Boom is a municipality in the Antwerp province covering 7.4 km² with 18,244 inhabitants. The population has a slight majority of women at 50.2% and an average age of 39 years. Most residents own their homes, with a 67% ownership rate. The average net annual income per person is 17,333€, and there is an average of 1.1 cars per household, lower than the national average of 1.3. The community is predominantly Belgian at 88.3%, with minorities from the Netherlands, Morocco, Spain, Poland, Romania, and North Macedonia.
Housing in Boom mainly consists of buildings dating around 1951. About 60.9% of the structures are houses, while 39.1% are apartment buildings. Specifically, closed-type houses make up 47.3%, semi-closed houses 8.1%, open houses and farms 3.7%, and commercial houses 2.6%. Currently, there are 10 houses for sale in Boom, with prices ranging from 75,000€ to a high of 599,000€. The average price for houses on the market is approximately 291,222€.
Transportation access is convenient with entrances to the A12 motorway close by, connecting Brussels, Boom, Antwerp, and further to the Netherlands in zero minutes by car from the town center. The A1/E19 motorway can be reached within 7 minutes, connecting to Mechelen and Breda in the Netherlands. Several main roads such as N148, N171, and N177 run through Boom. Public transport options include 19 bus lines operated by De Lijn, with routes connecting to places like Hasselt, Mechelen, Antwerp, and nearby towns.
For families with children, the municipality offers several educational facilities: 3 nurseries such as De Grote Vosjes and Troetelboom, 6 nursery schools including Vrije Basisschool - De Kade and De Reuzenboom, 6 primary schools like Go! Basisschool De Hoeksteen, and 11 secondary schools including Onze-Lieve-Vrouwinstituut Bovenbouw Tso-Bso. Shopping needs are met by supermarkets including SPAR, Carrefour, Colruyt, and Delhaize within Boom. Although there are no shared bicycle or car services nor known EV charging stations within the municipality, Antwerp International Airport can be accessed within about 15 minutes by car or over an hour by public transport.