Why visit Boone
Townapedia lists 13 museums and landmarks, 12 parks and trails, 10 places to eat, 4 places to stay and 2 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Boone Bridge, Boone Theatre, Alonzo J. and Flora Barkley House and Boone County Courthouse.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 84°F; January lows average 9°F, and about 36 inches of snow fall in a normal year.
Weather in Boone
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Boone
Boone is a city in Des Moines Township and the county seat of Boone County, Iowa, United States.
From the Wikipedia article Boone, Iowa (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do2
Boone Bridge
Bridge · National Register of Historic Places · 3.2 mi
Bridge in Boone, Iowa
Museums and landmarks13
Alonzo J. and Flora Barkley House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.8 mi
Historic building located in Boone, Iowa, United States
Boone County Courthouse
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.8 mi
Courthouse in Iowa, United States
Des Moines Township No. 7
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.2 mi
School building in Boone County, Iowa, United States
First National Bank
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.1 mi
Bank in Iowa, United States of America
J.H. Riekenberg House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.7 mi
Historic house in Iowa, United States
John H. Herman House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.4 mi
Single-family detached home in Boone, Iowa
Perrigo-Holmes House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.2 mi
Boone, Iowa, listed on the NRHP in Boone County
Champlin Memorial Masonic Temple
Museum · National Register of Historic Places · 1.0 mi
Stoll Bottling Works
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.1 mi
1 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds12
Restaurants and cafes10
Domino's
Fast food · Pizza · 0.9 mi
528 Story Street, Boone
Mo-Th 10:00-24:00; Fr-Sa 10:00-01:00; Su 10:00-24:00
History
Coal mining played an important part in the early history of the Boone area. Local blacksmiths were already mining coal from the banks of Honey Creek south of what became Boone in 1849.
Boone was platted as a town in 1865 by John Insley Blair. It was incorporated the following year, when the Chicago and North Western Transportation Company railroad station was built there. The town was originally named "Montana"; it was renamed to Boone in 1871. The nearby town of Boonesboro was also chartered in 1866; Boonesboro was annexed to Boone in 1887. The present name is a tribute to Nathan Boone, son of explorer Daniel Boone.
Commercial mining was spurred by the arrival of the railroad. In 1867, Canfield and Taylor opened a mine just west of town. Their mine shaft was 242 feet deep, and they hauled coal to the railroad by wagon. In 1874, a railroad spur was built to the mine. This mine was taken over by the railroad, and operated for 30 years.
There were coal seams in the Boone area; the upper vein, about 3 feet thick, was always worked using longwall mining, while the lower vein was always mined using room and pillar mining. In 1912, United Mine Workers Local 869 in Boone had 554 members, close to 10% of the population at the time.
The grocery chain Fareway originated in Boone. The company maintains their business offices in town also.
From the History section of Boone, Iowa on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay4
Churches and places of worship20
Shopping5
Gas and EV charging4
Schools, colleges and libraries15
Ericson Public Library
Library · National Register of Historic Places · 1.1 mi
702 Greene Street, Boone
Healthcare6
Boone County Family Medicine
Clinic and pharmacy · 0.5 mi
South Marshall Street, Boone
Map of Boone
91 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28°F | 9°F | 1.2 in | 9.9 in |
| Feb | 33°F | 13°F | 1.4 in | 9.3 in |
| Mar | 46°F | 26°F | 2.3 in | 5.0 in |
| Apr | 60°F | 37°F | 4.1 in | 1.3 in |
| May | 71°F | 48°F | 5.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 81°F | 59°F | 5.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 84°F | 63°F | 4.8 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 82°F | 61°F | 4.9 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 76°F | 52°F | 3.3 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 63°F | 39°F | 3.0 in | 0.6 in |
| Nov | 47°F | 27°F | 2.1 in | 1.9 in |
| Dec | 34°F | 16°F | 1.6 in | 7.9 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Boone (1 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Boone County has had 11 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for severe storms.
- 2020-08-17: Severe Storms (Severe Storm)
- 2020-03-23: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2019-03-23: Severe Storms And Flooding (Flood)
- 2010-07-29: Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes (Severe Storm)
- 2010-03-02: Severe Winter Storm (Severe Storm)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Boone Municipal Airport (BNW) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 1 miles away.
- Ogden 8 mi west, about 13 min by car
- Madrid 12 mi south, about 20 min by car
- Gilbert 12 mi east, about 20 min by car
- Ames 13 mi east, about 21 min by car
- Kelley 13 mi southeast, about 20 min by car
- Woodward 14 mi south, about 22 min by car
- Slater 15 mi southeast, about 24 min by car
- Ankeny 26 mi southeast, about 42 min by car
- Altoona 34 mi southeast, about 55 min by car
- Des Moines 36 mi south, about 57 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- StollBuildingWorks, Dan Breyfogle, CC BY-SA 3.0
- EricsonPublicLibrary, Dan Breyfogle, CC BY-SA 3.0
- AlonzoBarkleyHouse, Dan Breyfogle, CC BY-SA 3.0
- PerrigoHolmesHouse, Dan Breyfogle, CC BY-SA 3.0
- FirstNationalBankBooneIA, Dan Breyfogle, CC BY-SA 3.0
- BooneCountyCourthouse, Dan Breyfogle, CC BY-SA 3.0
- JHRickenbergHouse, Dan Breyfogle, CC BY-SA 3.0
- JohHHermanHouse, Dan Breyfogle, CC BY-SA 3.0
- ChamplinMemorialMasonicTemple, Dan Breyfogle, CC BY-SA 3.0
Page built October 30, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.