Denison District Court serves as the district court of Crawford county and is in the Third judicial district of Iowa. Us 30, US 59, SR 39 and SR 141 run from throughout the county to converge in Denison.

The spirit of Denison and Crawford county is announced to the world in bold letters on its water tower; "It's A Wonderful Life." It doesn't hurt that Donna Reed, a native of Denison, starred in the film by that name. There is even a Donna Reed theatre and Donna Reed Film society. There are a wealth of parks in and around Denison for all to enjoy. Yellow Smoke park just East of Denison covers over 300 acres for RV and tent camping, fishing, swimming and hiking and Sunset park has area for fishing and picnicking. In town there are parks with playground equipment, shelters, softball backstops, basketball courts and a castle mega playground in addition to the Little League complex, Northside Recreation complex, Tuckers pond and the Denison Aquatic Fun center with an indoor lap pool, outdoor pool, children's pool, slides into separate splash pools, sauna and spa. The Neal Moeller Nature Center has exhibits and various displays to inform visitors to the various aspects of the local environment.