Galena's cost of living meets the national average, and the median home price is $155,000, not bad for a spot where most dwellings have oodles of character in a variety of architectural styles, from relatively modest but colorful Victorian homes and brick Federal residences to more elaborate Italianate mansions.   Eighty-five percent of Galena's homes are within its historic district, and the town is a popular destination for Chicagoans with second homes.   Many retirees live in a master planned development called The Galena Territory, a large, rambling, all ages community with a wide selection of homes and prices, four golf courses, a marina, a packed activities calendar and much more.  Galena also has a few apartment complexes -  rents run between $400 and $700 per month.

While real estate is reasonably priced, Galena property taxes are on the high side, thanks primarily to the limited tax base in rural Jo Daviess County.  Homes are assessed at 33% of market value and charged roughly $7.13 per $100 in valuation.  The annual taxes on a $155,000 residence are approximately $3,645.    

There are, though, several homestead exemptions that help lower the tax bill.   These include a general exemption for owner-occupied properties (up to $6,000) and the Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption, which allows those with less than $55,000 annual income to maintain the equalized assessed value at the base year amount.   Most retirement income is not taxed, and health insurance and long term care insurance premiums are deductible.  

This is an interactive map.  Click on the arrows in the upper left hand corner to move the map to the East, West, North or South, and click (more than once if necessary) on the +/- signs to zoom in and out.

Galena receives raves from just about everyone, and although it is small, it has much of what any retiree might want or need, including twenty-five restaurants, two community theaters, five public golf courses, five banks, six public parks, a recreation center, eleven churches (nine protestant, two Catholic), three wineries (including one downtown), ten spas (which seems like a lot for such a small town), a farmers' market and three country clubs!   The downtown has 75 shops, antique stores and galleries, most within walking distance of each other (and there is a Wal-Mart in town).   The three and a half mile-long Galena River Bike Trail gives walkers and cyclists a pretty place to get some exercise, and for book lovers, the wonderful Galena Public Library, housed in a century-old building, not only has a decent collection but offers Friday night movies, volunteer opportunities, a book club, a Civil War Roundtable, free wifi internet access and more.    Since Dubuque, Iowa (population 58,000) is about 20 minutes down the road, anything not found in Galena is not far away.  And Chicago, with its world-class museums, restaurants, sporting venues and shopping, is just a three hour drive to the southeast. 

Civil War re-enactments, concerts and art fairs fill the town's parks nearly every summer weekend, drawing locals and tourists alike, and attendance is mostly free.   Art galleries and studios display one of a kind works and many offer hands-on classes.  In the evenings, taverns fill with music as local R&B, folk and country bands show off their talents.   During the winter, the Chestnut Mountain Resort is the place to ski - nineteen downhill trails present not really a challenge but a gentle way to reach safety below.  Several nearby state parks and recreation areas, including Apple River Canyon and rhyming Blanding Landing, provide access to hiking, camping and fishing.   The Galena Boat Landing is a put in spot for the river and is near downtown.

Thanks to its proximity to the Galena River, Galena has been threatened by floods on more than one occasion, and in 1951 town leaders installed a sea wall and huge green flood gates at the entrance to Main Street to protect the downtown from flooding.  In 1993, when the Mississippi River and her tributaries topped their banks from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico, Galena was spared thanks to the gates.

The Jo Daviess County Senior Center provides meals, resources and referrals for the senior community.  The Stephenson County Senior Center also provides services and programs to Galena retirees.  Home Instead is a company that offers seniors assistance with medications, errands, meal preparation and other light duties in their home.

Winter temperatures can dip into the single digits, and winter days are overcast with snowfall reaching 10 to 12 inches per month.   During the summer, the temperatures reach into the mid-80s and low-90s.  The comfort index rating (a combination of temperature and humidity) meets the national average.  The sun shines 190 days of the year.  Water quality is below the national average, but the air quality is above the national average.    

Galena is "the town that time forgot," in a good way, but it has drawbacks.    For one, the winter weather is not everyone's cup of tea.   And the number of summer tourists that descend, filling the quaint shops, cafes and restaurants, may be another.  It seems, too, that many of them do not want to go home as they tend linger into the winter.   Galena is also losing population, 4% in the last decade.

So while there are negatives, the pluses seem to outweigh them, particularly for retirees in search of a lively small town with character, a crime rate that is less than half the U.S. average, a mature demographic, plenty of activities and the architecture of an era when mining magnates held court and riverboat captains were kings.

Back to Top