Jul 4, 2008

Gowrie provides a hometown atmosphereBy Don CoggerMessengerNews.net

Gowrie – Gowrie has a lot more going for it than its annual Fourth of July celebration.

That said, it’s not a bad reason to make the trip.

Festivities kicked off Wednesday evening, and residents are hoping that once people visit, they’ll want to come back.

”Gowrie is the perfect small town,” said City Clerk Shelley Segebart. ”I’ve lived in bigger towns, and it’s just too busy. I like living in a place where the kids can ride their bikes and not worry about traffic.”

For a town of just more than 1,000, Gowrie offers its residents just about everything they could need, including a grocery store, swimming pool, skating rink, library, schools and a full range of medical professionals, including a chiropractor, a dentist and a full pharmacy. The economy is also doing well, according to Segebart, with most of the buildings that line downtown filled with businesses.

”Unfortunately, the hardware store closed recently, and that was tough,” she said. ”It’s hard for businesses like that to compete with places like Menards. But hardly any businesses in the uptown commercial area are vacant, which is great for a town this size.”

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