Editing Burlington, Iowa

{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2018}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Burlington, Iowa
| native_name        = Shoquoquon
| other_name         = Flint Hills
| settlement_type    = City
| image_skyline      = BurlingtonIA Skyline cropped.jpg
| image_caption      = Downtown Burlington from Mississippi River
| image_map          = Des_Moines_County_Iowa_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Burlington_Highlighted.svg
| mapsize            = 250px
| map_caption        = Location in the state of [[Iowa]]
| coordinates        = {{coord|40|48|29|N|91|6|57|W|region:US-IA|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_type1  = State
| subdivision_name1  = {{flag|Iowa}}
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Iowa|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Des Moines County, Iowa|Des Moines]]
| established_title  = Founded
| established_date   = 1833
| named_for          = Burlington, Vermont
| government_type    = [[Mayor–council government]]
| leader_title       = [[Mayor]]
| leader_name        = Jon D. Billups
| leader_title1      = [[City Council]]
| leader_name1       = Linda Murrey (Mayor Pro Tem)<br />Matthew Rinker<br />Bill Maupin<br />Robert Critser
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_19.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=March 16, 2022}}</ref>
| area_total_km2     = 39.29
| area_land_km2      = 37.32
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_water_km2     = 1.98
| area_total_sq_mi   = 15.17
| area_land_sq_mi    = 14.41
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.76
<!-- Population -->| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_est     = 
| pop_est_as_of      = 
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total   = 23982
| population_density_km2 = 642.68
| population_density_sq_mi = 1664.49
| population_blank1_title = [[Demonym]]
| population_blank1  = Burlingtonian
| timezone           = [[North American Central Time Zone|CST]]
| utc_offset         = &minus;6
| timezone_DST       = [[Central Daylight Time|CDT]]
| elevation_m        = 185
| utc_offset_DST     = &minus;5
| elevation_ft       = 696
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code        = 52601
| area_code          = [[Area code 319|319]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 19-09550
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 0454995
| website            = {{URL|burlingtoniowa.org/|burlingtoniowa.org}}
| pop_est_footnotes  = 
| image_flag         = 
}}
'''Burlington''' is a city in, and the [[county seat]] of, [[Des Moines County, Iowa]], United States.<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |access-date=2011-06-07 |title=Find a County |publisher=National Association of Counties |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |archive-date=May 31, 2011 }}</ref> The population was 23,982 in the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], a decline from the 26,839 population in [[2000 United States Census|2000]].<ref name=cen2020>{{cite web |title=2020 Census State Redistricting Data |url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/data/01-Redistricting_File--PL_94-171/Iowa/ |website=census.gov |publisher=United states Census Bureau |access-date=12 August 2021}}</ref> Burlington is the center of a [[Burlington micropolitan area|micropolitan area]], which includes [[West Burlington, Iowa|West Burlington]] and [[Middletown, Iowa]], and [[Gulfport, Illinois]]. Burlington is the home of [[Snake Alley (Burlington, Iowa)|Snake Alley]], the most crooked street in the world.

== History ==
Prior to European settlement, the area was neutral territory for the [[Sauk people|Sauk]] and [[Meskwaki]] peoples, who called it Shoquoquon (''Shok-ko-kon''), meaning Flint Hills.<ref>{{citation|title=About The Hawk Eye|url=http://spanky.thehawkeye.com/hawkeye/about.html |work=The Hawk Eye Newspaper|access-date=September 19, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111001083916/http://spanky.thehawkeye.com/hawkeye/about.html|archive-date=October 1, 2011}}.</ref>

In 1803, President [[Thomas Jefferson]] organized two parties of explorers to map the [[Louisiana Purchase]]. The [[Lewis and Clark Expedition]] followed the [[Missouri River]], while [[Zebulon Pike|Lt. Zebulon Pike]] followed the [[Mississippi River]]. In 1805, Pike landed at the bluffs below Burlington and raised the [[Flag of the United States|United States Flag]] for the first time on what would become Iowa soil and recommended construction of a fort. The recommendation went unheeded.
[[File:Burlington IA Barber 1865p525 cropped.jpg|thumb|left|{{center|Burlington in 1865.}}]]

The [[American Fur Company]] of [[John Jacob Astor]] established a post in the area in 1829. Settlement began in 1833, shortly after the [[Black Hawk Purchase]], when Samuel (aka Simpson) White, Amzi Doolitle, and [[Morton M. McCarver]] crossed the [[Mississippi River]] from Big Island and staked claims there.<ref name=Antrobus>{{cite book|last=Antrobus|first=Augustine M.|title=History of Des Moines County, Iowa|year=1915|publisher=The S. J. Clarke publishing company|pages=95|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ENc_AAAAYAAJ&q=mccarver%20Burlington&pg=PA95|volume=1}}</ref><ref name="annals of iowa">{{cite journal|last=Negus|first=Charles|title=The Early History of Iowa|journal=Annals of Iowa|year=1869|volume=7|issue=2–4|pages=145|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TU8zAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA145 |publisher=Iowa Division of Historical Museum and Archives, State Historical Society of Iowa}}</ref><ref name=mccarver>{{cite journal|last=Meany|first=Edmond S.|title=Morton Matthew McCarver Frontier City Builder|journal=Annual Report of the American Historical Association for the Year 1909|year=1911|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-1YLAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA173 |page=174|publisher=American Historical Association}}</ref> According to an account A.T. Andreas wrote in 1875,{{citation needed|date=September 2015}} White erected a cabin in the area, later platted to be Front Street between Court and High streets. Andreas called White and Doolittle the [[Romulus and Remus]] of their settlement, referring to the mythic heroes who founded Rome, a city surrounded by hills. A few weeks later, William R. Ross joined them and established a general store. In November and December, he surveyed the settlement for White and Doolittle.<ref>Huff, S. W. (Ed.), ''Annals of Iowa, Vol. VII'' ([[Iowa City]]: [[State Historical Society of Iowa]], 1869), [https://books.google.com/books?id=75YUAAAAYAAJ&dq=William%20R.%20Ross%2C%20White%20and%20Doolittle&pg=PA145 p. 145].</ref>{{rp|145}}

