Country living in rural Jones County
Stone City’s roots are rocky. Early settlers of this rural village, which sits on the banks of the Wapsipinicon River in west-central Jones County, discovered limestone and dolomite in the mid-1800s and founded a booming quarry town. Some of the locally quarried limestone buildings are now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Famous Iowan painter Grant Wood established an art colony here in the 1920s and ‘30s, attracted to the kind of bucolic setting that influenced his work. Quarrying and agriculture are still central to the local economy, though some residents commute to employers in nearby Anamosa. “It’s a very rural area. That’s the draw, being out in the country. It’s absolutely beautiful,” says Realtor Kiah Guzman of Exchange Brokers, who has several years of experience.
Single-family homes on lots of land
Vast fields of corn and soybeans stretch between thick groves of oaks, walnut trees and maples. Farmhouses, New Traditionals and ranch-style homes sit on spacious properties, often more than a few acres big. They typically sell for between $300,000 and about $610,000, but listings are rare. “It’s a little bit of a slower market, but [listings get] tons of interest usually because of the land,” she says. The Wapsipinicon River is prone to flooding. Jones County, part of the Tornado Alley region, is also vulnerable to tornadoes.
Preschool to post-grad at Anamosa and Cedar Rapids schools
Stone City is zoned to the Anamosa Community School District. Many kids attend Strawberry Hill Elementary and Anamosa Middle, which both get C grades from Niche, then Anamosa High, which gets a C-plus. Anamosa High offers dual enrollment classes at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, nearly 30 miles away. The University of Iowa’s Tippie College of Business, also in Cedar Rapids, offers several graduate and professional degree programs as well as undergraduate certificate programs.
Wapsipinicon River, Wapsipinicon State Park offer outdoor recreation
Some homes have private access to the Wapsipinicon River, where locals can fish for walleye, northern pike and smallmouth bass. There’s also a public boat ramp at the end of Dearborn Road. Wapsipinicon State Park, to the east, has several miles of hiking trails through woodlands and prairies. In the winter, the trails are also open to cross-country skiing and snowmobiling. The state park’s campground is close to the Wapsipinicon Country Club’s public, nine-hole golf course. Hunting and trapping are permitted in the Matsell Bridge Natural Area, northwest of Stone City. The nearly 2,000-acre preserve also offers a shooting range as well as camping and trails for hiking and horseback riding.
Shopping, dining, entertainment in Anamosa and Cedar Rapids
The General Store, built in 1897, is an event venue overlooking the river. It hosts the annual Stone City Festival & Fundraiser, with vendors, live music and blacksmith demonstrations every September. The historic building is right next to Weber Stone Company, which has been a big local employer for over 70 years. For groceries and other shopping, locals head to Anamosa, where there’s a Dollar General and a Walmart Supercenter. “Anamosa is the closest area that’s a little more developed with stores and things,” Guzman says. It’s about 4 miles, or a 10-minute drive, from most homes.
Cultural attractions like the African American Museum of Iowa and the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library are in downtown Cedar Rapids, over 20 miles away. The Cedar Rapids Museum of Art has the world’s largest collection of Grant Wood paintings, including his iconic American Gothic piece. Popular restaurants, including Cobble Hill, known for modern American fare, and The Map Room, a classic pub, are nearby.
Quick commutes to Anamosa and Cedar Rapids
UnityPoint Health Jones Regional Medical Center, a top area employer in Anamosa, is about 5 miles from Stone City. Commuting usually takes 10 minutes via Ridge Road E28. Cedar Rapids Municipal Airport, also known as Eastern Iowa Airport, is just over 30 miles away. The drive typically takes less than 40 minutes without traffic on U.S. Routes 151 and 30 and Interstate 380. Direct flights are available to major cities across the country, including Orlando, Atlanta, Denver and Chicago. The more than 200-mile drive east to Chicago can take under four hours without traffic.
