IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in Alden, IA
Alden is a tiny town of 833 people in Hardin County, Iowa. It's about 36 miles from Ames, IA and 170 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 83°F and winter highs 26°F, with about 28 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $108k and rent runs about $621 a month.
833people
$108kTypical home
$621/moRent
83° / 26°Summer / winter
28"Snow
233Sunny days
93Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 833
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 533 people per sq mi
- 170 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- 36 mi to Ames, IA
- 36 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $108k (≈$680/mo)
- Median rent $621/mo
- Median household income $65k
- Property tax about 1.3% of value
- 3.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 83°F
- Winter highs around 26°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 62°F)
- 233 sunny days a year (82 totally clear)
- 132 cloudy days a year
- 40 of 90 winter days are gray
- 93 days a year with rain or snow
- 28" of snow a year
- 11 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 45 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
Safety
- About average violent crime (367 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (649 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 40
- 25% of households have kids
- 21% are 65 or older
- 16% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 4% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 20 min
- 2% walk or take transit to work
- 41 mi to FOD airport
- 69 mi to DSM (major hub)
- 113 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 80% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1963
- 83% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 1,155 ft
- 828 mi to the ocean
- 194 mi to a big lake
- 50 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 44 mi to the nearest ski area
- Campground in town
- 16 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 26 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 3 bars within 25 mi
- 3 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 14 museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 47 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 24% of Iowa districts (reading)
- 6 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 6 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 35 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 6 mi to the nearest vet
- 17 mi to the nearest dog park
- 17 congregations per 10k people
- 36 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Hardin County: R+38 in 2024
- Iowa: R+13 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- High tornado risk
- Very low wildfire risk
- Very low earthquake risk
- Moderate flood risk
- Low drought risk
- High winter storm risk
- Low heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk