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Balsam Lake is a tiny town of 754 people in Polk County, Wisconsin. It's about 53 miles from Minneapolis, MN. Summer highs average 81°F and winter highs 22°F, with about 54 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $210k and rent runs about $966 a month.
754people
$210kTypical home
$966/moRent
81° / 22°Summer / winter
54"Snow
232Sunny days
109Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 754
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 339 people per sq mi
- 53 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- 53 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- 24 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $210k (≈$1,326/mo)
- Median rent $966/mo
- Median household income $52k
- Property tax about 1.2% of value
- 2.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 81°F
- Winter highs around 22°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 59°F)
- 232 sunny days a year (75 totally clear)
- 133 cloudy days a year
- 41 of 90 winter days are gray
- 109 days a year with rain or snow
- 54" of snow a year
- 19 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 59 nights a year below 10°F
- Breezy
Safety
- Very low violent crime (86 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (320 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 56
- 19% of households have kids
- 29% are 65 or older
- 20% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 3% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 27 min
- 8% walk or take transit to work
- 55 mi to MSP airport
- 55 mi to MSP (major hub)
- 47 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 78% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1978
- 86% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 1,116 ft
- 651 mi to the ocean
- 69 mi to a big lake
- 19 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 11 mi to the nearest ski area
- Campground in town
- 15 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 95 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 66 bars within 25 mi
- 11 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 11 museums within 25 mi
- 4 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 10 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 32% of Wisconsin districts (reading)
- 8 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 9 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 33 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 9 mi to the nearest vet
- 9 mi to the nearest dog park
- 12 congregations per 10k people
- 34 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Polk County: R+31 in 2024
- Wisconsin: Purple — split almost evenly
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- Moderate tornado risk
- Very low wildfire risk
- Very low earthquake risk
- Very low flood risk
- Very low drought risk
- High winter storm risk
- Low heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk
Some of this place's Census numbers are blended with county figures because its survey sample is small.