Moving to Ottumwa, any advice?

[rck83]

There's the spirit....I Live in Southeast Iowa, and I am SO sick of hearing these negative posts. I have lived in the big city and traveled all over the world. People do not realize what a beautiful area southeast Iowa is. All it takes is the right attitude and the desire to suceed( the tools necessary anywhere.) I'm glad somebody can see things in a different light. The people who are posting these messages would probably not be happy anywhere.

[mesmoon]

Originally Posted by Deselminator

Actually, I'm quite certain that Decatur county is in fact the poorest county in Iowa. Unless something has drastically changed there in the past few years...and I doubt that's the case.

But to get back on topic...I would personally never, ever consider moving to Ottumwa. And coming from LA, I think you will find Ottumwa to be different in almost every way...the weather, the people, the lifestyle, you name it and you can bet it will be WAY different. LA and Ottumwa are worlds apart, if not polar opposites!

These two guys crack me up! Ottumwa is not Louisa Co posted by previous author quoted; nor can it be compared to Decatur Co. I'll tell you what the poorest county in Iowa is! It's Lee county and I've been told that by the townspeople!
I was born in Ottumwa, had Aunts and Uncles there, and grandparents.
I was raised in a bigger city in Iowa, but my mother liked the doctor there so well, she came back there to have me! So....what does that tell you?
Ottumwa is a great town, and it's all in how you look at it. It has it's up's and down's like any town, but I believe with all my heart it is one of the friendliest towns in Iowa. Even tho we lived elsewhere because of my dad's job, I still moved back and went to college there. Indian Hills is one of the best colleges in Iowa. Go there and ask some of the students where they are from! You would be surprised!
I had fun as a child visiting there and had fun as a college student, and have a lot of fond memories there. In fact, I am recently considering moving there myself! It feels like home, it's where my roots are. I'm sorry some of you have had bad experiences there, but believe me, I've lived elsewhere and feel I've had it worse! So think again about what you are saying, it's not as bad as you think until you live somewhere else!

[serate]

I grew up 10 min from Ottumwa and even lived there for 10 months. I've lived in West Burlington and most of my husband's family are in Lee county. Lee county is by far the poorest county in Iowa.