Dubuque is an upper Mississippi River town and old industrial center. The city retains a rich historic core with old Victorian brick buildings rising gradually away from the Mississippi waterfront. The town and its buildings have frequently served as a movie set. The waterfront has seen some new investments, including a new aquarium and a convention center. Economically, Dubuque is supported by a large John Deere plant and A. Y. McDonald, a producer of brass fittings, plumbing and heavy pipe works, also with an Anderson Windows plant and several smaller manufacturing facilities.

Dubuque has a few culture and entertainment amenities good for a town of its size including a symphony and theater company. Cost of living and housing are quite reasonable. The crime rate is low although and the economic base is stagnant. The area has extremely low ethnic diversity and is geographically isolated from many big city amenities, but is probably a better place to live than the numbers indicate.

The Mississippi River is shallow and about 1/4-mile wide at Dubuque. The surrounding terrain varies from gently rolling to the south and west to steep hills and bluffs around the city and along the Mississippi. The principal climate feature is variety. Summers have frequent change between hot, humid days with thunderstorms and cool, comfortable northerly air. Winters are quite variable with cold snaps driving temperatures well below zero. Historic temperatures range from –32 degrees to 110 degrees. Most precipitation occurs during spring and fall seasons, with snow falling as late as May and as early as September. First freeze is early October, last is late April.