Community

Communities in Boone County, IA

BCEGC Partnerships

Iowa State University

Iowa State University, a land-grant university founded in 1858, is a tremendous asset to the State of Iowa but also Boone County. ISU boasts 10 schools and 100 majors. Students at ISU have the opportunity to participate in more than 800 student organizations, undergrad research, internships and study abroad. With an average enrollment of 33,000+, ISU students are tackling some of the world’s biggest challenges — feeding the hungry, finding alternative fuels and advancing manufacturing.

DES MOINES AREA COMMUNITY COLLEGE

DMACC opened in 1966, as a vocational and technical learning center in metro Des Moines. The college established its main campus in Ankeny, followed by a second campus in Boone. DMACC offers a set of core classes in the arts and sciences that virtually every four-year college degree requires. Students have the opportunity to gain their two-year degree or continue on to a four-year college.

Today DMACC is Iowa’s largest and most diverse community college, serving a district that encompasses 6,560 square miles—11 percent of the land area of the state—and is home to 20 percent of Iowa’s population.

Just minutes from Boone is the Ames Hunziker Center, also known as the DMACC Career Academy. The center offers career and technical programs primarily to high school students through a partnership with Story County’s seven school districts.

Boone EDGE

The Boone EDGE Program is a work-based learning program offered for students at the Boone Community School District. “EDGE” stands for Empowered Desire, Guided Experience. Through EDGE, students get to experience real-world work through authentic projects, internships, tours, and speakers.

Ames EDC

The Ames Economic Development Commission (AEDC) stands ready to provide you with timely assistance in learning more about the Ames MSA as a first-class location for doing business. Whether it is site location assistance, packaging of financial incentives, or demonstrating an available workforce, you can rely on the AEDC for all of this and more as you contemplate investment in new or expanding operations.

Boone County Chamber of Commerce

The Boone County Chamber of Commerce aims to serve as a leader and catalyst for local business, community betterment, and initiatives that support local industry to transform Boone County.

Visit Boone County

Just a short drive away from Des Moines and Omaha is a County of inspiration. Golfing, biking, hiking, camping, canoeing, fishing and great dining intermingle with shopping, museums and scenic train rides. With the amenities and accommodations that you’d expect from a tourism destination as well as some that you wouldn’t, Boone County has the resources you need to make your visit memorable.

Our community has many unique and enjoyable attractions, as well as fantastic restaurants, shopping, lodging and venues. Making us the perfect place for a family vacation or to host a small corporate gathering.

Small Business Development Center

The Iowa State University (ISU) SBDC center located in Ames currently serves four counties – Boone, Hardin, Marshall, and Story – and was one of the first four centers established when the SBDC expanded its service statewide in 1982. Since then, the center has provided several thousand Iowa business owners or prospective owners with business assistance in areas such as business and strategic planning, general management, sources of capital, cost control, financial analysis, international trade, accounting, marketing, and much more.