Editing Allamakee County, Iowa (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Allamakee Co IA Pie Chart No Text Version.pdf|thumb|right|Soils of Allamakee County]]
[[File:Private_land_Alamakee_Co_Wiki_Version.jpg|thumb|Soils of private land in Allamakee County]]
According to the [[United States Census Bureau|U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|659|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|639|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|20|sqmi}} (3.0%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{Cite web |date=February 12, 2011 |title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990 |url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html |access-date=April 23, 2011 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>

In the northern part of the county is the [[Upper Iowa River]]. In the southern part is the [[Yellow River (Iowa)|Yellow River]]. The eastern boundary is the [[Mississippi River]]. All offer scenic and recreational opportunities, particularly in [[Yellow River State Forest]].

French Creek flows north of Waukon, outside the city limits. [[Paint Creek (Iowa)|Paint Creek]], named after [[Paint Rock Bluff]], flows out of the south of Waukon. Norfolk creek originates in the western outskirts of Waukon and is effluent to the [[Yellow River (Iowa)|Yellow River]]. [[Clear Creek (Allamakee County, Iowa)|Clear Creek]] flows into [[Lansing, Iowa|Lansing]]. [[Village Creek (Allamakee County, Iowa)|Village Creek]] flows through essentially rural terrain. All are tributary to the [[Mississippi River]].

The landforms encountered in the county are very unlike those found in most of Iowa, which is mostly absent [[Glacial Drift]]. As part of the [[Driftless Area]], the county was ice free during the last [[Wisconsin glaciation|ice age]], and as one progresses to the Mississippi River, the streams and rivers display high-walled canyons carved of [[Silurian]] period bedrock. This Driftless Area also includes parts of Clayton, Fayette, Winneshiek, Howard, Dubuque, and Jackson Counties.<ref>[http://www.iowadnr.com/forestry/yellowriver.html Iowa DNR site on Yellow River State Forest] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070714135713/http://www.iowadnr.com/forestry/yellowriver.html |date=July 14, 2007 }}</ref>

===Major highways===
*[[File:US 18.svg|x20px]] [[U.S. Route 18 in Iowa|U.S. Highway 18]]
*[[File:US 52.svg|x20px]] [[U.S. Route 52 in Iowa|U.S. Highway 52]]
*[[File:Circle sign 9.svg|x20px]] [[Iowa Highway 9]]
*[[File:Elongated circle 26.svg|x20px]] [[Iowa Highway 26]]
*[[File:Elongated circle 51.svg|x20px]] [[Iowa Highway 51]]
*[[File:Elongated circle 76.svg|x20px]] [[Iowa Highway 76]]

===Adjacent counties===
*[[Houston County, Minnesota]]  (north)
*[[Vernon County, Wisconsin]]  (northeast)
*[[Crawford County, Wisconsin]]  (east)
*[[Clayton County, Iowa|Clayton County]]  (south)
*[[Winneshiek County, Iowa|Winneshiek County]]  (west)
*[[Fayette County, Iowa|Fayette County]]  (southwest)