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Tiny town

Living in Badger, IA

Badger is a tiny town of 433 people in Webster County, Iowa. It's about 49 miles from Ames, IA and 168 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 83°F and winter highs 25°F, with about 39 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $143k and rent runs about $750 a month.

433people
$143kTypical home
$750/moRent
83° / 25°Summer / winter
39"Snow
237Sunny days
106Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Tiny town of 433
  • Its own small hub, not a suburb
  • About 385 people per sq mi
  • 168 mi to Minneapolis, MN
  • 49 mi to Ames, IA
  • 7 mi to the nearest town of 10k+

Money

  • Typical home $143k (≈$900/mo)
  • Median rent $750/mo
  • Median household income $73k
  • Property tax about 1.4% of value
  • 4.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 83°F
  • Winter highs around 25°F
  • Somewhat humid summers (dew point 61°F)
  • 237 sunny days a year (84 totally clear)
  • 128 cloudy days a year
  • 40 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 106 days a year with rain or snow
  • 39" of snow a year
  • 16 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 47 nights a year below 10°F
  • Windier than most places

Safety

  • High violent crime (721 per 100k), county-wide
  • About average property crime (2,020 per 100k), county-wide

People

  • Median age 43
  • 23% of households have kids
  • 21% are 65 or older
  • 24% have a college degree
  • Not very diverse
  • 5% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 21 min
  • 3% walk or take transit to work
  • 5 mi to FOD airport
  • 79 mi to DSM (major hub)
  • 108 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 87% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1966
  • 86% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Flat, open land
  • Elevation 1,152 ft
  • 849 mi to the ocean
  • 225 mi to a big lake
  • 60 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 42 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 10 mi to the nearest campground
  • 12 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 41 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 10 bars within 25 mi
  • 8 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • 1 music venue or club within 25 mi
  • 9 museums within 25 mi
  • No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 84 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the bottom 4% of Iowa districts (reading)
  • 7 mi to the nearest grocery store
  • 8 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 49 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • 31 mi to the nearest vet
  • 36 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 10 congregations per 10k people
  • 42 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Webster County: R+31 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
  • Low drought risk
  • High winter storm risk
  • Low heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near Badger

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