Why This Small Iowa Town Should Change its Name Immediately

If you’ve ever driven through central Iowa, you’ve likely seen the signs for a charming place that, at first glance, appears to be the very heart of the state. It’s a bold name to live up to, but according to modern math and GPS, this Iowa town might be having a bit of a mid-life (or mid-state) identity crisis.

State Center, Iowa, is a lovely place. It has history, a famous Rose Festival, and a name that is, to put it gently, geographically optimistic? While they’ve been flying the 'Center of Iowa' flag for over a century, the actual math tells a much different story about where the heart of the state truly lies.

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While the small town of State Center has the name, the actual geographic center of Iowa is in Story County, specifically 11.4 miles east-northeast of Ames. This is right next to the tiny unincorporated community of Fernald.

The reality: State Center is about 16.7 miles southeast of the true center of the Hawkeye State. Close enough for when the town was founded (1864), but in the age of GPS, the jig is up.

Obviously, we're just having a little fun with State Center here. In reality, the town was originally named Centre Station. It wasn't the center of the state, but rather, the halfway point of the railroad between the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. Over time, "Centre Station" became "State Center", and they dropped the railroad description from their name.

Growing up in Iowa and briefly living in Marshalltown myself, I remember hearing from locals that State Center was, indeed, the geographic center of the state. And while that's not quite accurate, you can hardly blame them for not wanting to change their name, given the history.

If you get the chance, check out the charming town of State Center for yourself! The best time to do so is undoubtedly this summer, during its historic 68th Annual Rose Festival.

It might not be the literal center of the state, but after 68 years of roses, this town has certainly planted itself as a central part of Iowa's summer traditions.