Originally written shortly after Christmas 2019, then fell down the line. You will see why that’s important. — Ed.
July 26, 2016: Joice is 11 miles from the state line and half an hour from the nearest Wal-Mart (Albert Lea and Mason City).
At the beginning of the decade, though I hadn’t really crystallized the plan, I was in the middle of a 14-year quest to visit every incorporated community in Iowa.
Now, going by my most recent visits to all locations, I visited all but 80 Iowa towns in the 2010s. Of those, only five have a population above 2000, and only seven are in the area bordered by US 20, I-35, I-80, and the Mississippi River. For Ruthven, Lehigh, and Templeton — all unseen since 2003 — I’ll be back for better pictures someday.
I didn’t quite “compress” my timeline to a decade, but 850-plus isn’t shabby at all. I mean, revisiting Riverton AND Ridgeway AND nearly every town on IA 10 is not just something I can do on a whim.
In the past three years, I’ve been to all but 13 counties. My least-recently-visited four (Lyon, Sioux, Wayne, and Appanoose) are all border counties from my circumnavigation.
July 15, 2014: Oyens, Plymouth County (recycled from this post).
Do I have a list of Iowa towns I would like to live in if I didn’t have to worry about employment or access to a four-lane road? You betcha. Am I going to share it? Nope.
Unfortunately, at the moment, the near future isn’t looking great travel-wise. I have had some notable expenses, and the car isn’t getting any younger. I really need to plow some money into savings before the next recession (or worse).
UPDATE 7/29: So, about that recession (or worse).