Page 18 of Best Independent Living in Iowa

Why trust this guide? Our editorial team analyzed 226 independent living communities in IA using IA Dept. of Inspections, Appeals & Licensing (DIAL) data, inspection records, complaints, amenities, and facility-level details. How we rank independent living in IA
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We analyzed These are the facilities in Iowa our team has analyzed — not a count of every independent living provider in Iowa.
226 homes
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Overview of Bridges Senior Living

Live the best of your retirement at Bridges Senior Living, an exceptional community in Waterloo, IA, offering independent living. Here, residents can ease their worries with a variety of thoughtfully furnished and sophisticated apartments. The community also ensures residents feel a sense of belonging during their stay in a warm and welcoming environment.

Residents can spend their days as they please with a carefully curated calendar of engaging activities and enriching programs that highlight their interests and preferences. Through San Souci Restaurant, which serves delightful and healthy meals from 7 A.M. to 6:30 P.M., residents enjoy mealtimes on their terms. Amenities include a pub, a library, a fitness room, a salon, a pool, and a garden, creating the ideal setting for residents to thrive in their golden years.

Contact Bridges Senior Living

Overview of Keystone of Ames

Keystone of Ames is a distinct community in Ames, IA, offering independent living. The community has cozy and specially designed one-bedroom floor plans, dedicated to residents’ comfort and safety. Laundry spaces and utilities are taken care of, easing residents’ worries and financial burdens.

With a variety of engaging activities and fun programs, residents can spend their days as they please. Delightful restaurants and shops also surround the area, providing residents with plenty of dining options that cater to their dietary needs and preferences. Residents can also bring their pets to accompany them and prevent loneliness. The community is a great option for those seeking independence in retirement, accompanied by its state-of-the-art amenities and friendly setting.

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Overview of Hotel President Senior Apartments

Live the retirement of your dreams at Hotel President Senior Apartments, an esteemed 55+ community in Waterloo, IA, offering independent living. With cozy and specially designed studio and one-bedroom floor plans, residents can keep their peace of mind and find the accommodation that best matches their preferences. Laundry spaces and on-site management are also provided for residents’ convenience.

Residents have easy access to leisure opportunities and necessities with convenient highways and thriving local amenities. The community also offers paid utilities to ease financial burdens. Pets are welcome to accompany residents to ease their loneliness. With its warm and welcoming environment, residents make the most of their golden years.

Contact Hotel President Senior Apartments

Overview of Applewood IV Senior Apartments

Make the most of your best years at Applewood IV Senior Apartments, a distinct community in Dubuque, IA, offering independent living. Residents can ease their worries with beautifully furnished and cozy one- and two-bedroom floor plans, designed for their comfort. The community also helps with maintenance and provides laundry spaces, so residents enjoy a hassle-free lifestyle.

A jam-packed calendar of engaging activities and enriching programs is conducted, encouraging residents to live an active and vibrant lifestyle. With a fully equipped kitchen in each unit, residents can prepare meals according to their dietary needs and preferences. Public transportation is also available nearby, providing residents with convenient travel access. Residents can keep their peace of mind amidst the community’s warm and inviting environment.

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Overview of Holiday Illahee Hills

Holiday on Illahee Hills is an exceptional senior living community settling in Colby Parkway, Urbandale, IA, that offers independent living. Featuring a wide range of floor plans including studio apartments, one-bedroom apartments, and two-bedroom apartments, the community provides warm and cozy residences. Holiday Illahee Hills ensures a comfortable and safe residence with its round-the-clock care and assistance from a well-trained and dedicated team.

Moreover, the community provides safety rails and wheelchair-accessible spaces for the seniors’ safety within the grounds. The community promotes a warm and friendly environment, conducting activities that encourage seniors to engage and interact. Moreover, Holiday Illahee Hills provides healthy and delicious meals three times daily that can be enjoyed with wonderful conversations at their patio dining. The community is equipped with a gym, a beauty salon, a library, a lounge area, a community center, an activity room, a game room, a scenic patio, a beautiful garden, and serene walking paths for its residents’ entertainment and wellness.

Contact Holiday Illahee Hills

Overview of Fort Des Moines Senior Housing

Make the most of your best years at Fort Des Moines Senior Housing, a distinct community located in the quiet setting of Des Moines, IA, offering independent living. Featuring purposely built and spacious one- and two-bedroom floor plans, the community ensures residents’ comfort and safety. Maintenance services and plenty of convenient apartment features, residents enjoy a hassle-free living.

A thoughtfully curated calendar of fun recreational activities and engaging programs is conducted to keep residents active and socially connected. Delightful restaurants and shops are also available nearby, providing residents with various dining options to meet their dietary needs and preferences. Amenities include an activities room, a beauty salon, a chapel, a fitness center, a theater room, a garden, and an outdoor gazebo, creating the ideal setting for a blissful retirement.

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Overview of Valley West Apartments

Ideally situated in the thriving neighborhood in West Des Moines, IA, Valley West Apartments is a specially designed 62+ community that offers independent living. Beautifully furnished and spacious one-bedroom floor plans are provided in a nurturing and welcoming environment, ensuring residents feel at ease during their stay. The community provides income-based rents, alongside paid utilities, to ease financial burdens.

Residents have easy access to their necessities and leisure opportunities, with thriving local amenities and recreational opportunities. Kitchens are also available, allowing residents to prepare meals on their own terms. Pets are also welcome to accompany residents to ease their loneliness. With its state-of-the-art amenities and convenient location, residents are guaranteed the finest retirement experience.

