Bellevue (/ˈbɛlvjuː/ BEL-vew) is a city in eastern Jackson County, Iowa, United States.

In 2020 its population was 2,363; up from a count of 2,191 at the 2010 Census, making it the second-largest and only growing city in Jackson County.

[5] The city lies in a valley created by two large bluffs (known as North and South Bluffs respectively), with the Mississippi River serving as the city's eastern border (the Illinois state border), and with the Mill Creek valley extending to the west.

Geographically, it is part of the southernmost region of the Driftless Area, a portion of North America that escaped all three phases of the Wisconsinian Glaciation.

The city attributes its name from the French words 'Belle' and 'Vue' meaning 'beautiful view', as well as an early settler, John D. Bell.

The unique history and architecture of Bellevue draw visitors year round, mainly from nearby large population centers (including Dubuque and Maquoketa).

The Bellevue War of 1840 gave the town an unsavory reputation and discouraged settlement in its aftermath.

The Town of Maquoketa then built a large city hall and offered to lease the building to Jackson County as a courthouse.

Spring is usually wet and rainy, summers are sunny and warm, autumn is mild, and winters are typically cloudy and snowy.

The prehistoric Woodland Native Americans made their homes in the fertile valleys where Bellevue lies.

Much later, so did the Thâkîwaki and the Meskwaki of which evidence can be found in the form of burial mounds high on the south bluff overlooking the river.

The European pioneers arrived as fur traders, farmers, and merchants looking to settle new land beginning in 1833; many floating across the Mississippi River on logs.

The spelling was later changed to the French, Belle Vue and in time the two words were united and the town became Bellevue.

Today, the Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa maintain ancestral attachments to the Bellevue area.

The high school underwent significant renovations in 2010, with the addition of a gymnasium, stage, cafeteria, student commons, locker rooms, Hall of Pride, and district offices.

[17] The district supports free preschool and grades PK-12, with a total enrollment of 765 students in the 2019–2020 school year.

US HWY 52 continues north to St. Donatus and Dubuque and south to Sabula, before entering Savanna, Illinois via the new Dale Gardner Veterans Memorial Bridge.

Historically, there were hundreds of river steamboats that stopped at the grand staircase that led from the higher Riverfront Park to the riverbank to transfer passengers and necessary goods.

The Mississippi River still is an essential route of economical transport for freight (with barges frequently passing), but no longer regularly carries commercial goods or passengers.

12 bisecting the river, these steamships occasionally stop to let off passengers to shop and eat at establishments along Riverview Drive as they wait to lock through.

The city offers multiple locations to launch vessels, including the Municipal Boat Ramp (found below Riverview Park at the intersection of State Street and Riverview Drive), Bellevue Public Area Ramp (found south of town along US HWY 52), and at the Pleasant Creek Recreation Area (found 4 miles south of town along US HWY 52).

Some small local airports in Maquoketa, Clinton, and Davenport serve small aircraft and agricultural purposes, with the nearest large commercial location being the Quad City International Airport in Moline, IL In the center of the town, there is an on-street running railroad used for long freight trains.