Decorah: A Great Place for a Co-op
A rarity in rural Iowa, Decorah combines small town living—including plenty of open spaces—with the rich cultural life of a much larger town. We are a regional center with excellent health care, a wonderful college, and lots of public land to explore.
Music and Visual Arts
Northeast Iowa is the home of some great music, including our very own Contratopia (a contra dance band), Footnotes (Scandinavian music), and Maritiza (music from the Balkans, and Eastern Europe.) In addition to these home-grown bands, musicians often travel to town to play before appreciative audiences.
This area is also home to many visual artists. Regionally known artists tours in April (Bluff Country) and October (Northeast Iowa Studio Arts Tour) bring many art lovers to NE Iowa to see high quality ceramics, painting, weaving, basketry, iron work, and wood carving, all done by local artists who open their studios for these events.
Luther College
Luther College offers a wide range of activities, including a yearly Center Stage Series that brings nationally known talent—music and dance—to the area. The College offers a full spectrum of athletic events, an excellent library, several lecture series, and faculty and student music recitals.
Outdoor Recreation
For those who like the outdoors, the Driftless Bioregion (our area) offers the most public land available in Iowa. Winneshiek and Allamakee counties are known for great trout fishing, while hiking and biking are popular in the city parks and trails of Decorah as well as in county and state parks. Our area provides outstanding hunting as well, and canoeing between towering bluffs on the Upper Iowa River can’t be beat.
