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Iowa State University
Iowa Community Indicators Program
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Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data and resources

Reference maps GIS resources Shapefiles Lists Correspondence tablesInteractive mapping sites

The following sites provide access to GIS shapefiles and other geographic data.  Most of the links will direct you to external Web sites.

GIS Shapefiles
AdministrativeCounties, cities, townships, census tracts, and other areas for which socioeconomic data are tabulated
U.S. Census Bureau
HistoricalBoundary files for historical census data tabulations
National Historical Geographic Information System (NHGIS)
EnvironmentalGeology, hydrology, watersheds, land cover, elevation, and more
Iowa Natural Resources GIS Library
GeneralArcGIS shapefiles included with Iowa State University's ESRI site license (ISU login required)
Lists of geographic areas
U.S. GazzetteerGeographic identifiers, names, and coordinates for counties, cities, and other census geographic areas
U.S. Census Bureau
Geographic Names Information SystemNames and coordinates of cultural and physical geographic entities
U.S. Geological Survey
Geographic correspondence
County-to-RegionCounty assignments to metropolitan and micropolitan areas and other administrative regions 
City-to-CountyCities by county
Iowa State University

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Iowa Community Indicators Program, 175 Heady Hall
Phone: (515) 294-2954
icip@iastate.edu