
- **nickname**: "The Pearl of the Mississippi", "The Pearl City"
- **image skyline**: Muscatine Court House.JPG
- **image caption**: Muscatine County Courthouse
- **imagesize**: 250px
- **image map**: Muscatine County Iowa Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Muscatine Highlighted.svg
- **mapsize**: 250px
- **map caption**: Location in the U.S. state of Iowa
- **image map1**: Muscatine map.gif
- **mapsize1**: 250px
- **subdivision type**: Country
- **subdivision type1**: U.S. state, State
- **subdivision type2**: List of counties in Iowa, County
- **subdivision name2**: Muscatine County, Iowa, Muscatine
- **established title**: Municipal corporation, Incorporated
- **established date**: 1839
- **unit pref**: Imperial
- **area total sq mi**: 19.25
- **area total km2**: 49.86
- **area land sq mi**: 18.20
- **area land km2**: 47.13
- **area water sq mi**: 1.05
- **area water km2**: 2.73
- **population as of**: 2020 United States Census, 2020
- **population total**: 23797
- **population rank**: List of largest Iowa cities by population, 22nd in Iowa
- **population metro**: 54741
- **population density km2**: 504.95
- **population density sq mi**: 1307.81
- **timezone**: North American Central Time Zone, CST
- **utc offset**: −6
- **timezone dst**: North American Central Time Zone, CDT
- **utc offset dst**: −5
- **elevation m**: 179
- **postal code type**: ZIP Code
- **postal code**: 52761
- **area code**: Area code 563, 563
- **blank name**: Federal Information Processing Standard, FIPS code
- **blank info**: 19-55110
- **blank1 name**: Geographic Names Information System, GNIS feature ID
- **blank1 info**: 0465186