Buc-ee’s has continued adding locations beyond Texas and the South, with new stores opened or approved across the Midwest and nearby regional corridors. Iowa, however, remains one of the clearest gaps on the chain’s map, even as neighboring states move forward with their first Buc-ee’s projects.
Buc-ee’s has expanded nearby, but not into Iowa
Buc-ee’s confirmed on its website that it operates a growing national network of travel centers, and local officials in Missouri marked the company’s first store there on December 11, 2023, in Springfield. The City of Springfield says that location opened at 3284 Beaver Road, making Missouri the nearest current Buc-ee’s state for many Iowa drivers. Local coverage at the time described the Springfield site as a 53,000-square-foot store with 120 fuel pumps.
That regional footprint has kept growing. In Wisconsin, Oak Creek officials and local television outlets reported that plans for the state’s first Buc-ee’s moved forward in 2025, with a roughly 73,370-square-foot travel center near Interstate 94 and Elm Road and about 120 pumps. In Nebraska, widely reported development plans for Gretna call for a 74,000-square-foot store with about 100 fuel pumps, placing another first-time Buc-ee’s project close to Iowa’s western edge.
What has not happened is an Iowa announcement. Buc-ee’s has not listed any Iowa location on its official site, and no Iowa city has publicly confirmed a signed Buc-ee’s development agreement. That leaves Iowa outside the chain’s current and publicly announced footprint even as adjacent states add stores or advance approvals.
Iowa’s clearest push is coming from Norwalk
The most visible Iowa effort has come from Norwalk, south of Des Moines. We Are Iowa reported that Mayor Tom Phillips launched a petition in 2025 to bring Buc-ee’s to the city, arguing that Norwalk’s position near Interstate 35 makes it a practical stop for the company’s first Iowa location. The campaign centered on a proposed area near Fillmore Street and I-35.
That effort matters because it is one of the few public, named Iowa recruitment pushes tied to a specific site concept. According to the reference reporting provided for this story, Phillips said in late July 2025 that Buc-ee’s was building in Missouri and Wisconsin and asked why Iowa had been skipped. The same reporting said the petition quickly drew hundreds, then thousands, of signatures as city leaders promoted it.
Even with that public push, key facts remain unconfirmed. Buc-ee’s has not announced an Iowa store, has not released a timeline for entering the state, and has not publicly endorsed the Norwalk proposal. The company also has not published a full list of future Iowa targets, because no such list is publicly known. For now, Iowa’s Buc-ee’s conversation is being driven more by local advocacy than by a formal company filing or groundbreaking date.
Site size, traffic patterns and competition help explain the gap
Buc-ee’s expansion model offers part of the explanation. Company materials describe Buc-ee’s as a large-format travel center operator, not a typical corner gas station, and recent Midwest proposals show the scale involved. The Oak Creek project alone is planned at more than 73,000 square feet, while Springfield opened with 120 pumps and Gretna’s reported plans call for roughly 100 pumps. That kind of project requires major interstate access, large parcels, utility capacity and local approvals.
Iowa has the highway network for that kind of development, especially along Interstate 80 and Interstate 35. But the available record still does not show Buc-ee’s committing to a specific Iowa parcel. That suggests the issue may be prioritization or site assembly rather than a public rejection of the state. In other words, Iowa appears to be unchosen, not formally ruled out.
For residents, the practical takeaway is straightforward. Iowa still has no confirmed Buc-ee’s location today, while nearby states continue to move projects ahead. Unless Buc-ee’s announces a deal or local officials disclose a signed development plan, Iowa travelers will keep looking to Springfield now, and eventually to Gretna or Oak Creek, for the closest Buc-ee’s stops.