****Hi there retired, looking at Decorah IA as possible retirement location (Cedar Rapids: for sale, real estate)

[where to go]

Oh and for the op......my husband uses the VA but hasn't been to the one here yet. It seems small. Will report back on that one later

[KsStorm]

We are also thinking of moving to Iowa and Decorah sounds just about perfect for us! However we prefer a smaller town with access to a bigger city or town so what are the surrounding little towns like? What about blue collar work for my husband? What about health care I have a 7 year old with cerebral palsy and who is visually impaired& the healthcare is just horrible here in Kansas.

[GraniteStater]

^
I would also look at the Dubuque area as well. Might have more job opportunities and plenty of smaller towns nearby.

[steel03]

Do you mean you want a smaller town than Decorah or that you want a town the size of Decorah with better access to a city?

If you want a smaller town than Decorah in the same area, the main options are Cresco, Waukon, and Calmar.

If you want better access to a city, I second the vicinity of Dubuque. There are some very cute towns near Iowa City as well.

If you are willing to go into Minnesota, there are a bunch of great towns with good access to Rochester (which is of course a big hospital town with Mayo) and/or the Twin Cities: Austin, Owatonna, Northfield, and Faribault if you want a bigger town; Cannon Falls, Wabasha, Chatfield for a small town; there are tons of adorable little polka dot-size towns like Lanesboro all over southeast Minnesota.

[lily4]

As a retiree, I'd be interested in knowing how much the property taxes are and if there is good medical care close by. I checked and the housing prices seem reasonable. Also, how much does it cost to heat your home? How hot does it get in the summer. Do you need to run air conditioning? These are all very important considerations to a retiree.

[steel03]

I only went to college there so I can't say much about property taxes. There is good medical care in town and Decorah is only 90 minutes from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

You will definitely need air conditioning in the summer. I suppose you could get by, but you won't want to. There are a few dorms at the college that still aren't air conditioned, and I can tell you those first few weeks of school can be brutal.

Summers are normally in the 80s with moderate humidity, occasionally it will dip into the high 70s or rise into the 90s or even 100s.

[lily4]

Originally Posted by steel03

I only went to college there so I can't say much about property taxes. There is good medical care in town and Decorah is only 90 minutes from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

You will definitely need air conditioning in the summer. I suppose you could get by, but you won't want to. There are a few dorms at the college that still aren't air conditioned, and I can tell you those first few weeks of school can be brutal.

Summers are normally in the 80s with moderate humidity, occasionally it will dip into the high 70s or rise into the 90s or even 100s.

Thanks for the information. I'm surprised that it gets that warm in the summer. I guess it gets hot pretty much everywhere in the summer except for some areas on the coasts. I haven't lived where it snows a lot since I was a child, so don't know how I'd do in that type of weather. I've lived where you get a dusting of snow a couple of times in the winter. Just enough to be fun. I hear lots of older people talk about how much they hate the cold winters in the northern states and they're used to it. I don't know if I'm too big of a wimp to take the cold weather.

It's good hear that there is good medical care in Decorah. It's nice that the Mayo Clinic is relatively close by, as well. Thanks again for your reply.

[KsStorm]

Is there ample Natural places to escape to near Decorah? I must have woods, lake(s), places to escape Humans... Otherwise it sounds just wonderful!

[601halfdozen0theother]

The Decorah area is beautiful with lots of options for hiking (in both woods and fields), canoeing, fishing, and etc. The Mississippi river is just a hop away.

Check out:

Effigy Mounds National Monument Effigy Mounds National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)
Yellow River State Forest Yellow River State Forest
The Upper Iowa River http://www.thinkdecorah.com/winneshi...-photo-gallery
Cardinal Marsh Cardinal Marsh State Wildlife Area, an Iowa wildlife located nearby Decorah
and etc.

Bear in mind that the Decorah area is full of us aging hippies and Liberals! Someone who is very conservative or who belongs to one of the more fundamentalist christian denominations would probably not enjoy living here.

Interestingly enough, property taxes are lower in the area just over the border in Minnesota. Home prices are lower, too. (I'm talking specifically about taxes and prices in Fillmore and Houston counties.)

[KsStorm]

Originally Posted by 601halfdozen0theother

The Decorah area is beautiful with lots of options for hiking (in both woods and fields), canoeing, fishing, and etc. The Mississippi river is just a hop away.

Check out:

Effigy Mounds National Monument Effigy Mounds National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)
Yellow River State Forest Yellow River State Forest
The Upper Iowa River http://www.thinkdecorah.com/winneshi...-photo-gallery
Cardinal Marsh Cardinal Marsh State Wildlife Area, an Iowa wildlife located nearby Decorah
and etc.

Bear in mind that the Decorah area is full of us aging hippies and Liberals! Someone who is very conservative or who belongs to one of the more fundamentalist christian denominations would probably not enjoy living here.

Interestingly enough, property taxes are lower in the area just over the border in Minnesota. Home prices are lower, too. (I'm talking specifically about taxes and prices in Fillmore and Houston counties.)

Lol.. I don't anticipate a problem.