In the spring of 1834 they allowed John Gray, who purchased the first lot with his wife Eliza Jane, to rename the town for $50. Gray chose to name it Burlington in honor of his [[Burlington, Vermont|hometown in Vermont]].<ref>{{Citation|title=NAMED THIS CITY|date=September 22, 1896|work=Burlington Gazette}}.</ref> The Grays' daughter Abigail was born in Burlington that same year, the first European-descended American settler child born on Iowa soil.{{efn|John Gray was of European descent. Eliza Jane Gray was of mixed African American and Native American heritage.}}{{citation needed|date=September 2015}}

In 1837, Burlington was designated the second territorial capital of the [[Wisconsin Territory]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Hoffmann |first=Gregg |url=http://www.onmilwaukee.com/visitors/articles/beyondbelmont.html |title=Travel & Visitors Guide: Beyond Milwaukee: Belmont was Wisconsins first capital |publisher=Onmilwaukee.com |date=May 10, 2004 |access-date=2011-09-19}}</ref> The [[Iowa Territory]] was organized in the following year, and Burlington was named as its first territorial capital.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://iagenweb.org/history/soi/soi31.htm |title=How Iowa Became A Territory |publisher=Iagenweb.org |access-date=2011-09-19}}</ref> The government used "Old Zion", the first Methodist Church in Iowa (located near what is now Third and Washington streets), to conduct its business. A [[historical marker]] commemorates the site of the church and early territorial government.

On May 22, 1849, Maj. William Williams visited Burlington, writing a brief description in his journal:<ref name="williams1">{{cite journal|last=Williams|first=William|year=1920|title=Major William Williams' Journal of a Trip to Iowa in 1849|journal=Annals of Iowa|volume=12|issue=4|pages=246–247, edited for minor spelling and punctuation}}</ref>

{{blockquote|This town [was] originally called Flint Hill- the Indian name was Shoquokon, Flint or Rock Hill. [It is] beautifully elevated, situated on the west side of the Mississippi River, a place of very considerable business. The town is very well built. Houses are good, generally taste[ful], brick dwellings. A great many handsome residences on the more elevated parts of the bluff. The number of inhabitants between 3,000 and 3,500. ... Was the first seat of government after the formation of the Territory of Iowa. The view of the city is extremely picturesque from the river. The main part of the city is situated like an amphitheater formed by the surrounding hills, beautiful buildings and private residences on the eminences around. From the location of Burlington it must always be a place of considerable trade. The city is well built [in the] modern style, a very intelligent population... The river here is over 3/4 of mile wide and steam ferry boats constantly plying between this and the Illinois shore.|Maj. William Williams}}
[[File:Lady Liberty of Burlington.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Lady Liberty of Burlington]]

In April 1885, economist [[Henry George]] gave a speech titled "The Crime of Poverty" at the Burlington [[Knights of Labor]] [[Local union|local]] advocating for a [[citizen's dividend]] paid for by a [[land value tax]].<ref>{{cite book|last=George|first=Henry|author-link=Henry George|year=1901|orig-year=1885|title=Our Land and Land Policy: Speeches, Lectures and Miscellaneous Writings|chapter=The Crime of Poverty|publisher=[[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday and McClure Company]]|pages=217–218|isbn=978-0526825431|quote=As an English friend of mine puts it: No taxes and a pension for everybody; and why should it not be? To take land values for public purposes is not really to impose a tax, but to take for public purposes a value created by the community. And out of the fund which would thus accrue from the common property, we might, without degradation to anybody, provide enough to actually secure from want all who were deprived of their natural protectors or met with accident, or any man who should grow so old that he could not work. All prating that is heard from some quarters about its hurting the common people to give them what they do not work for is humbug. The truth is, that anything that injures self-respect, degrades, does harm; but if you give it as a right, as something to which every citizen is entitled to, it does not degrade. Charity schools do degrade children that are sent to them, but public schools do not.}}</ref>

Iowa's nickname, "[[Hawkeye state|The Hawkeye State]]", has its roots in Burlington. At Judge David Rorer's suggestion, publisher James G. Edwards changed ''The Iowa Patriot'' newspaper's name to ''The Hawk-Eye and Iowa Patriot'' in tribute to his friend, Chief [[Black Hawk (Sauk leader)|Black Hawk]]. Rorer is said to have found the name in [[James Fenimore Cooper]]'s ''[[The Last of the Mohicans]],'' but Edwards proposed the nickname to "...rescue from oblivion {{sic}} a momento {{sic}}, at least of the name of the old chief."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.netstate.com/states/intro/ia_intro.htm |title=The State of Iowa – An Introduction to the Hawkeye State from |publisher=Netstate.Com |access-date=2011-09-19}}</ref>

Burlington was a bustling river port in the [[steamboat]] era and a central city to the [[Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad]]. The "Burlington Route" (1848–1970) merged into the [[Burlington Northern Railroad]] (1970–1996), which in turn merged into the [[BNSF Railway]] (1997–present). The "Burlington" name has been given to one of the United States' largest railroads. One of BNSF's main east-west lines, the Ottumwa subdivision, still crosses the Mississippi at Burlington.

In 1970, the community had its highest ever population.<ref>{{cite web|last=Gabriel|first=Trip|url=https://nytimes.com/2021/04/27/us/politics/iowa-democrats-republicans.html|title=Why Iowa Has Become Such a Heartbreaker for Democrats|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=2021-04-27|accessdate=2023-05-28}}</ref>

<!--Need some history here-->
In the late twentieth century, retail expanded with suburbanization of the population. After purchasing Benner Tea, [[Aldi]] opened its first store in the United States at Burlington in 1976.<ref>{{cite news | last = Johnson | first = Patt | title = Aldi to open Windsor Heights store | url = https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/money/business/new-business/2015/09/10/aldi-windsor-heights-store/72029716/ | work = [[The Des Moines Register|The Register and Tribune]] | location = [[Des Moines, Iowa|Des Moines]] | date = September 10, 2015 | access-date = September 7, 2017}}</ref><ref name=ConquerUS>{{cite news | last = Weymouth | first = Lauren | title = Secrets of the German supermarkets conquering America (24 slides) | url = https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/secrets-of-the-german-supermarkets-conquering-america/ss-AAqAXE5?li=BBnbfcL&ocid=mailsignout#image=1 | work = MSN: Money | access-date = September 7, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170907214827/http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/secrets-of-the-german-supermarkets-conquering-america/ss-AAqAXE5?li=BBnbfcL&ocid=mailsignout#image=1 | archive-date = September 7, 2017 | url-status = dead | df = mdy-all }}</ref> [[Westland Mall (West Burlington)|Westland Mall]] opened in nearby [[West Burlington, Iowa|West Burlington]] in 1977.

