Why We Love Albert Lea

Published 3:11 pm Thursday, June 29, 2023

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Dr. Jeff and Julie Eaton reside in Albert Lea with their three daughters. They enjoy traveling, working on projects at their house and building, and time with family. Jeff is a chiropractor at Eaton Sport and Spine. Julie is a resource specialist at Sibley Elementary. They also own and operate Eat’n Ice Cream Shoppe.

Albert Lea, our hometown. It’s where we grew up, and it’s now where we’ve chosen to raise our family. After being away for 10 years to attend college and begin our careers, Jeff and I decided to move back home shortly after the birth of our first daughter. What drew us back initially was family. We are beyond grateful that our three daughters are growing up surrounded by their grandparents. In addition to family, we were drawn back to Albert Lea knowing that we would have many opportunities to thrive in the community.

We enjoy our beautiful Fountain Lake, whether it’s simply viewing it out the window, riding around it on our bikes, cruising in it on our boat, or swimming and playing in it near the shore. How fortunate are we to have this gem right in the middle of our community! The addition of sidewalks and paved trails all the way around it in the last few years have been appreciated and utilized by us often. The opportunities the lake has given us as a family to make memories will always be cherished.

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Jeff and I also appreciate the opportunities Albert Lea has provided us in our careers. Owning a piece of Albert Lea history, the Northpark Building, and slowly making it our own was an opportunity we just couldn’t pass up. We love hearing people’s stories and memories of visiting Northpark in the past. Opening a chiropractic office is intimidating, demanding and difficult; however, this community has supported Jeff immensely. He loves to give back to his community in making patients feel relief from pain and support them in living a healthy lifestyle. I love and have grown so much throughout the many roles I have had as an educator within the Albert Lea school district. Last year was particularly special, in that two of our daughters were students in the building I worked in. We also are fortunate to feel the love and support of our community after opening Eat’n Ice Cream Shoppe. Now in our sixth year, it’s simply our favorite place. We love seeing community members gathering, chatting with friends, old and new, while enjoying a delicious treat. Albert Lea has given us career opportunities we never imagined and we couldn’t be happier!

The people of Albert Lea and their collective efforts make it great. We appreciate all the systems in place to build and maintain the beautiful parks we’ve frequented with our daughters. We value the work of the school district to ensure our girls love going to school every day, in addition to receiving a great education. Our girls also have enjoyed many sports, music, theater, Girl Scouts and Community Ed activities while growing up here. The friendships we’ve established while attending our children’s school events and activities are irreplaceable. We feel safe due to the diligence of our police and fire departments. We are healthy due to the care providers within the health care systems in our community. Simply the smiling faces and greetings we experience when out and about within Albert Lea make us feel good.

Albert Lea provides us with so much. We enjoy its beauty, recreational activities, career opportunities, family and friends — proud to call it our home.