Dear incoming ISU students,

Welcome to your new academic home, but also your new city home — or home away from home.

As ISU students, you are now also official residents of the city of Ames. That comes with all the rights and responsibilities of such, including voting. With a presidential election coming up, voting and participating in the process can offer exciting opportunities for involvement — not only in the ISU community but in the larger Ames community as well.

On a lighter side, we hope that you will enjoy all of the fun amenities that Ames has to offer. It would be hard to find a comparable community with more than 30 parks of varying sizes and uses — including a dog park! 

Add to that the more than 50 miles of shared use paths for those who come to town with your bicycle. The list goes on.

Diverse shopping and ethnic restaurants surpass that of most towns our size. Do check them out.

Most exciting is all the shared resources between Iowa State and the city of Ames. At the top of that list is CyRide, serving not just Iowa State, but the entire Ames community. The Ames/ISU Ice Arena is shared and used by community members and students alike. The city and Iowa State share a sustainability coordinator. Again, the list goes on.

All told, we hope the offerings and resources of the Ames community make Iowa State an attractive choice for students. And we know that the athletic, cultural and educational resources make Ames a better place for long-term residents.

Thanks for choosing Ames and Iowa State as your new home. Feel free to call me at City Hall, 239-5105, with any thoughts.

Welcome. We think this is a mighty fine place to live.

Sincerely yours,

Ann Campbell

Mayor