The Goosetown Neighborhood is in the north of Iowa City. It’s affectionately named Goosetown, because of the Bohemian immigrants who settled there in the 1850’s and kept geese in their yards. Goosetown is about a mile from downtown Iowa City, making it a very popular choice with buyers Relocating to Iowa City for the University of Iowa. East of the Iowa River, close to downtown is where you’ll find the older, period homes in Iowa City dating back to the 1800’s.
Goosetown is actually quite a narrow area on the map ranging between Brown St, (part of the Historic District) and E Bloomington St. To the left of it is the Northside Neighborhood and below it is the College Green Neighborhood. The best map I found showing the different Iowa City neighborhoods is on the City of Iowa City website. If you’re relocating to Iowa City you may want to check it out to see where the Goosetown neighborhood is relative to Campus and downtown Iowa City.
I enjoyed the photos-I grew up in Iowa City and had relatives that were Czech. The blue house in the photo above was the Hradek’s. I have fun tracking down photos on Google-many of which still stand. There are ~1500 homes built from 1900 to 1920 still standing and ~300 from 1850-1900. Glad you got acquainted with the area!
Glad you liked the photos Kandy. It’s nice to hear from someone who knows the Goosetown Neighborhood. These homes built in the 1800 and 1900’s have stood the test of time and some of them are really lovely. The City of Iowa City has some good rules in place too that make sure these historical neighborhoods maintain their character and charm. Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment. ~ Denise
My great grandparents settled in Goosetown after arriving from Bohemia in 1976. It was not affectionately called goose town, it was prejudicial. The inhabitants were called gypsies, suffered prejudice just like immigrants to this country. My grandmother would get upset when she talked about being called a gypsie. My great grandfather was a mason and worked on the foundation of many building including the Methodist church.
Thanks for stopping by Barbara. I’m sorry this article brought back poor memories for you. It appears the saying that the past is a different country is very true here. I wasn’t living in Iowa back in 1976 and that doesn’t sound at all like the Iowa City I know. Fortunately times have changed. I know the term Goosetown is used affectionately now. ~ Denise