Communities of Rock Rapids and Doon
Central Lyon Community School
Rock Rapids' 2,600 residents enjoy the benefits of small town living with easy access to the larger communities of Sioux Falls, the Twin Cities, and Omaha. We are located in extreme northwest Iowa, at the junction of Iowa Highway 9 and US Highway 75. Only 32 miles southeast of Sioux Falls, South Dakota and 15 miles south of Interstate 90. Rock Rapids is "Building Today for Tomorrow" with excellent educational opportunities, a diverse business structure, family-oriented community facilities, and quality health care. Click on the photo at the right to view a gallery of the many murals throughout Rock Rapids.
Doon, population 530, is the second town in our Central Lyon community. Located on a plateau on the eastern bank of the Rock River, the city was named after the River Doon, made famous as the subject of Robert Burns' poem, Ye Banks and Braes o' Bonnie Doon. Founded by H.D. Rice on September 6, 1889, the railway town was connected first by the Rock Valley Railway, followed by the Iowa & Dakota Railroad.