315 N 1st St

Located about an hour’s drive from Des Moines, Oskaloosa is a historic city with a charming small-town atmosphere. Oskaloosa, also known as “Osky,” was a national center for bituminous coal mining in the late 1800s. Osky maintains a strong sense of historic character to this day, from its red-brick commercial buildings and many apartments in old-fashioned homes to the Nelson Pioneer Farm, which chronicles the area’s rich agricultural past.

Osky fosters a close-knit community with an array of annual events, such as the Southern Iowa Fair, Skunk River Arts Festival, Sweet Corn Serenade, and the Lighted Christmas Parade. Numerous Osky residents work, attend, or have attended William Penn University, which also calls the community home. There are abundant opportunities for outdoor recreation as well, with the scenic Edmundson Park, Lake Keomah, and plenty of public golf courses in town.