The genus Acidithiobacillus includes iron-oxidizing lithoautotrophs that thrive in acidic mine environments. Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans is a representative species and has been extensively studied for its application to the bioleaching of precious metals. In our attempts to cultivate the type strain of A. ferrooxidans (ATCC 23270^T), repeated transfers to fresh inorganic media resulted in the emergence of cultures with improved growth traits. Strains were isolated from the resultant culture by forming colonies on inorganic silica-gel plates. A representative isolate (strain NU-1) was unable to form colonies on agarose plates and was more sensitive to organics, such as glucose, than the type strain of A. ferrooxidans. Strain NU-1 exhibited superior growth traits in inorganic iron media to those of other iron-oxidizing acidithiobacilli, suggesting its potential for industrial applications. A draft genome of NU-1 uncovered unique features in catabolic enzymes, indicating that this strain is not a mutant of the A. ferrooxidans type strain. Our results indicate that the use of inorganic silica-gel plates facilitates the isolation of as-yet-unexamined iron-oxidizing acidithiobacilli from environmental samples and enrichment cultures.