== Geography ==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|15.24|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|14.48|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|0.76|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.<ref name="Gazetteer files">{{cite web |title=US Gazetteer files 2010 |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=2012-05-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112090031/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |archive-date=January 12, 2012 }}</ref>

=== Climate ===
{{Weather box 
|single line = Yes
|location = Burlington, Iowa ([[Southeast Iowa Regional Airport]]) 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1897–present

|Jan record high F = 70
|Feb record high F = 76
|Mar record high F = 88
|Apr record high F = 93
|May record high F = 103
|Jun record high F = 105
|Jul record high F = 111
|Aug record high F = 110
|Sep record high F = 103
|Oct record high F = 95
|Nov record high F = 86
|Dec record high F = 73
|year record high F =

|Jan avg record high F = 55.3
|Feb avg record high F = 59.9
|Mar avg record high F = 74.2
|Apr avg record high F = 82.6
|May avg record high F = 88.7
|Jun avg record high F = 93.1
|Jul avg record high F = 94.7
|Aug avg record high F = 94.6
|Sep avg record high F = 91.4
|Oct avg record high F = 84.3
|Nov avg record high F = 70.6
|Dec avg record high F = 59.3
|year avg record high F = 96.8

|Jan high F = 32.3
|Feb high F = 37.2
|Mar high F = 50.2
|Apr high F = 62.8
|May high F = 73.1
|Jun high F = 82.3
|Jul high F = 85.2
|Aug high F = 83.5
|Sep high F = 77.5
|Oct high F = 64.5
|Nov high F = 49.8
|Dec high F = 37.4
|year high F =

|Jan mean F = 24.3
|Feb mean F = 28.8
|Mar mean F = 40.7
|Apr mean F = 52.3
|May mean F = 63.0
|Jun mean F = 72.5
|Jul mean F = 75.6
|Aug mean F = 73.8
|Sep mean F = 66.7
|Oct mean F = 54.2
|Nov mean F = 41.0
|Dec mean F = 29.9
|year mean F =

|Jan low F = 16.4
|Feb low F = 20.5
|Mar low F = 31.1
|Apr low F = 41.9
|May low F = 52.9
|Jun low F = 62.6
|Jul low F = 66.0
|Aug low F = 64.0
|Sep low F = 55.8
|Oct low F = 44.0
|Nov low F = 32.3
|Dec low F = 22.3
|year low F =

|Jan avg record low F = -6.6
|Feb avg record low F = 0.4
|Mar avg record low F = 10.8
|Apr avg record low F = 26.8
|May avg record low F = 38.0
|Jun avg record low F = 50.4
|Jul avg record low F = 55.5
|Aug avg record low F = 53.6
|Sep avg record low F = 40.0
|Oct avg record low F = 27.6
|Nov avg record low F = 15.1
|Dec avg record low F = 0.9
|year avg record low F = -10.9

|Jan record low F = −24
|Feb record low F = −27
|Mar record low F = −13
|Apr record low F = 11
|May record low F = 26
|Jun record low F = 39
|Jul record low F = 46
|Aug record low F = 41
|Sep record low F = 23
|Oct record low F = 10
|Nov record low F = −2
|Dec record low F = −22
|year record low F =

|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 1.45
|Feb precipitation inch = 1.69
|Mar precipitation inch = 2.43
|Apr precipitation inch = 3.92
|May precipitation inch = 4.93
|Jun precipitation inch = 4.87
|Jul precipitation inch = 4.02
|Aug precipitation inch = 3.77
|Sep precipitation inch = 3.53
|Oct precipitation inch = 3.09
|Nov precipitation inch = 2.29
|Dec precipitation inch = 1.87
|year precipitation inch =

|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 8.0
|Feb precipitation days = 8.2
|Mar precipitation days = 9.9
|Apr precipitation days = 11.8
|May precipitation days = 13.2
|Jun precipitation days = 11.4
|Jul precipitation days = 9.8
|Aug precipitation days = 9.1
|Sep precipitation days = 7.5
|Oct precipitation days = 9.3
|Nov precipitation days = 8.0
|Dec precipitation days = 7.5
|year precipitation days =

|Jan snow inch = 6.7
|Feb snow inch = 6.5
|Mar snow inch = 1.9
|Apr snow inch = 0.1
|May snow inch = 0.0
|Jun snow inch = 0.0
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 0.0
|Oct snow inch = 0.0
|Nov snow inch = 0.8
|Dec snow inch = 7.5
|year snow inch =

|unit snow days = 0.1 in
|Jan snow days = 4.7
|Feb snow days = 5.1
|Mar snow days = 1.8
|Apr snow days = 0.1
|May snow days = 0.0
|Jun snow days = 0.0
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.0
|Oct snow days = 0.0
|Nov snow days = 1.3
|Dec snow days = 4.5

|source 1 = [[NOAA]]<ref name= nws >
{{cite web
| url = https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=dvn
| title = NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = June 25, 2021}}</ref><ref name=NCEI>
{{cite web
| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USW00014931&format=pdf
| title = Station: Burlington Muni AP, IA
| work = U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020)
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = June 25, 2021}}</ref><ref>
{{cite web
|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly&stations=USW00014931&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|title = U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Burlington Municipal Airport, IA (1981&ndash;2010)
|access-date = November 16, 2022
}}
</ref>
}}

