SperlingViews - Boone, Iowa

Small town mid-western living at it's best is the way to describe Boone, Iowa. Centrally located in Iowa; Boone is just minutes from Ames, home to Iowa State University, and less than an hour north of Des Moines. Besides the ability to tap into the culture of these two Communities, you are also less than a 1/2-days drive to Kansas City, Omaha, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Chicago, St. Louis and Sioux Falls, SD. The city still celebrates its railroad heritage with its annual Pufferbilly Days celebration. There are lots of area tourist attractions such as the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad, Snus Hill Winery, The Iowa Arboritum, Ledges State Park, the Birthplace of Mamie Doud Eisenhower,Boone County Historical Museaum and Seven Oaks recreation. For hunters there is an abundane of public hunting land along the Des Moines River,and Outdoor enthusiasts will enjoy the city's parks, including McHose Park. There is a nice mix of industry and many unique shops in the downtown area. A very good school system as well as a branch of the Des Moines Araea Community College (DMACC). The community has remained around 13,000 in population for many years, but the rural homes and sub-divisions continue to grow.[read more...]

Boone, Iowa is a great place to live. Low crime, clean air, good schools, no congestion are all part of the deal. Ames, Iowa (home of Iowa State university with a population of 54,000 is 15 minutes from Boone. Greater Des Moines, Iowa (population 300,000 plus) is 40 minutes from Boone. Boone has McHose Park, a great 250 Acre City Park. Ledges State Park, the state's most popular, is ten minutes away from Boone. The public high school is modern and well-equipped, and a brand-new middle school will be open by the end of 2006. Boone has two 18-hole golf courses, and many smaller city parks. Additionally, Boone has an excellent hospital and clinics, a full-time (not volunteer) fire department, great quality water supply and top-notch waste-water system. It is not Los Angeles or New York, nor is it meant to be, but is a great place to live.[read more...]

Such a sad, sad place! Relocated here, nothing at all to do. People are really behind and are so lacking....People are not accepting here of other cultures or for that matter accepting of any new transports. If you do not have children and are single or married, you will feel isolated and treated as if something is terribly wrong for not having them. This town totally caters to people with children, however, sadly, you would not know it. Read the papers, this town has the highest rate of meth labs in the State of Iowa and teenage pregnancies and one of the worst records for education. To look at this town, driving in you would think a lovely quaint "Norman Rockwell-esque" town. Furthermore, if you read the Sex Offender registry -there are quite a few predators that live here and strangely, every part of town has a school in it. Restaurants are only open until 10:00 pm, and the only main store at the edge of town is a Wal Mart. However, there is multiple banks, gas stations, convenient stores, two Subways, two Pizza joints in a town of 12,000. The people are very unfriendly and when they are friendly it is only on Sundays at Church. If you have lived in a city before this, you will absolutely hate it here. Spent alot of money to get here, we are spending alot of money to get out. Spare yourself the pain-do not move here.[read more...]