Bellevue is well located for travellers who wish to view the upper reaches of the Mississippi River. It is in the easternmost part of Iowa, overlooking the river at water level. It's a small town; it has about 2200 people (as of the 1990 census), and its populated area is about ten blocks long and five blocks wide.
Flooding is an occasional problem there. Major floods occurred in 1993 and 2001, when the Mississippi River rose high enough to thinly cover the ground and flood basements for several square blocks downtown. However, the houses have no precautions against flooding, unlike on the lower Mississippi, where houses are all built on stilts. When flooding occurs, residents put up sandbags, and take their belongings to higher ground in advance.
Attractions
A little known fact about the upper parts of the Mississippi River; it is as wide as the lower Mississippi, but only 9 feet deep1. The United States Government works hard at keeping it that deep, to support riverine navigation, and even then, special low-draft boats are required. They maintain 16 lock and dam facilities north of St Louis to force the water into a navigation channel. Bellevue is home to the 12th of these, counting from north to south. The facility is not open to tourists. Though it is not well marked against trespass, it is guarded, and all trespassers will be forcibly escorted off the premises2.
Bellevue also has a state park. Part of the park is on a bluff on the south side of the town, and offers a spectacular view of the river. The park also has a public boat launch for the river. At one time the park had a lodge, but this was not evident in 2001.
Travel Guide
Many residents of Bellevue commute to nearby Dubuque, which is a thriving metropolis, but thoroughly working class. Bellevue is 15 miles southeast of Dubuque which is trying to enhance its tourism with riverboat gambling3. People can be found in Dubuque who look down on Bellevue, which only has a nice riverfront view to offer. People can be found in Bellevue, who think that's more than enough. The town's tourist brochures call it 'Iowa's best kept secret'.
Bellevue is very affordable to travellers. It has two hotels, both family operated, if you count a bar-room which rents rooms upstairs as a hotel. If you say 'I'm staying in the hotel' while you're in town, they'll think you're in the motel out on the outskirts. Prices are in the order of $50 per room.
Restaurants in Bellevue tend to be storefront diners or bar-rooms which offer microwave pizza. Arguably the best restaurant in town is a family pizza place; it cooks its own pizza from scratch, offers a full bar, and does a lively business. Prices are cheap; a dinner entrée is typically $5 or less (at time of writing), and 75-cent draft beer is not uncommon.
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