Guide · Published October 15, 2026 · By Ashland MHC
Is Ashland, MO a good place to live? Here are the facts.
That depends on what you need close by, so this guide answers with facts instead of adjectives. Ashland is a town of about 5,221 on US-63 in southern Boone County, between Columbia and Jefferson City.12 Below: how far everything is in minutes, what the parks have, the schools, the library and YMCA, where the work is, and what housing costs, each with its source.
Where is Ashland, MO?
Ashland is in southern Boone County, Missouri, on US-63 between Columbia to the north and Jefferson City to the south. The ZIP code is 65010, and City Hall is at 101 W Broadway.22 Ashland MHC sits on the east side of town at 111 Eastside Dr, about 0.4 miles from US-63 by way of Route Y.5
Most of the places on this page that take a drive sit north, in Columbia. The Missouri State Capitol is the main trip south. If Columbia is where you work or study, renting here instead of in Columbia puts those drive times next to Columbia rents.
How big is Ashland, and is it growing?
Ashland had about 5,221 residents in the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. The census counted 3,707 in 2010 and 4,747 in 2020: about 28% growth in that decade, then about 10% more by 2025.12
- 2010Census count, April 2010 3,707
- 2020Census count, April 2020 4,747
- 2025Census estimate, July 2025 5,221
Growth: about 28% from 2010 to 2020, about 10% from 2020 to 2025, computed from the three figures above.12
How far is everything from here?
Everything in town is about 1 to 4 minutes away. Columbia's airport is about 9, south Columbia about 14, downtown Columbia about 20 and the State Capitol about 21, in free-flowing traffic from Eastside Dr.5
Drive times from Ashland MHC on one north-south line, in minutes, free-flowing traffic. North toward Columbia: Downtown Columbia (Broadway) about 20; Boone Hospital Center about 19; MU University Hospital and Truman VA about 18; Rock Bridge Memorial State Park and Discovery Ridge about 15; South Columbia at Nifong Blvd and Three Creeks Conservation Area about 14; Columbia Regional Airport about 9. In Ashland: Ranken Technical College, Central Missouri campus and Southern Boone Area YMCA and Southern Boone High School about 4; Southern Boone County Public Library and Southern Boone Middle School about 3; Ashland City Park about 2; US-63, via Route Y about 1. South and southwest: Katy Trail at Hartsburg about 15; Missouri State Capitol, Jefferson City about 21.
- about20min Downtown Columbia (Broadway)about 14.9 mi
- about19min Boone Hospital Centerabout 14.5 mi
- about18min MU University Hospital and Truman VAabout 14.1 mi
- about15min Rock Bridge Memorial State Parkabout 11.2 miDiscovery Ridgeabout 10.7 mi
- about14min South Columbia at Nifong Blvdabout 11.5 miThree Creeks Conservation Areaabout 6.5 mi
- about9min Columbia Regional Airportabout 4.7 mi
- about4min Ranken Technical College, Central Missouri campusabout 1.0 miSouthern Boone Area YMCAabout 1.2 miSouthern Boone High Schoolabout 1.2 mi
- about3min Southern Boone County Public Libraryabout 0.9 miSouthern Boone Middle Schoolabout 0.9 mi
- about2min Ashland City Parkabout 0.8 mi
- about1min US-63, via Route Yabout 0.4 mi
- 0min Ashland MHC111 Eastside Dr, the start of every time on this line
- about15min Katy Trail at Hartsburgabout 7.8 mi, southwest
- about21min Missouri State Capitol, Jefferson Cityabout 16.5 mi, south on US-63
Space between stops grows with the minutes between them, from 0 at Eastside Dr to 21 at the Capitol. OSRM routing on OpenStreetMap roads, computed Sept 28, 2026. Rush hour and weather add time.5
What is there to do outdoors?
Start with Ashland City Park on North College Street, about 2 minutes from the community.5 The city lists a baseball and softball diamond, disc golf, a dog park, pavilions, picnic areas, a playground, a pond, restrooms, a tennis court and a walking track, open 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day.19 The city also keeps Ashland Ridge Park on Mustang Drive, with picnic areas.22
City Park has a redevelopment plan. The city adopted a City Park Master Plan on April 1, 2025. The park was first developed in 1975 and gained its dog park in 2019; Phase 1 of the plan is a new playground with a comfort station and a retention basin, and the city's target for finishing Phase 1 is summer 2030, depending on grants and donations. The plan phases the work so the current play equipment stays open during construction.20 Ashland's parks are paid for by a half-cent sales tax for parks and stormwater that voters approved in 2018, and the city's Parks page is also where it posts the town's Fall Festival.21
Farther out, by car: Three Creeks Conservation Area is about 14 minutes away, Rock Bridge Memorial State Park about 15, and the Katy Trail at Hartsburg about 15.5 None of them is walking distance from town; all three are short drives.
What school district is Ashland in?
Ashland is in the Southern Boone County R-I school district. Its four buildings, the primary, elementary, middle and high schools, are each about a mile from Ashland MHC by road, and all sit on the same side of town, west of US-63.65 SchoolDigger ranked the district 29th of 367 Missouri districts in 2025.4 The schools map shows each building with its distance. For enrollment and attendance boundaries, the district is the source to ask.
What's in town day to day?
The Southern Boone County Public Library at 109 N Main St is a branch of the Daniel Boone Regional Library, about 3 minutes from the community. Its posted hours are Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., closed Sunday, and it has curbside pickup for holds.235
The Southern Boone Area YMCA opened its current, larger building on Main Street in March 2021; it's about 4 minutes from the community.245 Ranken Technical College opened its Central Missouri campus in Ashland in 2024, about a mile from the community.165
For the bigger trips: Columbia Regional Airport is about 9 minutes north, and MU University Hospital, the Truman VA and Boone Hospital Center are about 18 to 19 minutes away in Columbia.5
Where is the work?
Mostly up and down US-63. Columbia's largest employers include University of Missouri, MU Health Care, Veterans United Home Loans, Columbia Public Schools, Truman VA Hospital, Boone Hospital Center, Shelter Insurance and the City of Columbia.15 Downtown Columbia is about 20 minutes north and the State Capitol in Jefferson City about 21 minutes south.5 Closer in, Ranken's Ashland campus, about a mile from the community, teaches trades and technical programs.16
What does housing cost in Ashland?
At Ashland MHC, lot rent is $380 a month if you own or buy your home, and some homes rent with the lot included from $1,200 a month.2 For scale, the average 3-bed apartment in Columbia rents for $2,027.1 That isn't like for like: lot rent covers the ground only, so the cost of the home, plus your utilities and insurance, is separate.
The lot rent in Ashland page has the figure, the written lock word for word and how lot rent works. Buying? Read the guide to buying a mobile home in a park. To see Ashland next to other communities on the same questions, read mobile home parks near Columbia, MO, compared.
What this guide leaves out
Grades, scores and descriptions of who lives here. This page describes the town and its places; whether they fit your life is your call. Two checks no website can do for you: drive your commute at the hour you'd really drive it, and walk the streets you're considering. A tour of Ashland MHC covers the second one and commits you to nothing.