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Iowa City, Iowa packs about 79,000 people and the University of Iowa into one tight, walkable river town where campus and city share a backyard. The Hawkeyes pull big crowds to Kinnick Stadium and Carver-Hawkeye Arena, while Hancher Auditorium keeps the arts side busy. This is a UNESCO City of Literature, home to the Iowa Writers' Workshop, so the bookish streak runs deep. Most students cluster downtown around the Pedestrian Mall and in the older Northside and Goosetown neighborhoods, with the Iowa River cutting right through the middle. You'll find riverfront green space, gameday tailgates, and a downtown that actually feels like one. Living off campus here is the norm, and the whole town is built for students who want to walk out their door into everything.
Right on the Pedestrian Mall, steps from class and nightlife, and suited to students who want zero commute.
The classic older student pocket, walkable and full of houses and small apartment buildings just above campus.
Near the hospital and Finkbine, working well for med, dental, and health-science students who live close to that end of campus.
Here's what you need to know about getting around Iowa City.
Iowa City Transit runs more than a dozen routes across town, Cambus covers campus and the hospital area, and Coralville Transit connects the neighbors, all of it fare-free. Downtown and the Northside put most classes within a few blocks of each other and the routes. A car helps if you're heading to Coralville, North Liberty, or out of town, but for daily campus life plenty of students skip it. The fare-free systems make transit an easy default.
Downtown and the Northside are genuinely walkable, with short blocks, the Pedestrian Mall, and most classes within a few blocks of each other. The grid is flat and compact, so biking works well, and the riverfront trails give you a clean route across town. Students living close in handle daily trips on foot. Cycling covers the longer stretches easily.
A car helps if you're heading to Coralville, North Liberty, or out of town on weekends, but for daily campus life plenty of students skip it. Downtown and Northside parking is tight, so weigh that before bringing a car. The outer neighborhoods like Coralville offer easier, more plentiful parking. Many renters near campus get by without a car entirely.
Common questions from students searching for housing.
It depends on the neighborhood and how many roommates you split with, but shared two-to-four-bedroom places near campus often land around $500-$700 per person per month. Solo studios and one-bedrooms downtown run higher, frequently in the $900-$1,300 range, since you're paying for the location.
Browse student housing near each Iowa City-area university.