Fort Dodge Iowa
Questions
We went around Fort Dodge asking random people around Fort Dodge these questions. We made sure we got a varity of people, so the data would show a wide perspective. We interviewed old people, middle aged people, young people, white people, black people, and other raced people. Also we made sure we knew how long they have lived in Fort Dodge, so we had people who were new to Fort Dodge, and we had people who have lived their whole lives in Fort Dodge.
1. How long have you been living in Fort Dodge?
2. What do you think is good about Fort Dodge?
3.What is bad about Fort Dodge?
4. What would you do to improve Fort Dodge?
5. What's your favorite thing about Fort Dodge?
6. What are some fun activities you do in Fort Dodge?
7. Why do you want to live in Fort Dodge?
8. Do you want to see your community grow and change? Why?
9. Do you think our community is a good place to live? Explain why?
Person 1
1. Over 20 years.
2. Great school system, and a small town feel.
3. Bad reputation with crime.
4. Build a better mall, fix the roads, add more businesses downtown.
5. Small town, and everyone knows everyone.
6. I like to go to parks, go to the farmer's market, and I attend school events like football games and basketball games.
7. I live in Fort Dodge, because of my family and the cost of living.
8. Yes, because growth of Fort Dodge will bring more people and more money to our economy.
9.
Person 3
Person 5
1. 29 years.
2. Great down to earth people for the most part. The businesses are coming into town.
3. Downtown.
4. Get businesses into downtown.
5. Just the right size and it has things to offer. Des Moines is too big.
6. Geocaching in the parks. Aquatics centers, biking the trails.
7. It's my hometown and i like the direction it's going with improvements.
8. Of course. It's better for the economy, if new business ome and will keep people here.
9. Yes, good people, and it's growing.
1. 1 year
2.Proximity to businesses.
3. Streets.
4. Improve streets and the terrible crime rate.
5. Fort Dodge has lower prices, which means you save alot more money.
6. I enjoy going to parks.
7. I don't really want to live in Fort Dodge anymore, I want to move.
8. Yes, as the community grows, different types of people want to live here.
9. No, crime and drug use is too large for this small of a town.
Person 7
1. 14 years
2. Friendly people.
3. Parking meters, you don't have to pay to go to the mall, so why should you have to pay to go downtown?
4. Remove parking meters from downtown.
5. Small town people eventhough Fort Dodge isn't that small of a town. The people are Down Home People.
6. Movies, Walking, and going to the mall.
7. I like the town and it's people.
8. Yes it's growing and at the same time the people are still Down Home People.
9. Yes, it's a good place, but It's a good idea to charge people to park and shop downtown.
Person 2
Person 4
1. 1 and a half years. Lived outside of Fort Dodge for 20+ years, in Vincent and Badger.
2. Community Involvement.
3. Nothing.
4. Keep doing what we are currently doing.
5. Family and community involvement.
6. Market on central. Apple Orchard events.
7. Been around Fort Dodge all my life. Many friends and family live here.
8. We currently are growing.
9. Good place to live. I have enjoyed it here and my kids enjoy all thats here for them.
1. 16 years.
2. Knowing where everything is.
3. Roads, mall, flats, school, people, drugs, restaurants, and having friskies in the middle of town.
4. Change everything that I think is bad.
5. Knowing where everything is in town.
6. Nothing, we just chill at home.
7. I don't want to live here, I want to move.
8. If the things that are bad get changed the community grow.
9. Sort of, it depends on what part of town you live in.
Person 6
1. 16 years
2. There are many activities to do with my friends, like play basketball, go swimming at the aquatic center, play football with friends, go to fort frenzy, there are many different resturants to eat.
3. Drugs, violence, and the roads.
4. The roads and have even more things to do.
5. There is alot of things to do.
6. Play basketball and football and hang out with friends.
7. I don't want to anymore, but I can't move because i'm not old enough.
8. Yes it will benifit the community.
9. Yes, we don't have alot of killings.
Person 8
1. 45 years
2. Size, both population and city layout. The schools are great and the leadership of the town is good.
3. The "false" reputation. "Little Chicago" and "Dirty Dodge"
4. Fix the streets so people will stop complaining about them.
5. Small community feel, but big enough to have adequit amenities.
6. OHV park, Apple Orchard, and Walk the trails.
7. Comfortable with the community. I know alot of people and places.
8. I would like to see our population increase onlyif it is in proportion to the number of new jobs in our community.
9. Yes, great school options (public or private)and an amazing junior college. Lots of new industry, restaurants, and infastructure.
Conclusion
Most people say Fort Dodge is a good place to live. It's a small town feeling, but yet it's not too small to not have fun things to do. We have a good school system, both public and private, and a lot of people attend the sports events for the Dodgers and Gaels. Fort Dodge has an amazing Junior College. Most of the people I interviewed said they have alot of activities they do around Fort Dodge, like: OHV park, Apple Orchard, Biking and walking of the trails, Movies, Sports, and the farmers market. There were alot of good things said about Fort Dodge, however there were still some challenges about our community. The roads of Fort Dodge are terrible, and were brought up in almost every interview. The crime rate and bad reputation is another challenge Fort Dodge faces. "Little Chicago and Dirty Dodge" are not good names for a town. Overall most people are happy in Fort Dodge, and hope it continues to grow and the challenges get fixed.