Downtowns In Iowa's Towns

If you live in a town in Iowa, then you have likely driven through the downtown area. Many towns in Iowa are wondering what to do with their downtowns. They are wondering how to invigorate them, inspire development and bring people back. Towns like Mason City are facing this very dilemma as development has surged westward and left the downtown district struggling. This struggle continues despite a relatively new Music Man Square, a large mall and a facelift for central park. Mason City's leaders are pointing to success stories like Charles City, a smaller town east of Mason City that has seen its downtown come back to life after years of slow times. Another example of a thriving downtown area in Iowa, on a much larger scale, is Des Moines. There are major new developments coming to Des Moines and people are actually flocking to the downtown area to live AND work there. Of course it doesn't hurt to have a brand new freeway system rolling by your downtown. A lot of smaller Iowa towns do not have this luxury. They must make do with what they have. It takes ingenuity on the part of local leaders in these smaller towns to jump start a downtown area that is not what it should be. This should be a priority to anyone with a sense of history, as the downtown area of most small towns is a defining characteristic that is unique and makes the town what it is year after year. What is the condition of your downtown?