WAPELLO
4 • THE SOURCE 2026
WAPELLO
WAPELLO COUNTY, the 20th-largest county by population in Iowa, is home to one of the state’ s most popular small tourist destinations— the American Gothic House outside Eldon. But the county offers more than the famed home associated with a painting by Iowa artist Grant Wood.
Ottumwa, the county seat and regional hub, has taken major steps in recent years to transform the community, particularly areas along the Des Moines River. In early 2023, the City Council approved a $ 77 million master plan for Greater Ottumwa Park, marking what could be the most significant transformation of the city’ s outdoor landscape in decades. The plan, or portions of it, will be completed in phases over several years. The first major project, a stateof-the-art soccer complex, opened last summer.
The city, along with the Ottumwa Regional Legacy Foundation, has also launched a phased riverfront revitalization known as Market Street Landing. The first phase included the installation of steel arches above Market Street on the north end of the Market Street Bridge, along with the opening of a new all-wheels skate park in Sycamore Park. The next phase— an inclusive play space east of Market Street— is currently under construction. A housing development is anticipated west of Market Street in a later phase.
Ottumwa is also advancing its Mission 500 housing program, which aims to address what city leaders describe as the“ missing middle”— affordable housing for middleincome individuals and families. The goal is to construct 500 housing units by 2032 to help ease the community’ s housing shortage.
Wapello County is known for its rural parks as well. The county received a Destination Iowa grant that tripled the number of campsites at Pioneer Ridge Nature Area, which offers fishing and other outdoor recreation and also hosts special events such as weddings. In addition, the stateof-the-art JBS Southeast Iowa Sports Center opened last year, enabling youth tournaments to be held in Ottumwa, enhancing residents’ quality of life through multiple sports programs, and providing facility rentals for corporate events and private gatherings.
Ottumwa was also an overnight stop during the 51st running of RAGBRAI— the Register’ s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa— in 2024, marking the event’ s first stop in the community since 2016. The ride drew cyclists from multiple continents, with approximately 18,000 riders passing through the city. The event was estimated to have generated about $ 800,000 in local revenue. It marked the fifth time RAGBRAI stopped in Ottumwa since its inception in 1973, with riders also passing through Agency and Eldon.
The Ottumwa Community School District has invested heavily in its facilities. The start of the 2025-26 school year brought the opening of a new competition gymnasium connected to the high school by a skywalk. Varsity sports are now played in the new facility, ending more than 70 years of competition at Evans Junior High School. The district has also reconfigured grade levels at the high school and south-side buildings to provide a more personalized educational experience by maintaining smaller student populations.
Indian Hills Community College continues to add facilities as part of a bond referendum approved by voters in 2021. The college is completing its final project— a student wellness center near several athletic facilities— which is expected to open later this year. Recent additions also include a new academic center at the Centerville campus, a criminal justice center on the north campus near the Ottumwa Regional Airport, and major renovations to the fine arts facility on the main campus in Ottumwa.