Gilbertville, IA

Gilbertville is a small town located in the northwest corner of Iowa. The population was just over 1,000 in 2010 and has been steadily growing since then. Gilbertville is located in Sac County and is bordered by the towns of Gilbert to the north, Manchester to the east, and Sheldon to the south. The town's economy is based largely on agriculture, with corn being the primary crop. However, there has been a recent uptick in real estate activity in Gilbertville as well.

The history of real estate development in Gilbertville can be traced back to 1892 when a landowner named W.H. Phillips purchased 320 acres near what would become Gilbertville from the government for $1 per acre. Phillips built a sawmill on his property and began selling lumber to local farmers. In 1906, Phillips sold his land holdings at auction and started developing lots for sale within what would become Gilbertville proper. One of Phillips' early buyers was Jethro Crouch who built a home on one of Philips' developed lots and started farming it. Crouch's farm eventually became known as "Crouch Farm".

In 1909, another landowner named James Ralston purchased 320 acres near what would become Gilbertville from Phillips and began developing it as well. Ralston built a hotel on one of his developed lots which served as an important stop along the railroad line that ran through Sac County at that time (the railroad now runs through Manchester). Ralston also started selling lots within what would become Gilbertville proper and soon had a thriving real estate business booming in Sac County.

In 1922, Jethro Crouch's son-in-law Wirt Davis bought out Ralston's interests in what would become Gilbertville and continued developing the town himself. Davis constructed several homes along Main Street (now Highway 30) which became popular with area farmers because they were close enough to their farms but had access to city amenities such as schools, churches, stores, etc.. In 1938 Davis sold his interest in what would become Gilbertville to Roy Hurd who continued developing it until 1978 when he sold it off to developers Bob & Kathy Gentry who continue developing it today under the name "Gentry Estates".

Today there are approximately 60 homes located within what would historically have been called " Gilbert Village" (which now includes parts of Manchester). Most of these homes were constructed between 1940-1970 although there are some newer developments too (most notably Gentry Estates which was completed in 2006). There are also several commercial properties located within this area including two small grocery stores (one owned by Roy Hurd's descendants), two gas stations/convenience stores (one owned by Bob & Kathy Gentry), an auto repair shop/garage (owned by Bob Gentry), an ice cream shop/convenience store (owned by Kathy Gentry), two restaurants (one owned by Roy Hurd's descendants), and two banks (one owned by Bob & Kathy Gentry). There are also several churches located within this area including Gilberts United Methodist Church which was founded in 1902 and Gilberts Lutheran Church which was founded in 1904; both churches remain active today despite being relatively small compared to some larger churches around town..