Pleasantville, IA

Pleasantville sits about 25 miles southeast of Des Moines in Marion County, giving its roughly 1,700 residents a quiet, small-town setting with an easy commute to the metro. Founded in 1849, the community grew as a railroad and farming stop between Knoxville and the capital. Today, that agricultural heritage remains visible around the traditional town square, where neighbors regularly bump into one another running errands.

ATTRAshton B Crew / CC BY-SA 3.0

The town's history also inspired one of the region's best-known coffee brands. After fires swept through the old business district over a century ago, the rebuilt block earned the nickname Smokey Row, which later became the namesake for the popular coffeehouse company based here. With the Webb Shadle Memorial Library just off the square and a close-knit school district anchoring local events, Pleasantville offers a welcoming, grounded pace of life for anyone looking to settle down outside the city.