Quailty of life in small Iowa towns

[treehugger22]

I am a 19 year old female who recently moved from Iowa Falls, IA to Ankney, IA. I grew up very close to Eldora. My advice is DONT DO IT. Seriously. A good portion of the youth from there is into meth and other illegal drugs. Teenage pregnancy was outrageous and I always hear of teenagers getting jumped. I know it's a small town and you wonder how this could be, but Trust me. I think with a town that small, idle hands is the devils work, so to speak. Iowa Falls is a great small town. Safe, cheap and friendly. Not to mention the parks are beautiful.

[DMRyan]

What's upsetting is that what you stated could very well be the case in much of rural Iowa. Let's be honest, there's a lot of poverty in rural Iowa (rural America really). There's only so many well-paying jobs to go around in a small town, which leaves an entire class of people who are likely not highly educated and are really struggiling. Who are the most susceptable to things like drug use and teenage pregnancy? Those in poverty.

[minnimouse]

Wilton is also a well kept town of 2500 people more or less.

[AmeliaJohn]

Eldora. Clean, well-kept. The courthouse square is postcard stuff.

Iowa Falls will grow and hopefully catch up with the "new" highway expansion, but it still seems out of the way and far behind the times. Not so much a place as an annoyance.