Moving to Ottumwa, any advice? (Burlington, West Burlington: colleges, live in, best)

[metro223]

Good point SharpHawkeye - I don't think a typical Iowan viewpoint on Ottumwa is anywhere near universal for the viewpoint on the rest of the state.

[El Rhino]

Originally Posted by WoodwardGirl

I'm biased against the town of Ottumwa because I went on a Truly World Class Bad Date Ever there once... I mean, my date and I were both living in Iowa City at the time and he took me to Ottumwa???? Oh, my. It was "feign death and maybe he will leave" material.
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What did you guys do in Ottumwa, go get a slice of pizza at Casey's and then maybe go do some burn-outs in Dairy Queen's parking lot?

[WoodwardGirl]

Originally Posted by El Rhino

What did you guys do in Ottumwa, go get a slice of pizza at Casey's and then maybe go do some burn-outs in Dairy Queen's parking lot?

No, it was worse than that, really. There was some alleged "disco" there but it was sort of a big, empty room and a guy with actual vinyl records that skipped a lot. The "Jailhouse" or something along those lines? Dinner beforehand was family-style at the guy's parents', which was nice -- you know, home-cooked meal for the college kids -- but it, too, was intensely odd... there was not enough room on the table for the food, so, once dishes had been passed, they were placed on the floor, where they were enthusiastically greeted by the family's 2000 or so cats. Nope, no seconds for me, thanks! Really, really nice guy... I think he has become a minister and has a large family of his own. No idea why the evening was so surreal, though. I have no right to blame Ottumwa for it, that's for sure!

[bungeebrain]

Originally Posted by WoodwardGirl

No, it was worse than that, really. There was some alleged "disco" there but it was sort of a big, empty room and a guy with actual vinyl records that skipped a lot. The "Jailhouse" or something along those lines? Dinner beforehand was family-style at the guy's parents', which was nice -- you know, home-cooked meal for the college kids -- but it, too, was intensely odd... there was not enough room on the table for the food, so, once dishes had been passed, they were placed on the floor, where they were enthusiastically greeted by the family's 2000 or so cats. Nope, no seconds for me, thanks! Really, really nice guy... I think he has become a minister and has a large family of his own. No idea why the evening was so surreal, though. I have no right to blame Ottumwa for it, that's for sure!

Is the Jailhouse even open anymore? I think it went to a stripclub and then closed. The last time I was in Ottumwa I think it was boreded up.
It's sad that dowtown died and they never revived it. I know they spruced up a lot of empty buildings but never put any buisnesses there.
That's the whole problem with the Ottumwa council instead of promoting actual buisnesses to come to town, they think something idiotic like planting flowers and decorating bridges is going to draw people to spend money there. Remember in the 80s when they closed off the main street downtown to make it a walking mall but they never bothered to put any buisnesses down there?I had a lot of fun in highschool in the winter running around the empty buildings having snowball fights.
Ottumwa needs to clean house and get the 80 something year olds out that have been making stupid decisions for the last 40 years and get some progressive thinking people in. Where I live now, downtown died just like Ottumwa but what my town is doing is making a lot of the downtown bulding into large loft apartments for the college students, and it's working.

[metro223]

Originally Posted by bungeebrain

Ottumwa needs to clean house and get the 80 something year olds out that have been making stupid decisions for the last 40 years and get some progressive thinking people in. Where I live now, downtown died just like Ottumwa but what my town is doing is making a lot of the downtown bulding into large loft apartments for the college students, and it's working.

The problem isn't that they are 80. There are plenty of elderly people who make great decisions for cities - including cities in Iowa. And I don't think a loft in Ottumwa is going to lure people, seriously. A loft downtown isn't the answer to everything.

[bungeebrain]

Originally Posted by metro223

The problem isn't that they are 80. There are plenty of elderly people who make great decisions for cities - including cities in Iowa. And I don't think a loft in Ottumwa is going to lure people, seriously. A loft downtown isn't the answer to everything.

