Ames runs on Iowa State. The campus, the football, the research, the steady inflow of professors, grad students, and corporate research talent - it makes Ames unlike anywhere else in Central Iowa. If you're considering a move to Ames, here's the honest assessment from someone who works this market daily.
You'll love Ames if you...
The Ames Community School District serves 4,728 students (2024-25, NCES Common Core of Data).
For specific school-level performance metrics, the Iowa Department of Education's School Performance Profiles tool is the most current objective source. I also keep a separate deep-dive on Ames schools if you want every detail.
Ames has several distinct sub-markets, each with its own character: South Campus, Old Town, Northridge Heights, North Grand, Somerset. Each has different pricing, character, and target buyer. For specific neighborhood guidance, I work through this individually during the buyer consultation. If you plan to rent part of the home, my look at where to house hack in Ames covers where rental demand and the numbers line up.
35 minutes to downtown Des Moines on I-35. 50 minutes to West Des Moines.
Ames is home to Iowa State University, founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm. Next to Jack Trice Stadium, Reiman Gardens covers 17 acres and includes the Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing, dedicated in 2002.
On the north side of town, Ada Hayden Heritage Park reclaimed the former Hallett's quarry as a lake park with five marked trails, fishing, and electric-motor-only boating. Downtown, Main Street carries an Iowa Arts Council Cultural & Entertainment District designation and hosts a farmers market, and nearby Bandshell Park holds Summer Symphony performances. The Ada Hayden loop in the morning and Main Street in the evening make a good first look.
Prices move month to month, so I keep a dated market snapshot on the Ames area page and pull live MLS comps for any home you are serious about. Days on market vary by price point and neighborhood; I pull the current figure for your price range before we write an offer. For the buyer's side of that market, my guide to homes for sale in Ames covers prices, neighborhoods, and how the Iowa State market works.
For a current snapshot of Ames inventory + pricing, I send a free monthly Central Iowa market report. Subscribe at Jackson's Hub.
Whether you're a first-time buyer, a move-up family, or a relocation buyer evaluating Ames for the first time, I can walk through what your specific budget gets you here vs. competing communities. No pressure, no sales pitch - just the numbers and the honest reality of the market.
Jackson Krile is a REALTOR® on the Flanders Team at RE/MAX Real Estate Center. Licensed in Iowa #S66867000. DMAAR + CIBR member. Serving Central Iowa.
If the Old Town neighborhood is what draws you to Ames, my listing at 821 Clark Ave in Old Town Ames shows exactly what that housing stock looks like - 1890 character, a 2026 furnace, A/C and tankless water heater, and alley parking, a block-and-a-half walk from Historic Main Street. It is under contract now, but the 30-photo tour is still the clearest picture of what $265,000 buys in this part of town.
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