Pella, Iowa

If you are a migrating bird passing over central Iowa and don't want to be minced by Dutch windmills as high as 15 stories, please choose a flight path to avoid Pella. Do you suffer from allergies? If you sneeze at the mere sight of gazillions of tulip flowers of every color of the rainbow, do not enter the city limits of Pella, Iowa. 

The Vermeer Mill in Pella is a fully functional 1850s-style windmill and grinds wheat into flour using only wind power. It is the tallest working windmill in the United States. The 1900 Pella Opera House features stained glass windows and ornate tin ceilings. A canal winds through nearby Molengracht Plaza, home to a number of shops, restaurants, lodging, a movie theatre, and a full-size working drawbridge. The annual Tulip Time festival is a celebration of Pella's Dutch heritage. The festival is held during the first weekend in May. A few miles to the west is Iowa's largest reservoir, Lake Red Rock (Des Moines River), a popular destination for biking, hiking, boating, and fishing. Pella Corporation is an American window and door manufacturing company and employs 41% of the town’s population. The company has been named by Fortune magazine as one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" for eight consecutive years since 2000. Central College is a private liberal arts college located in Pella. It is a four-year school affiliated with the Reformed Church in America, has a student body of approximately 1,700 and a 130-acre main campus. 

If you are searching for a clean, safe small town with beautiful architecture and an abundance of parks, this is your utopia. If you are passing through Iowa and only have time to see one town, Pella should be the one. EARNS OUR HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION.