You don't mention kids...keep that in mind when buying.
Since you are both from small towns, you know what small town and/or consolidated schools are like. If you want your kids in a big school with lots of course options but lots of competition for extra-curriculars, buy in Ames. There are a number of towns surrounding Ames that have very good schools, not quite as many course options but more participation opportunities. I graduated in a class of 500+; with that many kids we had to "specialize", so to speak, and it was easy to become invisible. I wanted my kids to be able to experience more facets of high school, so we chose to live in a small town close to Ames. Commutes are a breeze around here...you spend more time getting from campus to the edge of town than you do driving from the edges of Ames to any of the surrounding towns.
ISU is a great place to work...
Since you are both from small towns, you know what small town and/or consolidated schools are like. If you want your kids in a big school with lots of course options but lots of competition for extra-curriculars, buy in Ames. There are a number of towns surrounding Ames that have very good schools, not quite as many course options but more participation opportunities. I graduated in a class of 500+; with that many kids we had to "specialize", so to speak, and it was easy to become invisible. I wanted my kids to be able to experience more facets of high school, so we chose to live in a small town close to Ames. Commutes are a breeze around here...you spend more time getting from campus to the edge of town than you do driving from the edges of Ames to any of the surrounding towns.
ISU is a great place to work...