{{Weather box 
| location = Burlington 2S, Iowa (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1964–present)
| single line = Y
| collapsed = Y

|Jan record high F = 70
|Feb record high F = 74
|Mar record high F = 88
|Apr record high F = 92
|May record high F = 98
|Jun record high F = 104
|Jul record high F = 105
|Aug record high F = 105
|Sep record high F = 101
|Oct record high F = 93
|Nov record high F = 79
|Dec record high F = 74
|year record high F =

|Jan avg record high F = 56.0
|Feb avg record high F = 60.4
|Mar avg record high F = 73.0
|Apr avg record high F = 81.1
|May avg record high F = 88.0
|Jun avg record high F = 92.6
|Jul avg record high F = 95.1
|Aug avg record high F = 94.5
|Sep avg record high F = 91.4
|Oct avg record high F = 83.9
|Nov avg record high F = 69.4
|Dec avg record high F = 58.7
|year avg record high F = 97.0

|Jan high F = 32.0
|Feb high F = 37.1
|Mar high F = 49.9
|Apr high F = 62.3
|May high F = 72.7
|Jun high F = 81.8
|Jul high F = 85.0
|Aug high F = 83.4
|Sep high F = 77.1
|Oct high F = 64.5
|Nov high F = 49.6
|Dec high F = 36.9
|year high F =

|Jan mean F = 23.5
|Feb mean F = 28.1
|Mar mean F = 39.7
|Apr mean F = 51.4
|May mean F = 62.3
|Jun mean F = 71.7
|Jul mean F = 75.3
|Aug mean F = 73.4
|Sep mean F = 66.2
|Oct mean F = 53.9
|Nov mean F = 40.3
|Dec mean F = 28.8
|year mean F =

|Jan low F = 15.0
|Feb low F = 19.1
|Mar low F = 29.6
|Apr low F = 40.5
|May low F = 51.9
|Jun low F = 61.7
|Jul low F = 65.6
|Aug low F = 63.5
|Sep low F = 55.2
|Oct low F = 43.3
|Nov low F = 31.0
|Dec low F = 20.7
|year low F =

|Jan avg record low F = -6.0
|Feb avg record low F = -0.1
|Mar avg record low F = 9.6
|Apr avg record low F = 26.3
|May avg record low F = 38.9
|Jun avg record low F = 50.3
|Jul avg record low F = 56.8
|Aug avg record low F = 55.0
|Sep avg record low F = 40.8
|Oct avg record low F = 28.9
|Nov avg record low F = 14.9
|Dec avg record low F = 1.5
|year avg record low F = -9.4

|Jan record low F = −23
|Feb record low F = −26
|Mar record low F = −9
|Apr record low F = 11
|May record low F = 28
|Jun record low F = 40
|Jul record low F = 46
|Aug record low F = 42
|Sep record low F = 30
|Oct record low F = 18
|Nov record low F = −2
|Dec record low F = −20
|year record low F =

|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 1.72
|Feb precipitation inch = 1.90
|Mar precipitation inch = 2.80
|Apr precipitation inch = 4.24
|May precipitation inch = 5.16
|Jun precipitation inch = 5.14
|Jul precipitation inch = 4.34
|Aug precipitation inch = 3.87
|Sep precipitation inch = 3.89
|Oct precipitation inch = 3.25
|Nov precipitation inch = 2.57
|Dec precipitation inch = 2.14
|year precipitation inch =

|Jan snow inch = 6.3
|Feb snow inch = 5.8
|Mar snow inch = 2.1
|Apr snow inch = 0.9
|May snow inch = 0.0
|Jun snow inch = 0.0
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 0.0
|Oct snow inch = 0.1
|Nov snow inch = 1.3
|Dec snow inch = 5.3
|year snow inch =

|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 9.0
|Feb precipitation days = 8.6
|Mar precipitation days = 9.5
|Apr precipitation days = 11.4
|May precipitation days = 12.6
|Jun precipitation days = 11.3
|Jul precipitation days = 9.6
|Aug precipitation days = 8.9
|Sep precipitation days = 7.3
|Oct precipitation days = 9.1
|Nov precipitation days = 8.5
|Dec precipitation days = 7.9
|year precipitation days =

|unit snow days = 0.1 in
|Jan snow days = 4.3
|Feb snow days = 3.6
|Mar snow days = 1.4
|Apr snow days = 0.3
|May snow days = 0.0
|Jun snow days = 0.0
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.0
|Oct snow days = 0.0
|Nov snow days = 0.8
|Dec snow days = 3.1
|year snow days =

| source 1 = [[NOAA]]<ref name= nws/><ref>
{{cite web
| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USC00131060&format=pdf
| title = Station: Burlington 2S, IA
| work = U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020)
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = June 25, 2021}}</ref>
}}

== Demographics ==
{{US Census population
|1850= 4082
|1860= 6706
|1870= 14930
|1880= 19450
|1890= 22565
|1900= 23201
|1910= 24324
|1920= 24057
|1930= 26755
|1940= 25832
|1950= 30613
|1960= 32430
|1970= 32366
|1980= 29529
|1990= 27208
|2000= 26839
|2010= 25663
|2020= 23982
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref><ref name=cen2020/>
}}
[[File:BurlingtonIowaPopPlot.png|thumb|right|alt=The population of Burlington, Iowa from US census data|The population of Burlington, Iowa from US census data]]

===2020 census===
As of the [[United States census|census]] of 2020,<ref>{{cite web |title=2020 Census |url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade/2020/2020-census-main.html |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> there were 23,982 people, 10,629 households, and 6,145 families residing in the city. The [[population density]] was 1,663.8 inhabitants per square mile (642.4/km<sup>2</sup>). There were 12,016 housing units at an average density of 833.7 per square mile (321.9/km<sup>2</sup>). The [[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|racial]] makeup of the city was 81.1% [[White Americans|White]], 9.5% [[African Americans|Black or African American]], 0.3% [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]], 0.9% [[Asian Americans|Asian]], 0.0% [[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]], 1.4% from other races and 6.7% from two or more races. [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] persons of any race comprised 3.8% of the population.

Of the 10,629 households, 25.6% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.5% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 8.7% were cohabitating couples, 32.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 21.3% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 42.2% of all households were non-families. 35.5% of all households were made up of individuals, 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older.

The median age in the city was 41.6 years. 24.2% of the residents were under the age of 20; 5.5% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 24.0% were from 25 and 44; 25.4% were from 45 and 64; and 20.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.4% male and 51.6% female.

