When I first moved to Cedar Rapids in 1974, Edgewood Road was a gravel road all the way to Peck's Nursery on Blairs Ferry. But Peck's wasn't there. It was just farmland until about 1980 when Peck's started the nursery. I don't recall what Blairs Ferry Road was like out there, but I'm pretty sure it was only a two lane road and there were no businesses until you got to Center Point Road,
Fast forward and Blairs Ferry is a busy four lane road with WalMart, Sam's Club a strip mall or two and many other businesses. Edgewood Road is a paved four lane road all the way to Blairs Ferry Road.
There still wasn't much there until highway 100 stopped at Edgewood Road and HyVee built near that intersection. The Fountains shopping area was built and is still putting up new buildings to the east of Edgewood and south of Blairs Ferry.
More recently a new development just north of Blairs Ferry on the old Peck's property has gone up with only a few stores opened so far.
Then earlier this year the area west of Edgewood Road was transformed into yet another development. This one will have a Fleet Farm, which looks to be huge. (I'd be interested in reviews of Fleet Farm as I've never been in one. Cheap stuff? Quality stuff? I figured it was similar to Theisen's, but it looks to be way more than that. Maybe a Menards and Theisen's combined.)
What used to be away from civilization is far from that now. I've got mixed feelings about it. I love the convenience, but with all the new homes and businesses, the area has more population than when I first moved to this area in 1991. The city has expanded to border my back yard, and it saved the area across Blairs Ferry from a Hiawatha takeover. That area was farm fields, but is now packed full of homes on city sized lots, in contrast to us folks on the other side of Blairs Ferry in large lots.
The best part of all this development was the highway 100 extension all the way to highway 30. The entrance is about a mile from my home. It shortens the drive to Ames by at least 10 minutes.
I think I'm okay with most of this progress. But you can stop now.
Fast forward and Blairs Ferry is a busy four lane road with WalMart, Sam's Club a strip mall or two and many other businesses. Edgewood Road is a paved four lane road all the way to Blairs Ferry Road.
There still wasn't much there until highway 100 stopped at Edgewood Road and HyVee built near that intersection. The Fountains shopping area was built and is still putting up new buildings to the east of Edgewood and south of Blairs Ferry.
More recently a new development just north of Blairs Ferry on the old Peck's property has gone up with only a few stores opened so far.
Then earlier this year the area west of Edgewood Road was transformed into yet another development. This one will have a Fleet Farm, which looks to be huge. (I'd be interested in reviews of Fleet Farm as I've never been in one. Cheap stuff? Quality stuff? I figured it was similar to Theisen's, but it looks to be way more than that. Maybe a Menards and Theisen's combined.)
What used to be away from civilization is far from that now. I've got mixed feelings about it. I love the convenience, but with all the new homes and businesses, the area has more population than when I first moved to this area in 1991. The city has expanded to border my back yard, and it saved the area across Blairs Ferry from a Hiawatha takeover. That area was farm fields, but is now packed full of homes on city sized lots, in contrast to us folks on the other side of Blairs Ferry in large lots.
The best part of all this development was the highway 100 extension all the way to highway 30. The entrance is about a mile from my home. It shortens the drive to Ames by at least 10 minutes.
I think I'm okay with most of this progress. But you can stop now.
