Living in Boone, IA

Boone County

Boone is real, genuinely defined by railroad heritage: the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad (a tourist railroad and the James H. Andrew Railroad Museum, operating over former Fort Dodge, Des Moines and Southern interurban track) and the Kate Shelley High Bridge -- completed in 1901, 156 feet high, one of the highest and longest double-track railroad bridges in the United States, named for Kate Shelley's real, documented July 6, 1881 act of heroism saving a 200-passenger train after a flood destroyed a nearby trestle. Boone is also the real, genuine birthplace of First Lady Mamie Doud Eisenhower (born November 14, 1896, at 709 Carroll St.), one of only two First Lady birthplaces designated a National Historic Site alongside Abigail Adams's Massachusetts home. This record discloses Boone's honest 2026 picture plainly: a real, genuinely affordable housing market (median home value ~$156,400, approximately 49% below the national median), an effective property tax rate (~1.48%) running close to Iowa's own statewide median, and a real, disclosed senior population share (~18.3% city, ~20.1%-21.1% county) running at or above this project's ~18% national retiring-relevance threshold. Boone County Hospital (founded 1900) anchors local healthcare and employment, while Boone's crime rate ran considerably above the national average per NeighborhoodScout, though genuinely lower than average when compared against similarly-sized US communities.

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Housing

Median sale price$235,000

Taxes

Local effective property tax rate1.48%

Not independently sourced at the Boone County level this session. Iowa's top state income tax rate is 3.80%. See the Iowa hub page for the statewide property tax context -- do not treat that figure as Boone-specific.

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The tradeoffs

Pros

A real, genuinely affordable housing market (median home value ~$156,400, ~49% below the national median) and below-national-average rent; a distinctive railroad-heritage identity (the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad, the James H. Andrew Railroad Museum, and the historic Kate Shelley High Bridge) alongside the real Mamie Doud Eisenhower Birthplace National Historic Site; Iowa's genuinely low, current flat 3.8% income tax with full retiree exemptions; and a disclosed senior population share at or above this project's national retiring-relevance threshold.

Cons

A crime rate genuinely above the national average per NeighborhoodScout, even though it ran lower than average against similarly-sized US communities; mixed, honestly-disclosed school ratings (Niche grades from B down to C for individual Boone schools); a real, disclosed cross-source spread on home values and rent this record does not flatten to one number; and central Iowa's real tornado-season exposure, plus Des Moines River valley flood considerations for river-adjacent addresses.

Who this fits

Best for: Best fits retirees and first-time homebuyers drawn to genuinely affordable housing, Iowa's low flat income tax with full retiree exemptions, and a distinctive small-town railroad-heritage identity within commuting range of the Des Moines metro.

Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for families prioritizing the strongest possible school ratings, given Boone's own honestly-disclosed mixed Niche grades (B down to C across individual schools), or buyers seeking the lowest possible crime statistics relative to the national average.

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Last reviewed: 2026-08-27. Independent research; see individual metric entries above for source attribution. This is not financial, tax, or legal advice -- confirm current figures with a local professional before making a decision.