The Cheapest Beautiful Towns To Live In Iowa

Iowa’s affordable towns put big scenery within reach of modest housing budgets. Fort Madison and Burlington face the Mississippi, while McGregor sits beneath Driftless Area bluffs near Pikes Peak and Effigy Mounds. Maquoketa leads into limestone caves and prairie trails. Oskaloosa reaches Lake Keomah, and Webster City follows the Boone River. Fairfield adds a 16-mile trail through woods, wetlands, and lakes.

Fort Madison

Fort Madison is one of the cheapest towns in Iowa as far as housing prices are concerned. Zillow reports an average home value of $115,851 in Fort Madison, far below Iowa’s statewide average of $241,255. Fort Madison takes its name from a U.S. military post established in 1808, while the Lee County Fair is held in nearby Donnellson and traces its history to 1841. Trails in Riverview Park follow the Mississippi past the Old Fort Madison replica, which is currently closed for revitalization except on limited event dates and by appointment, as well as a steam locomotive and the Santa Fe Bridge. The town is also home to the Sheaffer Pen Museum, which preserves the history of these writing tools.

Burlington

Burlington is a Mississippi River town that takes full advantage of its riverfront through scenic parks and an unusually crooked street that has earned national attention. That attention hasn't increased housing prices. Burlington has an average home value of $128,940, about $112,000 below the statewide average. In Burlington, one can walk through the historic Riverside Park, which was the base for many riverboats that would flow down through the city, or the unusually named Mosquito Park. No one knows quite where it got the name, although residents have joked that there must have been giant mosquitoes they had to fight off in the early days. Today, the park sits on a bluff and is a great place to view bald eagles.

Another unusually named spot in Burlington is Snake Alley, billed by Ripley's Believe It or Not! as the most crooked street in the world, with five half curves and two quarter curves dropping down a hill between a residential district and the commercial district below. In that commercial district, one can enjoy a variety of places to eat, such as La Boheme.

McGregor

McGregor is widely regarded as one of the most scenic towns on the border of Iowa and Wisconsin due to its tall river bluffs. It sits in the Driftless Region of Iowa, since no melting glaciers drifted through here at the end of the last ice age. As a result, its hills are still standing, especially at Pikes Peak State Park, where a 500-foot bluff (the tallest on the Mississippi) looks out over the river and the town. Residents can enjoy these views without breaking the bank.

The average home value of $143,949 in McGregor keeps the town well below Iowa’s statewide average. McGregor is also close to Effigy Mounds National Monument, named after the more than 200 Native American mounds left behind in the upper Mississippi Valley. The town is ideal for readers, who can pick up vintage books from Rivertown Fine Books or the Paper Moon bookstore.

Maquoketa

Maquoketa is a spelunker's paradise, with access to more caves than any other Iowa state park. Residents do not have to live in a cave to save money; Maquoketa’s average home value is $207,381. Maquoketa Caves State Park has a six-mile trail system that runs past 13 caves, including Dancehall Cave, the park's largest, which a visitor can walk through mostly upright. One can also find unusual rock formations, such as a Natural Bridge that stands 50 feet in the air. Another beautiful site in Maquoketa is the Prairie Creek Recreation Area, featuring woodlands, limestone bluffs, and tallgrass prairies reminiscent of the old days of the Great Plains. In downtown Maquoketa, one can spend time at a show at the Ohnward Fine Arts Center or browse local art at the Old City Hall Gallery.

Oskaloosa

Oskaloosa is a community that appreciates both its Native and pioneer heritage, with a prominent statue of Chief Mahaska, a leader of the Iowa tribe, in the center of its downtown. Just outside town is the Nelson Pioneer Farm & Museum, where Daniel and Margaret Nelson settled in 1843 and which now preserves the history of rural pioneers in Mahaska County. Newcomers can find relatively affordable housing in Oskaloosa, where the average home value is $196,349. They can also visit Lake Keomah State Park, a 366-acre property surrounding an 84-acre lake with wooded and marshy habitat for bullfrogs and blue herons, or shop for antiques at Timeless Treasures Corner.

Webster City

Webster City is built around the Boone River and prides itself on its riverfront, featuring cabins, hiking trails, and historical reenactment parks. Webster City has an average home value of $157,359, keeping its housing costs well below the Iowa average, leaving residents with extra money to enjoy downtown shops such as the women's boutique Osweiler's Fashions or the Country Twist Boutique. Some of the best things to do in Webster City are free of charge, such as hiking along the paved 5.7-mile Boone River Trail, which begins at Nokomis Park and runs to Briggs Woods Park and features several points where you can take a canoe out onto the river itself. The city also contains the Wilson Brewer Historic Park Village, a living history center featuring log cabins, a courthouse, a one-room schoolhouse, a train depot, and other historic sites.

Fairfield

Fairfield is an under-the-radar community that is surrounded by rare environments and habitats. To the southeast are Zillman's Hickory Hills, a 46-acre preserve that attracts migrating monarch butterflies in fall, and Lamson Woods, a roughly 43-acre woodland preserve. To the northeast is Pleasant Lake, a spot to enjoy fishing or hiking. One can explore just about all of Fairfield's natural environments through the 16-mile Fairfield Loop Trail. The Fairfield Arts & Convention Center presents music, comedy, and theater, while the Carnegie Historical Museum displays artifacts connected to Fairfield and Jefferson County. Housing also remains relatively affordable in Fairfield, where the average home value is $161,997.

Great Scenery and Prices to Boot

No one wants to move into a town where the home prices are low, but the scenery is dull. All of these communities beat that stereotype through their hiking trails and scenery, which run the gamut of rare prairies, cave systems, and the towering river bluffs of the Driftless region. What one can see varies by town, but every community here shares a median home sale price below the state figure, letting folks settle down without disrupting their budgets.