=== 2010 census ===
As of the [[2010 United States Census|2010 census]],<ref name="wwwcensusgov">{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2012-05-11}}</ref> there were 25,663 people, 10,938 households, and 6,693 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|1772.3|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 11,899 housing units at an average density of {{convert|821.8|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 81.2% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 14.2% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.3% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.8% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.1% [[Race (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.7% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 2.9% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 3.1% of the population.

There were 10,938 households, of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.9% were married couples living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.8% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.89.

The median age in the city was 39.7 years. 23.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.6% were from 25 to 44; 26.5% were from 45 to 64; and 17.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.1% male and 51.9% female.

=== 2000 census ===
As of the [[2000 United States Census|2000 census]],<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=2008-01-31 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref> there were 26,839 people, 11,102 households, and 7,105 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|1,910.1|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 11,985 housing units at an average density of {{convert|853.0|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 86.6% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 10.0% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.33% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.66% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.04% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.90% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.43% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 2.06% of the population.

There were 11,102 households, out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.2% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.0% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 4.94.

Age spread: 24.5% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,770, and the median income for a family was $40,912. Males had a median income of $33,238 versus $23,003 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,450. About 10.0% of families and 12.6% of the population was below the poverty line, including 20.9% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.

== Economy ==
Burlington's roots are in transportation and manufacturing. Manufacturing plants are among the largest employers in the area, including companies such as [[Iowa Army Ammunition Plant|American Ordnance LLC]], [[CNH Global|Case Corporation]], ABB (formerly [[General Electric]]), [[Federal-Mogul|Champion Spark Plugs]], [[Shearer's Foods]] and Winegard Company. The largest employer in the area is the Great River Medical Center. Among the oldest businesses in Burlington, the Murray factory (now Murray Turbomachinery and owned by [[Dresser-Rand]]) which has been in operation in Burlington since before 1900, the original building on Central St. and Washington St. which was divided by the local train tracks, was recently razed. Another long-lived business is [[Case Corporation]], which has been at its current location on Des Moines Avenue, approximately a quarter-mile from the Mississippi River, since 1937. The first backhoes rolled off the assembly line at the Burlington plant in 1957, which is now the only plant in the United States that produces the Case [[backhoe loader|Loader/Backhoe]], giving Burlington the nickname "''Backhoe Capital of the World''". Case is now a division of the Italian holding group [[CNH Industrial]]. Employment at Case peaked in the 1980s, according to the [[Des Moines Register]], then declined after "Case initiated a wave of buyouts and early retirements in the 1990s and early 2000s, and ended the contract with the union in 2004"; but in May 2010, the ''Register'' reports, Case announced that "it will open a new line that builds corn-picker heads for combines, as early as [Spring, 2012]" and that by mid-2013 it will add more than 200 positions.<ref name="Des Moines Register">{{cite news| author = Belz, Adam| title = Factory town of Burlington working to remake itself| work = Des Moines Register| date = March 18, 2012| url = http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20120318/BUSINESS/303180064}}{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

Over the last several years, several businesses have either left the area or relocated elsewhere. These businesses include [[Exide]], makers of vehicle batteries, [[Caterpillar Inc.|CAT]], Case Corporation's closest competitor in American made construction equipment, and Lehigh-Leopold, makers of office furniture. This has left some former manufacturing plants around the city empty, but other businesses have moved into them; [[PPG Industries|PPG]], maker of auto safety glass has moved into the former CAT plant, and a warehouse has moved into the former Leopold building. In March 2012, the ''Des Moines Register'' reported that "Unemployment here is 7.6 percent, compared with the 5.4 percent state average".<ref name="Des Moines Register"/>

In 2022 Ben Jacobs of ''[[The New Republic]]'' wrote that the area's economy had more problems related to late 20th century [[globalization]] compared to that of [[Dubuque, Iowa]].<ref name=JacobsBenRepubIowa>{{cite magazine|last=Jacobs|first=Ben|url=https://newrepublic.com:443/article/166775/iowa-red-state-republican-party|title=How Iowa Fell in Love With the Republican Party|magazine=[[The New Republic]]|date=2022-06-28|accessdate=2023-05-28}}</ref>

=== Downtown Burlington ===
[[File:Capitol Theater - Burlington Iowa.jpg|thumb|right|Capitol Theater]]
The downtown area holds a number of buildings listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]], among them the Burlington Apartments (listed as the Hotel Burlington), the Burlington Railroad Depot, the Des Moines County Courthouse, the Burlington Fire Department central station, the Port of Burlington building, Memorial Auditorium, River Park Place (as Burlington Mercy Hospital), the former Burlington Police Department building. It is perhaps best known for Snake Alley, the most crooked street in the US.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Parrott|first=Jason|title=Burlington Police to Move to New HQ This Week|url=https://www.tspr.org/post/burlington-police-move-new-hq-week|access-date=2020-08-20|website=www.tspr.org|date=May 21, 2018|language=en}}</ref> (as Burlington Paper Company), [[Capitol Theater (Burlington, Iowa)|The Capitol Theater]], [[First Congregational Church (Burlington, Iowa)|First Congregational Church]], [[St. Paul's Catholic Church (Burlington, Iowa)|St. Paul's Catholic Church]] and several others. The downtown skyline is noted for its several church spires.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thehawkeye.com/e566f2f0-7c58-5c54-b782-644b99094d13.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610164720/https://www.thehawkeye.com/e566f2f0-7c58-5c54-b782-644b99094d13.html|archive-date=2020-06-10|access-date=2023-08-03|title=Burlington churches light up the night|date=2016-08-20}}</ref>

