Move to Elma

We like to think of ourselves as the best little bedroom community in Iowa. We offer all the peace and quiet of a small town, yet only a 20-30 minute drive to major employers, hospitals, and shopping venues in ALL directions. We have many small town businesses including a bank, gas stations, convenience store, meat locker, groceries, pre-school & early childhood center, medical clinic and soon an ambulance service, churches, nursing home and assisted living facility, public library, restaurants, bars, car & truck wash, auto sales, cement plant, funeral home, feed stores, custom furniture craftsmen, hair stylists, grain elevator, lumber yard, auto repair, plumbing/heating & air conditioning sales & service and post office. Added in 2013 is a new community wellness center. Additionally we have such Mennonite businesses as concrete & construction, hardware, furniture, woodworking,dry goods, bulk grocery, greenhouse, produce/flower auction house and retail stores. We have an annual town celebration the second weekend in July, Elma Trail Days, and celebrated the town's 125th birthday in 2011 with expanded entertainment options for this Elma Trail Days festival.

The Elma community is a progressive one! Partnerships among the Elma City Council, The BRIDGE Organization Inc., other charitable/non-profit entities, and local business owners keep the town thriving and expanding. Plans are underway to revitalize Busti Avenue (the main business district), to re-purpose the former elementary school building & grounds as well as development of an Elma Industrial Park.

Elma currently has a 5-mile recreational trail, Old Roundhouse Trail, which goes past Lylah's Marsh recreation area for fishing enthusiasts. This trail is now connected to the Greater Wapsi Line going into Riceville IA, McIntire and beyond for a 54 mile round trip ride! Needed in the Elma community is lodging facilities (anything from a bed-n-breakfast to campgrounds), coffee shops, tea room, diners, a bike repair & sales shop, bakery, fishing, tackle, & bait shop, antiques, gifts, knick-knacks or other touristy shops to meet the demand of tourists anticipated with this recreational trail expansion.