Relocating to Ottumwa (Fairfield, Centerville, Albia: jobs, health, home)

[Iowa Bound]

Hey there good people. I am possibly relocating to Ottumwa. I currently live in a major city. Can I get some feed back on the city. I would like to know all of the pros and cons. Thanks for your help everyone!

[idontknow]

Oh my... I use to work for the Railroad and took trains from the Quad Cities to Ottumwa so I know a little about the area and you couldn't pay me to live there. A friend of mine lives there and he hates it. If your coming from a major city you'll definately go into culture shock. If I were you I'd visit before I made such a major move.

[bungeebrain]

I'm with the other poster, I'm from Ottumwa and there is nothing there, no jobs nothing to do a complete snore. Don't move there, especially if your coming from a major city.

[WoodwardGirl]

Iowa Bound, why are you considering the move? Is it to be close to family? Is it because you really want to live in the country and have inherited some land there?

What do you like about living where you are now? What do you do in your spare time? If it is not something you can bring with you, like blog on your computer or sew quilts, how important is it to you to still be able to do whatever it is?

What do you dislike about living where you are now?

Rather than having a knee-jerk reaction of "Oh, you don't want to live THERE," maybe we should find out a little more about what Iowa Bound is looking for?

[SharpHawkeye]

PROS:
-beautiful S. Iowa landscape
-friendly people
-vibrant Latino community
-plenty of outdoor activities (hunting/fishing/ect.)
-slower pace of life

CONS:
-economically depressed city (compared to the rest of Iowa)
-many parts of town dirty and run down
-few cultural opportunities (although this might improve with their new arena)
-practically zero nightlife
-dead downtown (or at least in critical condition)

My thought on Ottumwa is that it's a no-win kind of place. It's too big to have a real comfy "small-town Iowa" feel that a lot of the nearby communities have--i.e. Albia, Centerville, Bloomfield, Fairfield, ect. At the same time, it is too small and economically depressed to offer the amenities of a larger city.

I'm originally from the area and as much as I would like to recommend Ottumwa to people, I can't in good faith. I'm not bashing Ottumwa just to bash it...it's just not a healthy city right now.

[bungeebrain]

Originally Posted by SharpHawkeye

PROS:
-beautiful S. Iowa landscape
-friendly people
-vibrant Latino community
-plenty of outdoor activities (hunting/fishing/ect.)
-slower pace of life

CONS:
-economically depressed city (compared to the rest of Iowa)
-many parts of town dirty and run down
-few cultural opportunities (although this might improve with their new arena)
-practically zero nightlife
-dead downtown (or at least in critical condition)

My thought on Ottumwa is that it's a no-win kind of place. It's too big to have a real comfy "small-town Iowa" feel that a lot of the nearby communities have--i.e. Albia, Centerville, Bloomfield, Fairfield, ect. At the same time, it is too small and economically depressed to offer the amenities of a larger city.

I'm originally from the area and as much as I would like to recommend Ottumwa to people, I can't in good faith. I'm not bashing Ottumwa just to bash it...it's just not a healthy city right now.

I still have to agree with you. Ottumwa would be ok if you had a decent paying job, it does have a slower pace and compared to where I live now crime in negligible, but if your coming from a major city you will hate it.
I went back to visit my parents last year and was ready to go back after two days. My suggestion would be to visit for at least a solid week and try to get a feel for the place. It’s a great retirement community but after growing up there I can safely say there is no chance that I personally would ever move back.

[krindee]

I live in Bloomfield and am near Ottumwa. That's the way I like it. I can live in a nice, pretty, quiet town, that's safe and good for children, but I can go to Ottumwa to buy groceries occasionally, go to Wal Mart or to the mall and then return to my wonderful small town. Nothing better! Ottumwa is a beautiful town, but there are several rough areas and I would not like to see my children walk home from town. It is a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.

[zz4guy]

My college roomie was from Ottumwa and hated it. Middel of nowhere and nothing to do. I would not move there as a single person, especially coming from a big city. Actually, I wouldn't even come to Iowa if I wasn't already here.