Elma, Iowa

Moving to Elma?

We hope you'll visit us virtually on this website as well as in person sometime soon!  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.  2022 dates for this festival are Friday-Saturday-Sunday, July 8th, 9th & 10th.

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.  

Have you ever dreamed of owning your own business?  Entrepreneurial opportunities abound here! 
If you have an in-home business and are looking to expand to a store front, if you have a business idea but not sure how to begin, contact the Elma City Clerk (phone 641-393-2543 email elmacityclerk@gmail.com) or The BRIDGE Organization Inc. (phone 641-229-7063 or email elmaia@mchsi.com) and we'll put you in touch with the right people to bring your business dreams to fruition. 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 roundtrip 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.

Housing

Realtors serving the Elma area

Burke Real Estate
124 N. Elm Street
Cresco, IA 52136
Phone:   563-547-2554
 
Cedar Valley Iowa Realty
6 East Main Street
New Hampton, IA 50659
Phone:     641-394-3071 or 641-394-9018
OR
218 N. Elm Street
Cresco IA 52136
Phone:  515-341-3367

Country Life Realtors
Steve & Julie Linderbaum
201 2nd Avenue, SW
Cresco IA 52136
Phone:  641-330-8358

First Choice Realty
Pat Schwickerath, Realtor
105 E. Main Street
New Hampton, IA 50659
Phone:  647-394-2500

Focus Real Estate
Joanne Heying, Realtor
951 N. Linn Avenue, Ste #2
New Hampton, IA 50659
Phone:  641-330-3859

Govern Farms & Homes
109 E. Main Street/P.O. Box 116
Riceville, IA 50466
Phone:  641-985-4030

Kolbet Realtors
1429 Main Street/P.O. Box 245
Osage, IA 50461-0245
Phone: 641-732-3337

Additionally, click on these links to housing programs, which may help you in your home purchase or re-model:

http://www.elmaia.com/uploads/site/Housing%20Brochure%2C%20page%202.jpg

Schools

Schools

Elma has a Preschool Program for 3-year-olds at  319 Oak Street.  The Director is Sarah Brophy, who can be reached at  Phone: 641-393-2028

Additionally, Elma offers a free Wisdom & Wellness Summer Youth program at the school building each June; contact the EECC for details 641-393-2028.

The Elma community is part of the Howard Winneshiek Community School district, which provides elementary-high school education including bus transportation to these buildings:
Crestwood Elementary (K-6th grade center) 1000 4th Street, east   Cresco, IA Phone: 563-547-2340
Notre Dame Catholic School (1-6th grade center) 221 2nd Avenue, east   Cresco, IA Phone: 563-547-4513
Crestwood Middle School (7th-8th grade center) 1000 4th Street, east   Cresco, IA Phone: 563-547-2340
Crestwood Senior High (9th-12th grade center) 1000 Schroder Drive   Cresco, IA 52136 Phone: 563-547-2764

Additionally, private busing is available to neighboring Riceville Community School District:
Riceville Elementary, Middle & High School 912 Woodlawn Avenue (K-12th grade center)
Riceville, IA Phone: 641-985-2288

Also serving the area with busing coming near Elma is the New Hampton Community School District:
New Hampton Elementary & Middle School 206 W. Main Street (K-8th grade center) New Hampton IA Phone: 641-394-5858
New Hampton High School 710 W. Main Street (9-12 grade center) New Hampton, IA Phone: 641-394-2144
St. Joseph's Community Schools (1-8th grade center) 216 N. Broadway Avenue New Hampton, IA Phone: 641-394-2865

Howard Winneshiek hw-video

Services

Churches, Libraries, Museums

Churches:

Elma United Methodist Church, Services 7:30 a.m. Sunday
Pastor Paula Hemann
207 Plum Street
Elma, IA 50628

Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, **Mass 7:15 a.m. Sunday
Fr. Jerry Kopacek
207 7th Street/PO Box 38
Elma IA 50628
Phone: 641-393-2520
see cluster website link for this church below

St. Paul's Maple Leaf Lutheran Church, Services 8:30 a.m. Sunday
Pastor Jeff Jacobs

13431 Howard Avenue
Elma, IA 50628
Phone:  641-393-2527

St. Peter Lutheran Church, Services 9:00 a.m. Sunday
Pastor
107 Wood Street
Elma IA 50628
Phone:  641-393-2558  

**Note, IC Church in Elma has a rotating schedule, so every 5th Sunday there will be no Mass at this location (such as NO Mass May 13...)                                                                                                                                                               

Libraries:

Elma Public Library
710 Busti Avenue
Elma, IA 50628
Phone:  641-393-8100

Museums:    

Elma Railroad Museum
South Busti Avenue
Elma, IA 50628
Open 2:00-4:00 p.m. Memorial Day-Labor Day or by appointment, call 641-393-2618, 641-393-2539 or 641-393-2679

Elma Schoolhouse Museum
North Busti Avenue
Elma, IA 50628
Open 2:00-4:00 p.m. Memorial Day-Labor Day or by appointment, call 641-393-2618, 641-393-2539 or 641-393-2679                                                         

Trailhead Welcome Center
(Public restrooms and tourism information inside) 
North Busti Avenue
Elma, IA 50628
Open 8:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m., 7-days/week Memorial Day-Labor Day and weekends only as weather allows into the Fall

Holy Rosary Cluster

Utilities

City water, sewer & garbage service-contact the Elma City Clerk's office @ 641-393-2543

Electricity
-in town contact Alliant Energy @ 1-800-ALLIANT (255-4268)  (www.alliantenergy.com)
-rural
contact Hawkeye R.E.C. of Cresco @  563-547-3801

Garbage
Weekly, curbside trash pick-up is provided by Jendro Sanitation using their carts/totes.  Trash is collected every Friday morning and curbside recycling is provided for pick-up every other Friday.
Customers may purchase a trash cart/tote from the Elma City Clerk
Carts are available in 3 sizes; 35 gallon for $27/2 month billing cycle
                                                        65 gallon for $30/2 month billing cycle
                                                        95 gallon for $33/2 month billing cycle

Internet Providers:
LTD Broadband @ 507-369-6669 
Mediacom @ 866-637-2225
MiEnergy Cooperative @  www.mibroadband.com
Omnitel @ 877-666-4932
Windstream (formerly Iowa Telecom) 877-901-4692

LP-contact Innovative Ag Services in Elma @ 641-393-2260   (www.innovativeag.com)

Phone contact Windstream @ 877-901-4692   (www.windstream.com)

Television:
Mediacom Cable 866-637-2225
Direct TV Satellite @ 877-259-0476
Dish Satellite @ 877-901-4692

Telephone:
Mediacom @ 866-637-2225
Omnitel @ 641-749-2531
Windstream @ 877-901-4692     

Rent & Utilities Assistance
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