Ideal Small Town America
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1/31/2021
I am originally from Minnesota, but have lived in Sparta now for 15 years. It has been a wonderful town to raise a family in.
There are many public parks and playgrounds (at least 8) along the river, as well as nice playgrounds at the schools. We have the Sparta Elroy Bike Trail, which is the first Rail to Trail Conversion in the USA. It travels through 3 old stone train tunnels which are amazing!! The downtown is super bike friendly as well.
We have a super special German Style Market for our Farmer's Market, as well as a Christmas Market. There are concerts in the Parks every Wednesday in the warm months. There are lots of Parades and celebrations throughout the year, featuring live music, street vendors, art competitions and more! The town participates in a game called "Sparta Rocks" where people paint and hide rocks around the town, which is great fun for all ages! There is also a beautiful Christmas light display in the park all December, where community members join for a bonfire, free popcorn and hot cocoa, and to meet Santa Claus. There is a skate park and a golf course. The rivers are perfect for kayaking and fishing. There is a swimming beach at Fort McCoy. There are recreational areas that offer snow tubing and frisbee golf. Sparta also has a new outdoor Aquatic center, with a zero entrance kiddie pool and slide, lazy river, lily pads, and a large water slide!
There are two super quirky areas you can view local artwork, Wagner Grotto Park and F.A.S.T., featuring massive fiberglass sculptures.
We have a museum, a library, several coffee houses, lots of churches, great women's clothing stores, home décor boutiques, thrift stores, a greenhouse, furniture stores, dollar stores, Walmart, Walgreens, as well as some great locally owned grocery stores, including Mennonite, Asian and Mexican Markets. There is a large selection of Cafe's, restaurants, and fast food chains. We have a Boys & Girls Club, and a Parenting Place. Lots of Community sports and fitness groups and gyms. We also have a nice movie theater. We have several motels, hotels, cabins, and a bed and breakfast, as well as a couple nice campgrounds.
We are home to Mathews Archery, McPherson Guitars, Century Foods, Northern Engraving, Fort McCoy, along with many others.
It is an easy drive to the Twin Cities, just under 3 hours. 1.5 hours to Rochester. 20 minutes to Onalaska.
There is snow on the ground from December - March usually, with a few April and May snowstorms. We get a full 4 seasons of interest....with spectacular fall color. Summers are about 70-80 degrees.
Each town, obviously, is not perfect. I have had some issues with the school system here. Most of the families I have met have been very friendly. We are the county seat and there has been some drug related crime...but it is isolated, and Sparta has been a very safe community for our family.
I, honestly, think Sparta is about as good as it gets for a town of this size. I would only prefer a warmer climate, and perhaps less roads crossing through a town...otherwise, I love it.
christin | Sparta, WI