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Alexander is a tiny town of 245 people in Franklin County, Iowa. It's about 54 miles from Ames, IA and 150 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 84°F and winter highs 26°F, with about 32 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $56k and rent runs about $696 a month.
245people
$56kTypical home
$696/moRent
84° / 26°Summer / winter
32"Snow
233Sunny days
94Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 245
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 57 people per sq mi
- 150 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- 54 mi to Ames, IA
- 28 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $56k (≈$351/mo)
- Median rent $696/mo
- Median household income $58k
- Property tax about 1.5% of value
- 4.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 84°F
- Winter highs around 26°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 61°F)
- 233 sunny days a year (82 totally clear)
- 132 cloudy days a year
- 40 of 90 winter days are gray
- 94 days a year with rain or snow
- 32" of snow a year
- 12 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 48 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
Safety
- Very low violent crime (110 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (141 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 28
- 34% of households have kids
- 17% are 65 or older
- 18% have a college degree
- Mixed community
- 3% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 24 min
- 2% walk or take transit to work
- 26 mi to MCW airport
- 88 mi to DSM (major hub)
- 129 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 88% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1950
- 86% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 1,243 ft
- 816 mi to the ocean
- 189 mi to a big lake
- 55 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 59 mi to the nearest ski area
- 8 mi to the nearest campground
- 15 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 41 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 3 bars within 25 mi
- 8 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 18 museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 56 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 20% of Iowa districts (reading)
- 8 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 8 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 54 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 7 mi to the nearest vet
- 23 mi to the nearest dog park
- 19 congregations per 10k people
- 33 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Franklin County: R+42 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
Limited data: this place is small enough that most of its Census numbers (rent, home value, income, age) are blended with county figures. Treat its match as a rough guide.