Graettinger, IA

united states

Graettinger is a small farming town in north-central Iowa, about 20 miles from the Minnesota border. Highway 18 runs east-west through town, connecting to Spencer and Algona, while Highway 4 heads south to Emmetsburg. The area's gently rolling prairie supports extensive corn and soybean farming. Each August, the town plants thousands of sunflowers along the highway approaches for its annual Sunflower Festival, creating spectacular yellow corridors that greet arriving visitors.