Dear Iowa,
After living here for the past four years, my wife Emily and I still can’t express the fondness we have for life in the Midwest. We traded a town of over 200,000 people – surrounded by equally sizeable suburbs – for a rural community of just over 2,000 people, who all share a passion for life and family. We no longer feel compelled to keep up with the Joneses or that every minute of the day is dedicated to the proverbial rat race. Our kids have begun to thrive here.
We’ve found solace in our children attending smaller schools, where they can receive one-on-one attention from teachers who really care. Our kids have explored so many activities that were less available in California. They’ve discovered passions for music, dance and other sports, and yet they still have time to do homework and hang out with friends. The amount of time not dedicated to sitting in traffic has expanded our possibilities in ways we never could have imagined.
Meanwhile, I have had the career opportunity of a lifetime I was able to turn my brewmaster hobby into a career and partner with the local brewery to create some amazing beers that the surrounding communities have grown to love.
To even further share the joy of living here, Emily secured a paraprofessional job at our local school, which has given her the ability to see our kids and spend more time with family.
The best part of having moved to Iowa? The cost of living. Because it is so much more affordable here, we were able to build our dream home in the countryside. And we can spend less time at work and more time being intentional with our friends, family and children and do the things we truly love.
Sincerely,
Stephen (and Emily) Stiles
After leaving California to attend Dordt University in Sioux Center, Stephen and Emily Stiles knew they wanted to call Iowa home someday. They returned to California, where they remained for a decade and had four children. After experiencing the chaos of Los Angeles’ suburbs as parents, Stephen and Emily (a Pella, Iowa, native) decided they wanted to raise their family in a smaller town, where their kids could “get dirty” and be part of a community. So, they returned to their Iowa college town, built their dream home and discovered dream jobs along the way.
