Clarinda offers a rural, small-town lifestyle in southwestern Iowa
Surrounded by miles of farmland, Clarinda is a small town in the countryside of Page County in southwestern Iowa, serving as the county seat. Life literally revolves around the county courthouse, which sits in the middle of the town center, a hub for shops, restaurants and community events. Along with the many jobs at the courthouse, Clarinda Regional Health Center and Clarinda Correctional Facility, the city employs many manufacturing workers with plants like NSK, which produces bearings globally, and Novae, a major trailer manufacturer, just to name a few.
Homes from the early 1900s through today
Grid-pattern streets branch out from the town center and are lined with mostly single-family homes. Houses dating back to the early 1900s include bungalows and National-style houses ranging from $15,000 to $170,000, and larger Victorians and Colonial Revivals ranging from $170,000 to $220,000. Among these century-old homes are ranch-style and split-level houses built between the mid-1900s and 2020s, ranging from $70,000 to $345,000.
Local shops and restaurants in the town square
Downtown is full of locally owned businesses around the town square. The area has a few brunch spots, including Robin’s Nest Café and Garrison Coffee House. Locals can also hit up J’s Pizza & Steak House, where the specialty is in the name, or hang out past midnight on the weekends at Inda Clar Recreation Parlor, a dive bar with a pool table. There are several small shops as well, including D&D Treasures antique store, Clarinda’s Flower Shop and Weil’s Clothing Store. More businesses are on the south side of town, including Ice House, a well-known bar and grill-style restaurant, and two grocery stores: Hy-Vee and Fareway.
Indoor and outdoor recreation at Clarinda City Park
Clarinda City Park is the main recreational space where locals can have fun on the playground, play on the basketball, tennis and volleyball courts or go for a walk. “Our city park has a walking trail around it,” says Paula Mier, Clarinda's deputy clerk, who has lived in the city her whole life. “We’re trying to get it to go up to the high school, so it would go from one end of town to the other. We just haven’t secured the funding yet.” The park is also home to Lied Recreation Center, which features an indoor pool and fitness center. The Clarinda A’s summer amateur baseball team plays at the park. The team has been competing since 1955.
Glenn Miller Festival, Page County Fair and Christmas parade
The community gathers for the annual Glenn Miller Festival every second weekend of June. The event features live music in the style of the late trombonist and big band composer, who was born in Clarinda. Locals also compete in a swing dance competition.
Clarinda hosts the Page County Fair in July, featuring carnival games, bounce houses and other unique attractions. “The only rides they have are an itty bitty Ferris Wheel and they do a train that someone built with a lawnmower and carts in the back kids can ride.” Livestock shows are also part of the festival, and kids involved with 4-H compete by showing off horses, sheep, swine and other animals.
The day after Thanksgiving, the community heads to the town square to kick off the holiday season. “That’s the start of the Christmas parade, where they light up the courthouse lights and everyone is around the whole square watching,” Mier says.
Small student body at Clarinda High School
Kindergarten through sixth grade students attend Garfield Elementary School, which receives a C-plus Niche grade. Clarinda High School receives a B and serves students in seventh through twelfth grade. The high school has fewer than 500 students with a student-teacher ratio of 13 to 1.
Getting to Omaha, Des Moines and Kansas City
U.S. 71 and IA Route 2 are the main highways that intersect in Clarinda. The closest major city is Omaha, about 80 miles away. It takes a little under 90 minutes to drive to Omaha, home to Eppley Airfield, which received a grant in 2025 that is expected to eventually allow the airport to expand by providing international flights. It takes about two hours to drive to Des Moines and Kansas City, both of which are about 130 miles away.
Written By
Nicolas Stuart
