Dubuque was headed for similar fate forty years ago. The city was controlled by old money, mom and pop business, old fashioned city government, an undiversified manufacturing base, and poor roads coming in and out of town. In 1981 alone Dubuque Hempstead's football program lost twelve players to relocation (including future Hawkeye Mark Spranger). The once vibrant downtown was decaying, the warehouse district was a wasteland, and the lower Main district was overrun with gamblers, bad actors, and seedy activities
Robert Kehl was the local entrepreneur who created the first rays of hope by seeing the river as a potential tourist attraction and put his reputation on the line when others were laughing in his face. In less than a decade he went from small diner owner to one of the most respected businessmen in the Midwest. Then in 1984 the city voted to use some of its own tax dollars to build a dog track. Riverboat casinos and four lane highways soon followed. In the 1990's and 2000's Dubuque diversified both business wise and demographically.
Now the downtown area has a diversified workforce, the warehouse district is teeming with apartments, condos, shops and dining options, and lower Main is a mecca for bars, restaurants, and local nightlife. The population has stabilized-not growing like Cedar Rapids or Iowa City but not declining like other river towns further south.
