Movers Boone
Birthplace of First Lady Mamie Doud Eisenhower
Movers in Boone, Iowa
Local movers serving Boone — the historic railroad town and Boone County seat. From the downtown blocks near the Mamie Eisenhower birthplace to the newer neighborhoods around DMACC. Hourly pricing, real itemized quotes, same crew start to finish.
12,460
Residents (2020)
~40 mi
NW of Des Moines
1865
Year founded
1887
Became county seat
A railroad town with a First Lady’s story
Boone sits about 40 miles northwest of Des Moines, just east of the Des Moines River and 15 miles west of Ames. It’s the county seat of Boone County (county population about 26,224) and was the 2020 home to 12,460 residents. The drive from Des Moines is roughly 45 minutes via I-35 and US Route 30.
The city was founded in 1865 and was originally called Montana. It was renamed in 1871 to honor Captain Nathan Boone, son of the frontiersman Daniel Boone. The railroad arrived in 1866 and shaped the city’s growth for the next century. In 1887, Boone annexed the adjacent town of Boonesboro (established 1851) and became the county seat at that point. The economy still reflects those agricultural and railroad roots, with light manufacturing added in modern decades.
Boone is served by the Boone Community School District plus parochial schools including Sacred Heart School and Trinity Lutheran School. The city is also home to the Boone campus of Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC), founded in 1969, making it a small but meaningful destination for higher education.
Midwest Moving Pros now serves Boone as part of our expanded service area. We’re a family-owned local moving company based in Des Moines. The crew that loads in Boone is the crew that unloads at the new place. The price on the quote is the price on the invoice. No brokers, no consolidated shipments.
Born in Boone
Mamie Doud Eisenhower
November 14, 1896 – November 1, 1979
Born at 718 Carroll Street to John and Elivera Doud. Her mother was born in Boone of Swedish immigrant parents.
The family left Boone for Cedar Rapids when Mamie was 9 months old, then moved to Denver in 1905. Mamie met 2nd Lt. Dwight Eisenhower in 1915 at Fort Sam Houston and married him on July 1, 1916.
She served as First Lady from 1953 to 1961. Her birthplace home was restored and is now a museum at 709 Carroll Street, just across from where she was born.
What Boone is famous for
Beyond Mamie Eisenhower, Boone’s identity is shaped by railroad history, dramatic infrastructure, and outdoor recreation. Three claims in particular show up on most visitor lists.
1881
Kate Shelley’s heroic warning
On a stormy July night in 1881, 17-year-old Kate Shelley crawled across the long Des Moines River railroad bridge to warn an oncoming passenger train about a ruined trestle ahead. The Kate Shelley Memorial Park & Railroad Museum in nearby Moingona preserves the depot and the trails leading to the remains of the original bridge.
1901
Kate Shelley High Bridge
Named in Kate Shelley’s honor, the bridge measures 3,000 feet long and 190 feet above the Des Moines River Valley — one of the tallest double-track railroad bridges in the United States. The original Boone Viaduct was completed in 1901; a new bridge opened alongside it in 2009 and is still actively used by Union Pacific trains.
Today
Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad
A working tourist railroad operating historic passenger trains through the Des Moines River Valley, with a depot, museum, and the James H. Andrew Railroad Museum collection. Combined with the Iowa Arboretum & Gardens (160 acres of grounds), Ledges State Park (4 miles south), and Boone Speedway, the city has become a real central-Iowa destination for visitors who care about railroads, history, and outdoor space.
Neighborhoods we move across in Boone
Boone’s housing stock spans 150+ years, from the original 1860s blocks around what became downtown to newer subdivisions on the city’s edges.
Historic downtown & Carroll Street area
The original Boone downtown, including the Carroll Street blocks where the Mamie Eisenhower Birthplace museum is located. Older homes from the late 1800s and early 1900s with original construction, narrow stairwells, walkable blocks. Some of the city’s oldest buildings are still in use along Main Street.
Boonesboro neighborhood
The former town of Boonesboro (established 1851, annexed into Boone in 1887) is the western section of the city. Older established homes mixed with mid-century post-war construction.
Mamie Eisenhower Avenue / west side
The neighborhoods along Mamie Eisenhower Avenue and the western residential streets, including the area near Lincoln Elementary School. Mid-century family homes with mature trees and finished basements.
DMACC area
Neighborhoods near the Des Moines Area Community College Boone campus. A mix of student-oriented rentals and family-occupied single-family homes. The DMACC area sees some semester-driven turnover but at a much smaller scale than Ames.
Newer subdivisions
Subdivisions on the city’s outer edges, with construction from the 1980s through more recent years. Wider doorways, attached garages, full basements — newer construction generally loads faster than the older downtown homes.
McHose Park area & near US-30
Family neighborhoods around McHose Park and the residential streets close to US Route 30. Quick access in and out of the city via the highway. A common destination for families with kids who use the park year-round.
What moves look like in Boone
A few things about Boone specifically shape how the work runs.
The drive from Des Moines is about 45 minutes
Our trucks come from Des Moines, and the route to Boone runs roughly 40 miles via I-35 north to US Route 30 west. The hourly rate covers that drive time — truck-on-road counts the same as truck-on-job. No trip charges, no distance surcharges. The total ends up higher than a metro-only move because the truck is on the clock longer, but the hourly rate stays the same.
Older homes downtown
Homes in Boone’s downtown core have some of the oldest construction in central Iowa — the railroad arrived in 1866, and many homes near Carroll Street and the original Boonesboro area date from the late 1800s. Narrow stairwells, tight doorways, original woodwork. We bring disassembly tools to every move.
US-30 is the main east-west route
US Route 30 runs east-west through the city and is the main route in and out for moves. The route was improved in the 1960s when it was rerouted south of the city to reduce traffic. Most truck approaches to Boone use this corridor.
Special-event weekends affect timing
The Iowa Municipal Band Festival, Boone Speedway events, and Farm Progress Show years (when Boone hosts the biennial event) bring extra traffic to the city. If your move falls on one of these weekends, expect the downtown and US-30 to be slower. Send us the move date and we’ll know whether to plan around an event.
Boone Community School District
Most of Boone is served by the Boone Community School District. Sacred Heart School and Trinity Lutheran School serve the parochial side. Families moving for the schools should confirm their address falls in the district — some rural addresses just outside city limits may be in neighboring districts.
What a Boone move costs
Our pricing is the same for Boone as for the rest of our service area. The longer drive from Des Moines adds time, but the hourly rate captures that — no trip charges or distance surcharges.
Hourly rateCrew, truck, fuel, pads, dollies, and basic moving insurance — the standard rate for every move.
$160/hr
Heavy-item addFlat charge for items too heavy for the standard crew (large gun safes, heavy pianos). The only possible surcharge.
+$100
Local move depositHolds your move date. Applies to the final invoice.
$50
Long-distance depositFor cross-country and out-of-state moves only.
$300
Moving in or out of Boone?
Itemized written quote within 24 hours. Same crew start to finish. The price on the quote matches the price on the invoice.
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