== Sports ==
[[File:Burlington community field1.JPG|thumb|right|The Burlington Bees play the [[Swing of the Quad Cities]] in this July 2004 game at Burlington Community Field.]]
[[File:SnakeAlley BurlingtonIA.jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[Snake Alley (Burlington, Iowa)|Snake Alley]]]]
Burlington is the home of the [[Burlington Bees]] baseball team, a member of the [[Prospect League]], a [[collegiate summer baseball]] league.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Levins|first=Matt|title=Baseball: Burlington Bees join the Prospect League|url=https://www.thehawkeye.com/story/sports/2021/01/13/baseball-burlington-bees-join-prospect-league/4154812001/|date=January 13, 2021|access-date=January 14, 2021|website=The Hawk Eye}}</ref> They were previously members of [[Minor League Baseball]]'s [[Class A (baseball)|Class A]] [[Midwest League]] until [[Major League Baseball]]'s reorganization of the minor leagues after the 2020 season.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Levins|first=Matt|title=Minor League Baseball: Bees lose Minor League Baseball affiliation, but baseball will be back in Burlington|url=https://www.thehawkeye.com/story/sports/2020/12/09/bees-lose-milb-affiliation-but-baseball-back-burlington/3863094001/|date=December 9, 2020|access-date=December 15, 2020|website=The Hawk Eye}}</ref> The Bees play at [[Community Field]], which underwent extensive renovation in 2005. The [[Burlington Babies]] first began minor league play in the city in 1889.

Burlington hosts the [[Snake Alley (Burlington, Iowa)|Snake Alley]] [[Criterium]], one of the most physically challenging races in the Midwest. The annual event is held on a 15-block course, with differences in elevation from 555 feet to 678 feet. The course is entirely on city streets, mostly in the downtown commercial area. A one-block-long climb is on the historic brick street named Snake Alley. The 276-foot-long Snake Alley has five switchbacks in a 60-foot climb. The average grade is 12.5 percent in that one block.

Burlington has been the finishing point for [[RAGBRAI]] twice. the annual bicycle ride that starts at the [[Missouri River]] in western Iowa and ends in eastern Iowa at the [[Mississippi River]].

Burlington is also the home of the Burlington High School and Notre Dame High School sports teams. Also in the Burlington area are the sports teams of Southeastern Community College, which have had a successful history, including three men's basketball national championships.

Many people living in the area support athletic teams from [[Saint Louis, Missouri]], differing from other parts of Iowa, which support other sports teams.<ref name=JacobsBenRepubIowa/>

== Education ==
Burlington is served by the [[Burlington Community School District]], which consists of five elementary schools, one intermediate school, one middle school, one [[High school (North America)|high school]] and one [[Alternative school|alternative high school]]. Private education is also available for kindergarten through 12th grade at [[Notre Dame High School (Burlington, Iowa)|Notre Dame Catholic School]] and [[Great River Christian School]] (GRCS).

In 1833 the first school facility for Burlington opened in a log cabin. School District No. 2 of the Township of Burlington was established on March 29, 1849.<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/19990819171726/http://www.burlington.k12.ia.us/HISTORY.HTML History]." Burlington Community School District. August 19, 1999. Retrieved on September 16, 2018.</ref>

The Burlington School District has five elementary schools: North Hill, Sunnyside, Grimes, Corse and Black Hawk. All are new buildings or have been recently completely rehabilitated, the newest, North Hill Elementary, received its first students in 2009, there are no elementary school buildings within the school district that are over 40 years old.{{when|date=September 2018}} The district has two middle schools: Edward Stone and Aldo Leopold. Beginning with the 2010–11 school year, students who had attended Oak Street Middle School (an aging building that was completed around 1907) began attending Aldo Leopold (named in honor of ecologist, and environmentalist, [[Aldo Leopold]], a former resident of Burlington, and author of "''[[A Sand County Almanac]]''"), the new school building is located near the corner of Sunnyside Avenue, and Roosevelt Avenue. Edward Stone, which opened at the start of the 2012–13 school year, is located near the corner of Lawrence Drive and Mason Road. The middle school was named in honor of former JPL head, and Burlington educated [[Edward C. Stone|Dr. Edward Stone]]. This building replaced the James Madison Middle School building, which has only been in the system since the mid-1960s. These two new middle schools were built to accommodate more students after a third building, Horace Mann, was gutted by fire in 2005.

[[Burlington High School (Iowa)|Burlington Community High School]] was constructed in 1968, and occupied the following year, with the first graduating class in June 1970. Prior to that, the high school students were educated at the former Apollo High School building located near the downtown business district; the building is still standing and for a time served as Burlington Alternative High School, but has been unoccupied since 1996. Notre Dame High School and Elementary schools occupy a building near the Burlington high school. Great River Christian Schools occupies the old Prospect Hill Elementary School building, 426 Harrison St. A third middle school building once existed on the edge of Perkins Park, named Horace Mann, that building was gutted by fire in 2005, and later razed. The school district offices are located near the corner of West Avenue, and White Street, in a large mansion once owned by Railroad tycoon [[Charles Elliott Perkins]], and is nicknamed "''The White House''", due to the whitewashed facade. The original High School building (which now serves as the School District Maintenance shops) is noted as being the first high school built west of the Mississippi River.

Burlington is also served by [[Southeastern Community College (Iowa)|Southeastern Community College]].

The [[Burlington Public Library (Burlington, Iowa)|Burlington Public Library]] serves the community.

== Media ==
Burlington, Iowa is served by the following local media outlets:
; Newspaper
*The Burlington Beacon is a community-focused local newspaper covering Des Moines County and southeast Iowa.
*''[[The Hawk Eye]]'' is a morning newspaper published six days a week.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Smith|first=Ellis|title=Following readers online|url=https://www.thehawkeye.com/news/20180411/following-readers-online|access-date=2020-08-20|website=The Hawk Eye Newspaper|language=en}}</ref> The paper was established in 1837 and is Iowa's oldest newspaper.
*Des Moines County News is a once a week newspaper.
; Radio
Burlington's radio stations include [[WQKQ]] 92.1 FM, [[KAYP]] 89.9 FM, [[KKMI]] 93.5 FM, [[KCDM]] 98.3 FM, [[KDMG]] 103.1 FM, [[KBKB-FM|KBKB]] 101.7 FM, [[KHDK]] 97.3 FM, [[KGRS]] 107.3 FM, [[KCPS]] 1150 AM, [[KBKB (AM)|KBKB]] 1360 AM, and [[KBUR]] 1490 AM. Burlington residents also listen to stations in nearby communities, most notably, the [[Quad Cities]].

