Striving to foster a vibrant neighborhood where everyone feels welcome.

Connecting residents for a better style of living.

Welcome to the Gibraltar Neighborhood Association website. We are so proud of our historic neighborhood, and our residents work hard to make it a great place to live! In fact, in 2016, we were awarded a National Second Place for “Neighborhood of the Year” in the Neighborhoods, USA (NUSA) National Competition (under the “Social Revitalization” category), beating other neighborhoods from around the country!! (Learn more about NUSA at www.nusa.org).

The Gibraltar Neighborhood Association (GNA) encompasses a large number of homes and businesses in an area east of the Council Bluffs public library. Our approximate boundaries are from the top of 5th Avenue on the east, 4th Street on the west, and 9th Avenue on the south edge all the way north to St. Peter’s church! (You can view an actual MAP of the Gibraltar Boundaries on the “Etc.” page.)

Our neighborhood includes the Willow/Bluff/Third Street Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. For a comprehensive description of the many historic homes in the district, click here. 

So, how did we get our name? One of the most striking formations of the Loess Hills once stood at the southeast corner of 5th Avenue and 3rd Street. Standing at least 250 feet high, this large dirt formation was known as Gibraltar. According to “Silent Hills Speak, History of Council Bluffs” (by William E. Ramsey and Betty Dineed Shrier), “The tower cliffs of Gibraltar (likely named for the global landmark at the entrance of the Mediterranean Sea) were an area fixture in the neighborhood for as long as early residents can remember.” Our Association logo is derived from early photos like the ones shown below (scroll through the images to see how the mound changed over the years!).