Ottumwa District Court is formally known as the Wapello District Court and is the Eighth judicial district of Iowa. US 34 and US 63 squirrel in and out of Wapello county and meet near Ottumwa. Sr 16 runs through the Eastern part of the county

At the beginning of the 19th century the Mesquaki, Sac and Ioway Indians were the residents of the area around Ottumwa. When these tribes tribes were moved to western reservations Wapello County was opened for a land rush during the Spring of 1843. The selection of Ottumwa as the county seat of Wapello county initiated its development as a city. More reently the city has had to fight its way back from the economic decline caused by the closing of several manufacturing plants in the 1960's. The city has a large ratio of parks to the number of residents. They have facilities for camping, fishing, bicycling, walking, baseball, softball, playgrounds, disc golf, volleyball, picnics, tennis, basketball, performance stages and soccer fields If you want to travel out of town to Eldon you can visit the American Gothic House center where they will lend you costumes and pitch fork to take a picture in the style of Grant Wood's famous painting. The center has exhibits and videos on Grant Wood and a collection of American Gothic parodies.