; TV
Burlington previously had a local TV station, KJMH. It signed on August 2, 1984, from a tower on Winegard Drive. It also had studios in Burlington. Initially an independent station, it became a charter FOX affiliate in 1986, but suffered from duplication from [[KLJB]] in the Quad Cities. In 1996, the station became a full-time satellite of KLJB, and now operates as Quad Cities station [[KGCW]]. Today, those in the Burlington-Oquawka area receive local over-the-air programming from stations in the Quad Cities (the city's main television market), [[Quincy, IL|Quincy]], and [[Ottumwa, IA|Ottumwa]], including the stations listed below.
*[[WHBF-TV]] [[CBS]] Channel 4.1 (RF 4); Rock Island, IL (Quad Cities)
*[[KWQC-TV]] [[NBC]] Channel 6.1 (RF 36); Davenport, IA (Quad Cities)
*[[KHQA-TV]] [[CBS]] Channel 7.1 (RF 7); Hannibal, MO (Quincy, IL)
*[[KHQA-TV]] [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] Channel 7.2 (RF 7); Hannibal, MO (Quincy, IL)
*[[WQAD-TV]] [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] Channel 8.1 (RF 38); Moline, IL (Quad Cities)
*[[WQAD-DT3]] [[MyNetworkTV]] Channel 8.3 (RF 38); Moline, IL (Quad Cities)
*[[WGEM-TV]] [[NBC]] Channel 10.1 (RF 10); Quincy, IL
*[[WGEM-DT2]] [[The CW]] Channel 10.2 (RF 10); Quincy, IL
*[[WGEM-DT3]] [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] Channel 10.3 (RF 10); Quincy, IL
*[[Iowa Public Television|KIIN]] [[PBS]] Channel 12.1 (RF 12); Iowa City, IA
*[[KYOU-TV]] [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] Channel 15.1 (RF 15); Ottumwa, IA
*[[WTJR]] [[Christian Television Network|CTN]] Channel 16.1 (RF 32); Quincy, IL
*[[KLJB]] [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] Channel 18.1 (RF 49); Davenport, IA (Quad Cities)
*[[KWKB]] [[This TV]] Channel 20.1 (RF 25); Iowa City, IA
*[[Network Knowledge|WMEC]] [[PBS]] Channel 22.1 (RF 21); Macomb, IL
*[[WQPT-TV]] [[PBS]] Channel 24.1 (RF 23); Moline, IL (Quad Cities)
*[[KGCW]] [[The CW]] Channel 26.1 (RF 41); Burlington, IA (Quad Cities, studio in Rock Island)
*[[Iowa Public Television|KQIN]] [[PBS]] Channel 36.1 (RF 34); Davenport, IA (Quad Cities)

==Transportation==
===Roadways===
[[File:Great River Bridge Burlington Iowa 1997.jpg|thumb|right|[[Great River Bridge]] in Burlington]]
The town is served by [[U.S. Route 34 in Iowa|U.S. Route 34]], which is the freeway that bisects the city, and [[U.S. Route 61 in Iowa|U.S. Route 61]]. [[List of Iowa state highways|Iowa Highways]] 99 and 406 served the town before they were decommissioned in 2003. The two still exist as county roads.

===Transit===
Burlington Urban Service (B.U.S.) is a transportation system owned and operated by the City of Burlington. Routes service nearly all areas of Burlington, and nearly 90% of all residents live within three city blocks of a bus route. [[Burlington Trailways]] provides daily intercity bus service from its West Burlington hub.

===Rail service===
[[Amtrak]], the national passenger rail system, provides service to [[Burlington, Iowa (Amtrak station)|Burlington]], operating its ''[[California Zephyr]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amtrak.com/stations/brl.html|title=Burlington, IA (BRL) |work=amtrak.com|access-date=2023-08-03}}</ref> daily in both directions between [[Union Station (Chicago)|Chicago]], Illinois, and [[Emeryville, California|Emeryville]], California, across the bay from San Francisco. The older [[Burlington and Missouri River Railroad Passenger Station]] exists nearby and is also listed on the NRHP.

===Airport===
The [[Southeast Iowa Regional Airport]] ([[International Air Transport Association airport code|IATA code]] [[List of airports by IATA code: B#BR|BRL]]), is located about five miles south of downtown. [[Quad City International Airport]], the area's large international airport, is approximately 70 miles north of the city, in [[Moline, Illinois]].

