Dubuque and surronding town information (Asbury, Epworth: apartments, to rent, houses)

[lynn4959]

Moving to Dubuque!

We are relocating to Dubuque, IA and need some information! We have 3 kids with 2 in school. We are from a small town of about 6000 and think Dubuque might be just a little on the big side for us. Are there any surrounding towns that have a small town atmosphere and are nice to live in. How are the schools? My husband would be driving north of Dubuque. Any information on would be greatly appreciated!

[DBQer]

Hi Lynn.

You'll be happy to know that the schools in this area are rather exceptional when it comes to student performance, course offerings, class sizes, etc... and that goes for BOTH public and private institutions.

I think your family would be highly satisfied with most of Dubuque's public, and ALL of its private schools. Please keep in mind that the Dubuque Community School District serves not only city residents, but also those within a 5-7 mile radius on 3 sides (including a few as far away as Clayton and Jackson counties!) My point is that not all public school students are city dwellers. If you're looking for more of that rural-type school district, consider the Western Dubuque School System.

The school systems:

Dubuque's Public Schools
Dubuque's Catholic Schools
Dubuque's Lutheran School
Western Dubuque Schools

How they perform:

Schoolmatters.com

As far as towns are concerned... some of the more popular choices for families include Asbury and Peosta, both among Iowa's 10 fastest-growing cities. Each has their own grade school, and each is within easy commuting distance of shopping areas etc, yet are both still suburban/small-townish.

If you want to be a little farther out... I'd take a look at Epworth. It has ~1,600 people, and its own grade school and high school. It's about 10-12 miles west of the city.

Welcome to Dubuque, and let me know if you have any other questions! Good luck!

[lynn4959]

Thanks!!

I have been checking out both the DubuquePublic School system and the Western Dubuque school system on the web. Both seem like good choices. I worry a little about how we would feel in a bigger school system. My oldest has one more year before hitting middle school. She only currently has about 150 kids in her graduation class. Dubuque is much bigger.

Have you seen the apartments in Peosta? We need to rent until our home sells here. I left a message and no one called me back yet. We really don’t need anything special. Just something to rent for awhile.

Does the Western Dubuque schools have a good reputation?

[DBQer]

Originally Posted by lynn4959

I worry a little about how we would feel in a bigger school system. My oldest has one more year before hitting middle school. She only currently has about 150 kids in her graduation class. Dubuque is much bigger.

I completely understand what you're saying. The larger school systems are not for everyone, and you sound like you would definitely feel more comfortable in the Western Dubuque system. For two years running now... the America's Promise Alliance has named the city of Dubuque as being among the nation's "100 Best Communities for Young People." What I'm saying is that there is a committment to youth both in the city and across the area, and you'll be fine whichever school district you choose. New elementary schools have been built in the last 5 years in Epworth, Peosta, and Asbury, so you can see where the young families are living at!!

Originally Posted by lynn4959

Have you seen the apartments in Peosta? We need to rent until our home sells here. I left a message and no one called me back yet. We really don’t need anything special. Just something to rent for awhile.

I think you're referring to the Evergreen Meadows complex there, and yes, I have seen them. Unfortunately, apartments are going to be hard to come by in Peosta. Practically the entire town is single-family homes!! If I were you, I'd also give equal consideration to any listings you'd find in Asbury or the west side of Dubuque. The complexes will be larger, of course, but the choices and availability are much greater also.

AccessDubuque.com apartments

^^^ Check out the listings above. Anything that says "Asbury" "West End" or "West Side" in the listing is going to be your best bet.

Originally Posted by lynn4959

Western Dubuque schools have a good reputation?

Absolutely. Don't worry on this one. The WD schools enroll many farm kids and those from the small towns across the western 2/3 of Dubuque Co... Peosta, Epworth, etc... The only downside as I see it is this: there only 2 high schools and 2 middle schools in the system, and because the population is rural & spread out (over 550 sq. mi.!), you may do quite a bit of commuting to and from the schools. Even then, it won't be that bad, however.

Keep the questions coming if you have any more...

[lynn4959]

Thanks Again! That really is a lot of help! We are going to check out the area this next weekend. If we rent a apartment in one school district I’m going to need to buy a house in the same one so the kids are not switching schools. I think they would be more comfortable in the Western Dubuque system. Can’t wait to check it out! I’ll let you know if I have anymore questions!

[DBQer]

Lynn,

Was just out in Peosta today on some business... Be sure you give the Parkview Apartments a call (563) 542-2097. They are in a brand new subdivision, and only one block away from the grade school and the community center there! Also... you'd be in the Western Dubuque School District.

I'm not sure if there's any vacant units left in the building, but from what you've said... this sounds like it'd be perfect!

Good luck.

[lynn4959]

Thanks Again for your help! It looks like we sold our house and won’t be needing to rent an apartment. So, now we are going up this weekend to look at houses. There was only one house in Peosta in our price range and it’s pending. We will be looking in the surrounding towns and inside Dubuque.

[itlady]

AccessDubuque.com is a crock. I signed up so I could view apartment listings and all it wants to do is send them to my email. There wasn't anything even listed for me to add to a wish list.
I don't want my inbox cluttered with any more emails. I prefer to view them when I want to view them by going to the website when I want to go. I'm a busy professional with lots of emails to read already. It's a poor welcome for anybody trying to information gather BEFORE they move.

[saucyjack]

I need an apt in Dubuque too. Let me know if you find any.