Chester, IA

Chester sits right along the Upper Iowa River near the Minnesota border, tucked into the rolling bluffs of northern Howard County. It is a quiet, close-knit river community where life revolves around the outdoors, with easy access for paddling and fishing as well as nearby hiking at Hayden Prairie. Local kids attend Howard-Winneshiek schools, and neighbors gather in the park each June for Old Settlers Day, a weekend filled with food, crafts, and tractor shows. It is a relaxed, scenic place to settle down if you want genuine small-town quiet surrounded by farmland and open water.