Living in Afton, IA
Afton is a tiny town of 817 people in Union County, Iowa. It's about 48 miles from Des Moines, IA and 133 miles from Kansas City, MO, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 84°F and winter highs 30°F, with about 28 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $95k and rent runs about $590 a month.
817people
$95kTypical home
$590/moRent
84° / 30°Summer / winter
28"Snow
242Sunny days
82Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 817
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 812 people per sq mi
- 133 mi to Kansas City, MO
- 48 mi to Des Moines, IA
- 40 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $95k (≈$601/mo)
- Median rent $590/mo
- Median household income $55k
- Property tax about 1.7% of value
- 3.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 84°F
- Winter highs around 30°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 63°F)
- 242 sunny days a year (90 totally clear)
- 123 cloudy days a year
- 38 of 90 winter days are gray
- 82 days a year with rain or snow
- 28" of snow a year
- 10 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 35 nights a year below 10°F
- Breezy
Safety
- Low violent crime (292 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (625 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 39
- 28% of households have kids
- 21% are 65 or older
- 22% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 5% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 20 min
- 3% walk or take transit to work
- 45 mi to DSM airport
- 45 mi to DSM (major hub)
- 9 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 70% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1968
- 80% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Gently rolling terrain
- Elevation 1,240 ft
- 763 mi to the ocean
- 264 mi to a big lake
- 51 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 52 mi to the nearest ski area
- 12 mi to the nearest campground
- 7 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 24 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 3 bars within 25 mi
- 6 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 14 museums within 25 mi
- 1 brewery or distillery within 25 mi
- 22 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 43% of Iowa districts (reading)
- 9 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 11 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 76 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- Vet in town
- 36 mi to the nearest dog park
- 10 congregations per 10k people
- 32 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Union County: R+36 in 2024
- Iowa: R+13 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- High tornado risk
- Low wildfire risk
- Very low earthquake risk
- Moderate flood risk
- Very low drought risk
- Moderate winter storm risk
- Moderate heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk