Polk City Almost Didn't Survive Saylorville Lake. Instead, It Got a Second Lake.

When the Army Corps of Engineers planned Saylorville Lake, one option on the table was buying out Polk City entirely and letting the reservoir take the town. Instead, the Corps built a second dam to create Big Creek Lake and preserved the town — a decision that's shaped everything about Polk City's growth since the 1960s. The 1883 bandstand still stands on the original town square, the old schoolhouse is still City Hall, and the town has more than doubled in population since 2000 anyway, mostly through the housing that Saylorville and Big Creek made desirable in the first place.

That leaves two distinct kinds of Polk City property: the older homes anchored around the historic square, and the lake-adjacent housing that's driven most of the recent growth.

• Updates to older homes near the town square, respecting a downtown that's stayed intact since the 1880s
• Renovations and additions for lake-adjacent homes, where outdoor living space and weather exposure both matter more than in an inland town
• General contracting for the newer development that's followed the lake's popularity

The town almost got flooded out of existence. Now it's growing because of the water that almost took it.