Ten years ago, I was given the opportunity to interview for a job in Ottumwa, IA. Being from Iowa originally, I was anxious for the chance to come back to the Hawkeye State. Our plan was to arrive a little early, so we could see the town before the interview. We came to Ottumwa on the east side of town, and proceeded to drive through the downtown area. It amazes me when I think back to what the downtown looked like ten years ago versus today. As we continued our drive, I specifically remember turning to my wife and saying, “Well, there is that opportunity in Springfield, IL.” Had my visit ended there, we may have never moved to Ottumwa.
After we went through the downtown area, I proceeded to my interview. The interview went very well, I was just disappointed that Ottumwa didn’t appeal to me anymore. My wife had set up an appointment with a realtor so we could look at houses that day. I had no idea how much impact this would have on my decision to move here. Our realtor did a wonderful job of not only showing us the homes that we were interested in, but also did a very good job talking to us about the town and its amenities. It changed our minds from “Absolutely not” to “Ok, we’ll give it a try.”
Since then, we have decided to make Ottumwa our home, not a stop on the way to somewhere else. How ironic that I now get to introduce people to Ottumwa and help reassure them that this is a great place to live. One of the things I find most appealing about living in Ottumwa, is that we are becoming a community that is no longer saying things are “good enough.” There are good people here that are challenging us to go further and to be better, and we are starting to see some of the fruits of their labors. Though we still have a long way to go, I feel we are on the right path and am excited to be a part of it.
