Iowa Highway 81 is a state highway that runs from south to north in southeastern Iowa

Iowa

Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

. It begins at the Missouri

Missouri

Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

 state line southwest of Farmington

Farmington, Iowa

Farmington is a city in Van Buren County, Iowa, United States. The population was 756 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Farmington is located at , on the east bank of Des Moines River....

, where it continues as Missouri Route 81 and ends at Iowa Highway 2 in Farmington. The route Iowa 81 takes has been in the primary highway system since the 1920s.

Route description

Iowa Highway 81 begins at the Missouri border, where it is a continuation of Missouri Route 81. The highway heads in a northeasterly direction from that point, passing by Indian Lake Park along the way. It ends at IA 2 on the west side of Farmington.

History

Prior to its current designation, IA 81 was part of the old IA 114. After January 1, 1969, IA 114 was decommissioned and it was renumbered as the present day IA 81. At the time of its designation, the highway was a fully paved road.

Major intersections