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Overview of Brookdale Sioux City

Thirty-two years in, Charter Senior Living of Northpark Place is still doing what it was built for: housing 60 residents across assisted living, independent living, and residential care in Sioux City, Iowa. Jean Stevens runs the place. The neighborhood is walkable enough that residents and visitors can knock out an errand or two on foot (Walk Score 59), though it’s not the kind of area where you’d ditch a car altogether.

Rehabilitation services, nursing services, and 24-hour staffing cover the medical side, and a dedicated Short-Term Stays program exists for people who need a bridge, not a permanent move. Life outside the care schedule looks like happy hours, walking clubs, and group outings, plus a fitness center, an arts and crafts studio, a chapel, and concierge help when residents need it. Pharmacy support and free transportation mean fewer outside errands fall on family members. Pets are allowed, which matters more than people expect when someone’s leaving a house they’ve lived in for decades.

Money-wise: studios start at $3,295 a month, and a larger unit type runs $4,595. State inspectors in Iowa have tended to zero in on medication management and how well the community documents its care planning.

Put it together and Charter Senior Living of Northpark Place reads like a community built for two overlapping groups: people settling in for ongoing assisted living support, and people using the Short-Term Stays track to recover from something and then move on. The mix of nursing coverage, round-the-clock staffing, and a defined short-term option is what makes that dual purpose work.

Contact Brookdale Sioux City

Overview of Crestview Terrace Apartments

Experience the best of your golden years at Crestview Terrace Apartments, a dedicated 55+ community in West Des Moines, IA, offering independent living. The community features purposely designed and spacious one- and two-bedroom floor plans, ensuring residents are comfortable and safe. Residents can also keep their peace of mind with on-site maintenance and management.

A thoughtfully curated calendar of exciting events and engaging programs is conducted, encouraging residents to live actively and maintain social connections. Delightful restaurants and shops also provide residents with a variety of dining options to meet their dietary needs and preferences. The community is equipped with a library, a fitness center, lounge areas, a gazebo, and a beautifully maintained garden.

Contact Crestview Terrace Apartments

Overview of Village Cooperative of Crow Creek

Spend a blissful retirement at Village Cooperative of Crow Creek, an outstanding community in Davenport, IA, offering independent living. The community has beautifully furnished and cozy one- and two-bedroom floor plans, dedicated to the comfort of those 62+. Residents also enjoy easy access to their necessities with thriving shops nearby.

With a variety of inviting communal spaces and recreational opportunities, residents can spend their days as they please. Restaurants in the area also provide residents with a variety of dining options to satisfy their dietary needs and preferences. The community is equipped with a club room, a community room, a fitness center, a woodworking shop, and raised garden beds, creating the ideal setting for residents to thrive in their golden years.

Contact Village Cooperative of Crow Creek

Weighting overview

  • 35%
    Resident Experience
  • 25%
    Regulatory
  • 15%
    Visual Media
  • 10%
    Website
  • 10%
    Stability
  • 5%
    Environment
01

Resident & Family Experience 35%

The single largest share of every ranking. Aggregated review sentiment and volume from major platforms — the closest signal to real resident experience.

  • Includes
  • Review Sentiment
  • Review Volume
02

Regulatory & Safety Record 25%

State inspection records, citations, and complaint visits. We weight per-inspection rates more heavily than raw counts.

  • Includes
  • State Inspections
  • Citations/Inspection
  • % Inspections w/ Citations
  • Complaint Visits
  • Accreditations
  • BBB Rating
03

Visual Media & Transparency 15%

Communities that publish high-quality visuals give families a real preview. No photos or tours = a negative transparency signal.

  • Includes
  • Video Tours
  • Virtual Walkthroughs
  • Photo Quantity
  • Photo Quality
04

Website & Operator Transparency 10%

Site quality and whether the operator publishes basic accountability information — staff names, contact details, ownership.

  • Includes
  • Website Content
  • Mobile Usability
  • Staff Info Available
  • Owner Info Available
05

Community Stability 10%

Operational signals indicating whether a community is well-run and meeting demand.

  • Includes
  • Occupancy Rate
  • Bed Options
06

Environment & Pricing 5%

Walkability and pricing transparency. Walk Score is weighted higher for Independent Living than for Memory Care, where most residents do not leave unaccompanied.

  • Includes
  • Walk Score
  • Pricing Transparency
No paid rankings Communities cannot pay to influence placement.
How we're paid: If we help you find a community and you move in, that community may pay us a referral fee. This never affects where they rank or what you pay. Learn more
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Independent Living in Iowa at a glance

Avg Walk Score: 43/ 100The average Walk Score across facilities in Iowa. A third-party neighborhood walkability score (0–100) measuring convenience and context, not healthcare quality. Individual facilities can vary widely from this average.
National Average: 50/ 100
Avg No. of Beds: 76The average licensed bed capacity across facilities in Iowa. Individual facilities can vary widely from this average.
National Average: 90
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Frequently Asked Questions about Independent Living in Iowa

What is independent living?

Independent living communities are residential settings for active older adults — typically with private apartments or cottages, shared amenities (dining, fitness, activities), and no built-in medical care.

How many independent living communities are listed on this page?

This page features 226 independent living communities in Iowa. Use the filters and comparison tools above to compare ratings, amenities, and pricing.

How do I choose the right independent living community in Iowa?

Start by matching the level of care offered to the resident's current and anticipated needs, then compare licensing status, staff-to-resident ratios, recent inspection results, and pricing. Tour at least two or three communities in Iowa, talk to current residents and families, and confirm what is included in the base rate versus billed as add-on services.

What should I look for when visiting independent living communities in Iowa?

Pay attention to staff interactions with residents, cleanliness and odor, food quality at meal times, the activity calendar, and how questions about pricing and care plans are answered. Ask to see the most recent state inspection report, the move-out / level-of-care-change policy, and a sample monthly bill that lists every fee.