Garden Prairie offers country living in Boone County
With one diner and one bar, Garden Prairie is a simple town about 20 miles from the city of Rockford. This small farming community of less than 600 residents lies out in the countryside of Boone County, where Matthew Mueller moved in 2020 to operate Emma J Farms. “We moved from a bigger town, so I like the privacy,” Mueller says. “It’s a place where people still leave their doors unlocked and don’t really have to worry about anything.” Mueller’s unattended, self-serve farmstand serves as a testament to his trustworthiness of the community, where the CAP Index Crime Score is 1 out of 10, compared to the national average of 4. While Garden Prairie isn’t known for being a touristy town, travelers do stop there to stay at the Northwoods RV Resort.
Early 1900s and midcentury homes on spacious lots
Homes in Garden Prairie rarely come on the market. According to Homes.com calculation, which uses a combination of estimate data, the average home value in the town was around $200,000 in mid-2025. Common housing styles include bungalows and Victorian-style homes from the early 1900s and ranch-style homes built in the mid to late 1900s. Some are on quarter-acre lots, while others have up to 5 acres of land.
Neighbors connect at Garden Prairie Cafe and Pleasant Street Tavern
The community has two restaurants on Pleasant Street, which intersects with U.S. 20. Garden Prairie Café serves homestyle food in a casual diner atmosphere, and Pleasant Street Tavern is the local watering hole. “If you go to Garden Prairie Café in the morning, you’ll see your neighbors there catching up and eating breakfast before going out to work on their tractors for the day,” Mueller says. “On Friday nights, neighbors will go to Pleasant Street Tavern to hang out and drink beer.” While locals can pick up produce from the stand at Emma J Farms, Belvidere is about 5 miles away with Walmart, Aldi and other stores. Rockford has an even broader selection of retailers less than 20 miles away.
Getting to Belvidere, Rockford and Chicago
From U.S. 20, it takes about 10 minutes to drive to Belvidere and 30 minutes to Rockford. There’s no public transportation in Garden Prairie, but Chicago’s Metra commuter train will extend to Belvidere in 2027. From Garden Prairie, it’s about a 90-minute to two-hour drive to Chicago.
Recreation and events at Garden Prairie Park and a conservation area
Garden Prairie Park is in the middle of town, within walking distance of many homes. It features a pavilion, playground and ball field. The Garden Prairie Park Improvement Association owns and maintains the park, which hosts an Easter egg hunt every year and a chicken broast in July and August. “The chicken broast is our biggest event,” Mueller says. “It draws a lot of people from the surrounding area. You get a half a chicken, sweet corn and some other food. It’s just a nice way for the community to get together.” Garden Prairie is also home to County Line Conservation Area, where hikers can explore nature trails and fish in the Kishwaukee River.
Upgraded Career and Technical program at Belvidere High School
Kids go to public school in Belvidere through the Belvidere Community Unit School District 100. Students attend Meehan Elementary School and Belvidere South Middle School, both of which receive C grades from Niche. They’ll go on to Belvidere High School, graded a C-plus. In 2024, the high school used a $100,000 grant to upgrade its Career and Technical classrooms with new equipment, giving them more hands-on experience to prepare for the workforce.
Written By
Nicolas Stuart
