Sioux City and the surrounding areas of northwestern Iowa, northeastern Nebraska and southeastern South Dakota are sometimes referred to collectively as Siouxland.

The city is also home to Chris Larsen Park, commonly referred to as "the Riverfront", which includes the Anderson Dance Pavilion, Sergeant Floyd River Museum & Welcome Center and Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center.

Iowa is in the tallgrass prairie of the North American Great Plains, historically inhabited by speakers of Siouan languages.

The first documented US citizens to record their travels through this area were Meriwether Lewis and William Clark during the summer of 1804.

[6] The city gained the nickname "Little Chicago" during the Prohibition era due to its reputation for being a purveyor of alcoholic beverages.

[7] On July 19, 1989, United Airlines Flight 232 crash-landed at Sioux Gateway Airport, killing 112 people, but 184 survived the crash and ensuing fire due to outstandingly quick performances by fire and emergency local teams.

[11] Sioux City borders two states, South Dakota to the west-northwest and Nebraska to the west.

[1] As is typical of Iowa, Sioux City has a humid continental climate, with very warm, humid summers, cold, dry winters, and wide temperature extremes; it is part of USDA Hardiness zone 5a.

The average window for freezing temperatures is October 1 through April 26, allowing a growing season of 157 days.

[21] The city has significant minority populations of West Africans, Somalis, Ethiopians, Vietnamese, Mexicans, and Guatemalans.

As defined by the Office of Management and Budget, the counties comprising the metropolitan area are (in descending order of population): Sioux City has a crime rate that is 91% higher than the average for Iowa and 63% higher than the national average.

Statistics from Sioux City's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report[25] Golf courses, city parks, and aquatics: Sioux City is also home to several municipal public golf courses, including Floyd Park in Morningside, Green Valley near the Southern Hills, Sun Valley on the northern West Side, and Hidden Acres in nearby Plymouth County.

[33] Because of sprawl, districts around Sioux City continue to grow at dramatic rates.

South Sioux City, Hinton, North Sioux City, Lawton, Bronson, Elk Point, Jefferson, Vermillion, Le Mars, Hawarden, Akron, Westfield, Ponca, Sergeant Bluff, Wayne, Sioux Center, along with other school districts that serve many metro-area students.

Buses transfer downtown in the Martin Luther King Jr. Transportation Center at 505 Nebraska Street.

[36] The city is served by Sioux Gateway Airport (SUX) 6 mi (9.7 km) to its south where United Airlines' affiliate SkyWest Airlines has announced it plans to discontinue the one flight per day each to Chicago and Denver it currently offers.

[38] Jefferson Lines runs long-distance bus routes to Sioux City.

Non-Transfer destinations include Winnipeg, Kansas City, Minneapolis, and Omaha.