IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in Alta Vista, IA
Alta Vista is a tiny town of 194 people in Chickasaw County, Iowa. It's about 49 miles from Waterloo, IA and 129 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 81°F and winter highs 24°F, with about 37 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $68k and rent runs about $640 a month.
194people
$68kTypical home
$640/moRent
81° / 24°Summer / winter
37"Snow
230Sunny days
91Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 194
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 258 people per sq mi
- 129 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- 49 mi to Waterloo, IA
- 33 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $68k (≈$430/mo)
- Median rent $640/mo
- Median household income $45k
- Property tax about 1.3% of value
- 1.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 81°F
- Winter highs around 24°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 62°F)
- 230 sunny days a year (77 totally clear)
- 135 cloudy days a year
- 41 of 90 winter days are gray
- 91 days a year with rain or snow
- 37" of snow a year
- 13 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 46 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
Safety
- Very low violent crime (59 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (152 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 42
- 26% of households have kids
- 21% are 65 or older
- 17% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 2% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 25 min
- 4% walk or take transit to work
- 44 mi to ALO airport
- 123 mi to MSP (major hub)
- 125 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 84% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1940
- 83% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 1,168 ft
- 760 mi to the ocean
- 129 mi to a big lake
- 36 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 72 mi to the nearest ski area
- 5 mi to the nearest campground
- 10 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 20 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 4 bars within 25 mi
- Few or no coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 10 museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 32 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 21% of Iowa districts (reading)
- 11 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 8 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 51 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 20 mi to the nearest vet
- 21 mi to the nearest dog park
- 20 congregations per 10k people
- 32 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Chickasaw County: R+37 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