Readlyn, IA

Readlyn is a Bremer County city surrounded by northeast Iowa fields, with Waterloo and Cedar Falls forming the larger regional connection. Its post office opened in 1904, and the Wapsie Valley Community School District now links local students with the surrounding rural area. Iowa Highway 3 runs through town, carrying farm traffic, school buses, and the occasional visitor who notices the sign before reaching Main Street.

ATTRPeggy Marvets / FortepanIowa / CC BY-SA 4.0

That sign carries Readlyn's best local joke: “857 Friendly People & One Old Grump.” The Grump is both a piece of area folklore and an annual title given by the Readlyn Community Club to a local senior resident. The city leans into the tradition without letting it become the whole story. City Hall, public works, police, community churches, and the school district give Readlyn the practical institutions of a small Bremer County city, while the bike trail and surrounding fields add an outdoor edge. Readlyn's character is in the combination of a working community, a recurring civic gag, and a town willing to give one resident a yearly honorary title.