Manilla, IA

Set among the rolling farmland of Crawford County in western Iowa, Manilla is a quiet rural community with deep railroad roots. The town got its start in the late 1880s as a bustling junction for the Milwaukee Road, quickly turning open prairie along the West Nishnabotna River into a lively hub for travelers and freight. Today, you can still see that history preserved in its classic downtown street grid and local railroad museum, giving the town a distinct sense of character that sets it apart from many other small Midwestern farming towns.

ATTRJoe Mabel / CC BY-SA 3.0

For anyone considering a move, Manilla offers an affordable, tight-knit lifestyle with plenty of small-town charm. Students attend the consolidated IKM-Manning school district, and residents enjoy a relaxed pace with local parks, a community golf course, and easy access to nearby regional hubs like Denison and Carroll. The town also makes it easy for newcomers to put down roots, offering generous incentives like free residential lots and property-tax abatements for building a new home. With a population of around 775, it is a peaceful and welcoming place to settle down.