Obviously they are not doing something right. Ottumwa has been going down in population since the 40s, and you would suggest what as opposed to a loft? Open up another Applebee’s or pizza hut on the south side of town and keep the same boarded up dilapidated buildings downtown that no one uses? Or hey! Maybe another bar! No I know, let’s fix up a bridge and shine pretty purple lights on it that will bring people from hundreds of miles away or build a water park and then charge everybody who makes an average of 6-7 bucks an hour a ton of money to get in. Or even spend millions of dollars (and may I add this was voted down at least once, but the city council just ignored it) to build a coliseum and think that big bands will travel there to play.
Ottumwa is essentially in the same economic state it was in the 1980s when I was a teenager, no good jobs nothing to do, and the same depressing unused property that has been there for years.
Using the taxpayer’s money to fix up empty buildings, plant flowers and build parking ramps in the middle of no where, that no one is going to use and turning down the few large companies that want to locate in Ottumwa is what I call making bad decisions, 80 years old or not.
The city council can't even keep the roads fixed and the sewers running. I have a ton of good memories from my childhood but realistically there is no reason to stay there once you get an education. If you want people to stay where they grew up and say positive things about the city that they live in then you inspire them to do something else then leave.

[emt6227]

I would not live there. It's nasty and worn down. Unless you wanna learn spanish or have fear of walking down the streets because of the gang activity and illegals with guns. These mongrols think they own the town spray painting stupid **** all over the businesses. The jobs sexually discriminate Fairfield Inn Hotel is a fine example of discrimination against males. People are mean and rude. There are always fights and drugs. The bars have nothing but trashy low life people who start fights in them or who are in gangs or support gang members.

[zz4guy]

Originally Posted by emt6227

I would not live there. It's nasty and worn down. Unless you wanna learn spanish or have fear of walking down the streets because of the gang activity and illegals with guns. These mongrols think they own the town spray painting stupid **** all over the businesses. The jobs sexually discriminate Fairfield Inn Hotel is a fine example of discrimination against males. People are mean and rude. There are always fights and drugs. The bars have nothing but trashy low life people who start fights in them or who are in gangs or support gang members.

It's not just Ottumwa, it's pretty much any town south of I-80. You might as well be in Missourri.

[serate]

Originally Posted by El Rhino

What did you guys do in Ottumwa, go get a slice of pizza at Casey's and then maybe go do some burn-outs in Dairy Queen's parking lot?

Casey's pizza is the BEST!!!!!! Dairy Queen - blech. *L*

Ottumwa isn't that bad. Lived there for 10 months, lived in the area for 20+ years. I've lived in better places, I've lived in alot worse places. If you have a job lined up no problem. If you don't have a job, don't move until you find one.

[danpokerpimp]

Originally Posted by Clint_Noname

Dude, the reason why people are so negative about Ottumwa is because there's virtually nothing positive about it...after all, no one wants to live in a town with a high crime rate, one of the worst public school systems in the state (and possibly the entire country), economic depression, and a dirty, run-down feel. Sure, each run-down house does have potential to be great once it gets restored, but how many people actually restore these houses? I really hate to sound negative, but Ottumwa is extremely unlikely to pull itself out of the black hole it's in right now...especially given that the area has nothing about it that businesses find to be attractive (except for an extremely low cost of living, but almost every economically depressed area has that).

And for those of you that still feel safe living in Ottumwa, check out the official FBI statistics. Trust me, they're not pretty, especially for such a small town.

my wife's dad is giving us a house on the other end of 40 acres....i think a lot of families giving old houses to there kids brings a lot of people to the town and I also plan on opening a few small bussines with some money i made here in nashville......its a free house. cant beat that. nice land with a creek. the drug laws carry mandatory minimum sentences of 5 to 25 years, dont sale pot here and for **** sake dont sell pot to a minor, 25 mandatory years in prison.