Buying a Home in Grimes
Fast-growing northwest suburb with heavy new construction and small-town roots.
Grimes has grown quickly along the northwest edge of the metro, adding subdivisions and retail while keeping a smaller-town core. It's a common landing spot for buyers who want new construction but find Waukee and Johnston out of range.
Growth has been rapid enough that school boundaries and city services have been expanding more or less continuously — worth factoring into any specific address.
Highlights
- A high concentration of newer construction and planned neighborhoods
- Raccoon River Valley Trail access on the metro's northwest edge
- A smaller historic core alongside rapid residential growth
- Quick connections to Urbandale, Johnston, and Waukee amenities
Grimes by the numbers
Home value, rent & market activity: Zillow Research (September 2026). Income & demographics: U.S. Census ACS (5-year).
Browse current Grimes listings on Zillow →
Renting in Grimes: rent figures, renters and the monthly cost to own →
School choice: who is moving in, and out
Iowa lets parents enroll a child in a public district other than the one they live in (Iowa Code §282.18). The state publishes the counts, which shows something a school rating cannot: which districts families are actively choosing, and which they are leaving.
School district boundaries do not follow city limits. Figures below describe the district, not the city, and the two can differ a great deal: the Urbandale district covers 35.9% of the city of Urbandale's land area, and the Waukee district also reaches into West Des Moines, Urbandale and Clive (federal school district boundary file; see which districts reach which cities). Check any specific address before relying on this.
Source: Iowa Department of Education, Certified Enrollment by District, 2025-26 school year. The bar shows transfers in and out as shares of all transfers, not the net. Percentages are of the public-school students who live in the district (certified enrollment), including those who open-enroll elsewhere. The state counts all of these in full-time equivalents, so the whole numbers here are rounded. A net loss is not a verdict on a school — large districts lose more simply by being large, and families transfer for childcare, a parent's commute and sibling placement as well as for academics.
Schools
Primarily the Dallas Center–Grimes Community School District, with some areas in the Johnston and Urbandale districts. Boundaries move with growth — verify by address.
Getting around
Northwest metro via Highway 141 and I-35/80; roughly 20–25 minutes to downtown depending on the route.
Iowa costs in Grimes
Property tax: 4 taxing districts, from $34.80738 to $39.79064 per $1,000 of taxable value for the bills paid September 2026 and March 2027. Estimate the tax on a home in Grimes → Grimes rates by district, with example bills →
School districts paired with the city in the Polk, Dallas and Warren county tax tables: Dallas Center-Grimes, Johnston, Urbandale. How districts and city lines differ →
Closing costs: Iowa's transfer tax, recording fees and Iowa Title Guaranty, figured exactly. Iowa closing cost calculator →
Metro context
Source: Realtor.com via FRED · Des Moines–West Des Moines, IA · figures for October 2026.
Estimate buy vs rent for Grimes →
General guide only — verify school boundaries, taxes, and current prices for any specific address. Not real-estate or financial advice.