== Notable people ==<!--consensus reached to standardize this heading per WikiProject Cities/US Guideline-->
<!-- NOTICE * * * NOTICE * * * NOTICE * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *NOTICE * * * NOTICE * * * NOTICE
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*[[Tony Baker (running back, born 1945)|Tony Baker]], played in the [[National Football League]], earned a [[Pro Bowl]] selection in 1969
*[[George J. Bauer]] (1871&ndash;1942), Illinois state representative
*[[Robert Bierstedt]] (1913–1998), influential [[sociologist]] at the [[University of Virginia]] and former president of the [[Eastern Sociological Society]]
*[[Tom Billups]], American [[rugby football|rugby]] player
*[[Harriet Connor Brown]] (1872-1962), writer and women's rights activist
*[[Wallace Carothers|Dr. Wallace Carothers]], inventor of nylon
*[[James Clarke (Iowa)|James Clarke]], Governor of [[Iowa Territory]], founder of the Iowa Patriot newspaper now called ''[[The Hawk Eye]]''
*[[John Corse|John Murray Corse]], [[American Civil War]] General
*[[Thomas G. Courtney|Thomas Courtney]], Iowa Senator
*[[Augustus C. Dodge]], [[United States Senate|United States Senator]] from Iowa
*[[Henry Dodge]] (1782–1867) United States Senator from [[Wisconsin]] and Governor of [[Wisconsin Territory]]
*[[Wayne Duke]], Commissioner of the [[Big Ten Conference|Big Ten]] and [[Big Eight Conference]]s
*[[Marion Howard Dunham]] (1842–1921), teacher, activist, suffragist
*[[Grace Durand]] (1867–1948), businesswoman and dairy owner in Illinois
*[[William Frawley]] (1887–1966), actor, best known as [[Fred Mertz]] on the ''[[I Love Lucy]]'' show
*[[James L. Green]], scientist, Director of the [[Planetary Science Division]] at NASA's Science Mission Directorate
*[[James Wilson Grimes]] U.S. Senator noted for being the swing vote in the [[Impeachment of Andrew Johnson|Impeachment of President Andrew Johnson]]
*[[Jack Hamilton (baseball)|Jack Hamilton]], [[Major League Baseball]] player from 1962 to 1969
* [[Serranus Clinton Hastings]], U.S. Congressman and founder of the [[Hastings College of the Law]] at [[University of California]]<ref>{{cite dictionary|url= http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=H000330|title= HASTINGS, Serranus Clinton, (1813–1893)|dictionary= Biographical Directory of the United States Congress |access-date= March 12, 2014}}</ref>
*[[Frank Hatton (US politician)|Frank Hatton]], [[United States Postmaster General]] and newspaperman
*[[Bart Howard]], composer and writer of the jazz standard "[[Fly Me to the Moon]]"
*[[Jimmie E. Howard]] (1929–1993), received the [[Medal of Honor]] in [[Vietnam War|Vietnam]], the [[USS Howard (DDG-83)|USS Howard]] is named in his honor
*[[John Hurlburt]] (1898–1968), NFL player
*[[James M. Kelly (astronaut)|James M. Kelly]], [[NASA]] [[Astronaut]], piloted the Space Shuttle's 2005 [[STS-114|Return to Flight]]
*[[Jack Kent (illustrator)|Jack Kent]], Illustrator of famous [[comic strip]], [[King Aroo]]
*[[Aldo Leopold]], naturalist and writer
*[[A. Starker Leopold]], author, [[zoologist]], and [[conservation movement|conservationist]]
*[[Everett Lindsay]], [[NFL]] player
*[[Steve Macko]] (1954–1981), baseball player with the [[Chicago Cubs]] during the 1979 and 1980 [[Major League Baseball]] seasons
*[[Arabella Mansfield]], first female lawyer in the United States.
*[[Robert J. Marshall]], President of the [[Lutheran Church in America]], 1968–1978
*[[Richard Paul Matsch]], [[United States federal judge]]
*[[John H. Mickey]], 17th governor of [[Nebraska]] from 1903 to 1907
*[[May Naudain]] (1881–1923), musical theatre and vaudeville singer
*[[Robert Noyce]], co-founder of [[Fairchild Semiconductor]] and [[Intel]], credited with the invention of the [[integrated circuit]] or microchip
*[[Kay A. Orr]], Governor of [[Nebraska]] and the first Republican woman governor<ref>{{cite web|url=  http://www.nga.org/cms/home/governors/past-governors-bios/page_nebraska/col2-content/main-content-list/title_orr_kay.html|title= Nebraska Governor Kay A. Orr|publisher= National Governors Association|access-date= October 6, 2012}}</ref>
*[[Matt Perisho]], [[Major League Baseball]] player
*[[Charles Elliott Perkins]] (1840–1907), railroad tycoon [[Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad]]<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofiowafro04gueb |title=HISTORY OF IOWA From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century|publisher=The Century History Company|last=Gue|first= Benjamin F.|year=1903|pages= [https://archive.org/details/historyofiowafro04gueb/page/212 212] Vol IV|access-date= 2011-06-01}}</ref> Perkins Park in Burlington was part of his estate
*[[George C. Remey]] (1841–1928), rear admiral of the U.S. Navy<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb__e0UAAAAYAAJ/page/n68/mode/1up |title=The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans |volume=IX |editor1-first=Rossiter |editor1-last=Johnson |editor2-first=John Howard |editor2-last=Brown |publisher=The Biographical Society |location=Boston |year=1904 |access-date=2022-06-07 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref>
*[[Mason Remey]] (1874–1974), religious leader of the [[Baháʼí Faith in the United States|American Baháʼí community]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stockman |first=Robert |year=1995 |title=Remey, Charles Mason |website=Baha'i Library Online |url=https://bahai-library.com/stockman_remey |access-date=2022-06-07}}</ref>
*[[William Butler Remey]] (1842–1895), Judge Advocate General of the Navy, 1880–1892<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82611100/sioux-city-journal-obituary-for-colonel/ |title=Col. Remey was an Iowan |newspaper=[[Sioux City Journal]] |date=1895-01-27 |page=12 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=2022-06-07}}{{Open access}}</ref>
*[[Matthew Rinker]] (born 1984), member of the [[Iowa House of Representatives]]
*[[George Scott III]] (1953-1980), punk bassist
*[[Edward C. Stone]] (1936-2024), director of the [[NASA]] [[Jet Propulsion Laboratory]] and the project scientist of the [[Voyager mission]] for 50 years (1972-2022)
*[[Elswyth Thane]], [[romance novelist]]
*[[Charles Wachsmuth]], [[paleontologist]]
*[[Kurt Warner]], NFL quarterback, twice named the [[National Football League]] Most Valuable Player and MVP of [[Super Bowl XXXIV]]
*[[Robert Watts (artist)|Robert Watts]], artist

== Sister cities ==
Burlington has one [[Town twinning|sister city]], as designated by [[Sister Cities International]]:
*{{flagdeco|Brazil}} [[Barbacena]], [[Minas Gerais]], Brazil

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== See also ==
*[[Crapo Park]]
*[[Burlington, North Dakota]] (named after Burlington, Iowa)
*{{USS|Burlington|PF-51}} [[Tacoma-class frigate|World War II frigate]] named after Burlington.
*[[Church of St. John the Baptist (Burlington, Iowa)|Church of St. John the Baptist]]
*[[Great River Bridge]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
{{Commons}}
{{EB1911 poster|Burlington (Iowa)}}
*{{Official website|http://www.burlingtoniowa.org}}

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{{Des Moines County, Iowa}}
{{Iowa county seats}}
{{Iowa public transit}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Burlington, Iowa| ]]
[[Category:Cities in Iowa]]
[[Category:Iowa populated places on the Mississippi River]]
[[Category:Cities in Des Moines County, Iowa]]
[[Category:Burlington, Iowa micropolitan area]]
[[Category:Former colonial and territorial capitals in the United States]]
[[Category:County seats in Iowa]]