Updated March 24, 2022
West Liberty is a welcoming city approximately 17 miles east of Iowa City. The community is strong in volunteerism, supportive of education, and celebrates the rich diversity of their population. It’s a short drive to Iowa City (or to Muscatine in the opposite direction), so this location gives you a small-town experience with easy access to bigger cities.
It’s a small but mighty town that certainly stands on its own with plenty of options for dining out, entertainment, and recreation. The city boasts nine public parks, including three with playground equipment, a great assortment of locally-owned restaurants, a swimming pool with a water slide and fantastic wading pool, a wonderful public library, a quaint and affordable movie theater, a skate park, multiple ball diamonds, soccer fields, frisbee golf, tennis, fitness centers, a walking trail and much more.
The diversity found in West Liberty is refreshing. In fact, it proudly offers the only K-12 English/Spanish dual-language program in the state of Iowa. It’s a wonderful place to raise a family with cultural awareness and genuine respect for others.
A Local Mom’s Guide to West Liberty
Restaurants and Food
West Liberty features a variety of locally-owned restaurants including authentic Mexican cuisine, comfort food, traditional bar food, pizza, and subs.
- Carnitas Ninos Mexican Restaurant
- Casey’s General Store
- El Patio
- El Sarape Mexican Restaurant
- Giri BP (Papa Johns Pizza)
- JB’s Grub & Pub
- Jeff’s Market
- Paul Revere’s Pizza
- Saap Saap
- Savor by Chef D serving Sweet Life by Stacie
- Shang Hai Chinese Restaurant
- Subway
- West Liberty Country Club
- West Liberty Foods Market
- Wink’s Bar and Grill
Churches
The community has many welcoming churches for new families and offers a popular non-denominational Community Youth Group (CYG) for students grades 6-12. CYG allows local youth to explore and grow in their faith with regular gatherings including games, fellowship, and worship. CYG also organizes an annual mission trip.
- Atalissa Church of Christ
- Christian Church
- First Church United
- Our Redeemer Lutheran Church
- St. Joseph Catholic Church
- United Methodist Church
- West Liberty Christian Fellowship
Parks and Recreation
- Dutton Park: Softball/baseball fields, covered playground area, soccer fields, tennis courts, pickleball, sand volleyball pits, skate park
- Friendship Park: Swings and slides
- Kimberly Park: Public swimming pool, playground, four shelters
- Railroad Park: Swing set, slide + wooden train playground
- Ron-De-Voo Park
- Sesquicentennial Park
- Veterans Memorial Park
- Wapsie Park: Nine-hole disc golf course, three softball fields, batting cage, soccer field, swing set, basketball courts, volleyball courts, shelter, mile-long wooded trail
- Hoover Nature Trail: .8 mile paved trail
Gas Stations and Convenience Stores
There are two convenience stores to choose from, both serve whole, cooked pizzas and various meal options. There are additional gas stations available between West Liberty and Interstate 80.
Healthcare
There is one local medical clinic in town, which features bilingual providers and staff, and offers routine and diagnostic care. There are also options for local chiropractic care, dentistry, and physical therapy. Take care of your pets, too, at the West Liberty Veterinary Clinic.
- Active Health Chiropractic Clinic
- Gentle Family Dentistry
- Tharp-Womachka Dental
- Mercy Family Medicine of West Liberty
- Rock Valley Physical Therapy
- West Liberty Pharmacy
Public Schools
The West Liberty Community School District includes West Liberty and the two smaller neighboring communities of Atalissa and Nichols, as well as rural students. The district has a notable Dual Language Program, which gives parents the option of enrolling their pre-k student(s) on a path towards bilingualism. The dual-language program at West Liberty is one of only a handful of similar programs in the nation. The program is about half native English speakers and half native Spanish speakers and its regular curriculum is taught in English half of the time and in Spanish half of the time. It is a longstanding and successful program for the district.
Early Learning Center (Pre – K, and Kindergarten)
Elementary School (Grades 1-5)
Middle School (Grades 6-8)
High School (Grades 9-12)
In addition to the public schools, there is also an impressive state-certified community child care center and before and after school program.
Entertainment
There are no excuses for being bored in West Liberty – this small town has a great lineup of public amenities to keep you and your kids entertained. It is also home to the Muscatine County Fair each July.
- Golf Course: West Liberty Country Club
- Movie Theater: New Strand Theater
- Swimming Pool: Kimberly Pool
- West Liberty Speedway
- West Liberty Public Library
- Eulenspiegel Puppets
Shop Local
Last but not least, as Iowans we love to shop local, and this town has you covered with food, hardware, gifts, and more available just down the street.
- Attic Treasures
- Dollar General
- Fred’s Feed
- Jeff’s Market
- New York Dollar Store
- Slightly Vintage
- Shop 121
- West Elle Salon & Boutique
- West Liberty Locker and Processing
- West Liberty Foods Market
- West Liberty Pharmacy
Check out West Liberty! You just might want to call it home!
Check out more neighborhoods and suburbs in the Iowa City area!
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