The sprawling University of Iowa spills across the Iowa River and into Downtown Iowa City: the Main Library, the Engineering Library, the English-Philosophy Building, the College of Education, and the University of Iowa Museum of Natural History are all in the Downtown neighborhood. As a result, Downtown Iowa City is filled with students in backpacks walking to class. This is most definitely Hawkeye country, and the neighborhood is covered in black and gold. During college football season, you'll find many residents heading across the river to Kinnick Stadium to cheer on the Iowa Hawkeyes.

With its wide sidewalks, outdoor cafes, and numerous bicycles parked in bike racks, Downtown Iowa City is a great place to live, often topping "best" lists for livability and as one of the nation's best college towns. Shops and restaurants fill the historic architecture, and cobblestone streets add an old-world elegance to the district.