Have You Smelled This 'Stinky' Iowa Town?

When we step outside to start our day, we expect to smell fresh flowers or dew on the grass. The last thing anyone would expect to smell is rotten eggs or something burnt.

One town in Iowa is known to have those exact smells. In fact, the unofficial nickname for this eastern Iowa town is "The City of Five Smells." It also has the unflattering distinction of being named one of the "stinkiest" cities in the world.

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An interesting article from the Peter Greenberg Worldwide website identifies five stinky cities around the globe. The article advises people not to go into these towns unless they want to keep their noses plugged all the time. One of the cities mentioned is...Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and it appears to be for good reason.

After conducting a brief, unofficial survey with the born and bred Iowans in my office, they aren't surprised that Cedar Rapids made the list. So what makes this town really stink? All the blame points towards one iconic factory.

The Quaker Oats factory is one of the many grain processing plants throughout the state. Residents have described the smell as something that is like "burnt corn, over-overcooked oatmeal, and rotten garbage." The article from the Peter Greenberg Worldwide website isn't the first time someone has noticed the unpleasant smell. The local news station, KCRG-TV 9 recently took note of this and other stinky smells blowing in the Cedar Rapids wind.

Oddly enough, I can relate to the smell of burnt corn. There is an Illinois suburb not too far from where I grew up called Summit. People in the area who are familiar with the town call this particular town’s stink "The Summit Smell." It's like there’s a permanent stink cloud sitting over this Chicago suburb that just won’t move! Summit is also home to a corn processing facility.

The smell may be bad, however, the Quaker Oats factory certainly is a pretty neat, historic institution. There is this really cool video on YouTube with an aerial view of the factory. Take a look!

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