IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in Altoona, IA
Altoona is a small city of 21,495 people in Polk County, Iowa. It's about 9 miles from Des Moines, IA and 183 miles from Kansas City, MO, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 85°F and winter highs 30°F, with about 32 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $275k and rent runs about $1k a month.
21,495people
$275kTypical home
$1,235/moRent
85° / 30°Summer / winter
32"Snow
237Sunny days
102Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Small city of 21,495
- Part of a metro area
- About 1,615 people per sq mi
- 183 mi to Kansas City, MO
- 9 mi to Des Moines, IA
- Has its own stores and services
Money
- Typical home $275k (≈$1,732/mo)
- Median rent $1,235/mo
- Median household income $86k
- Property tax about 1.6% of value
- 7.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 85°F
- Winter highs around 30°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 63°F)
- 237 sunny days a year (89 totally clear)
- 128 cloudy days a year
- 40 of 90 winter days are gray
- 102 days a year with rain or snow
- 32" of snow a year
- 10 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 33 nights a year below 10°F
- Breezy
Safety
- Low violent crime (198 per 100k)
- Low property crime (1,434 per 100k)
People
- Median age 36
- 34% of households have kids
- 17% are 65 or older
- 34% have a college degree
- Mixed community
- 4% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 24 min
- 0% walk or take transit to work
- 12 mi to DSM airport
- 12 mi to DSM (major hub)
- 61 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 71% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1998
- 94% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 958 ft
- 799 mi to the ocean
- 235 mi to a big lake
- 31 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 5 mi to the nearest ski area
- 3 mi to the nearest campground
- 43 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 483 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 138 bars within 25 mi
- 157 coffee shops within 25 mi
- 4 music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 27 museums within 25 mi
- 13 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 22 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 45% of Iowa districts (reading)
- Grocery store in town
- 8 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 23 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- Vet in town
- Dog park in town
- 6 congregations per 10k people
- 7 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Polk County: D+11 in 2024
- Iowa: R+13 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- High tornado risk
- Very low wildfire risk
- Very low earthquake risk
- High flood risk
- Very low drought risk
- Moderate winter storm risk
- Moderate heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk