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Blue Rapids is a tiny town of 870 people in Marshall County, Kansas. It's about 34 miles from Manhattan, KS and 119 miles from Kansas City, MO, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 90°F and winter highs 38°F, with about 13 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $98k and rent runs about $771 a month.
870people
$98kTypical home
$771/moRent
90° / 38°Summer / winter
13"Snow
258Sunny days
86Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 870
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 438 people per sq mi
- 119 mi to Kansas City, MO
- 34 mi to Manhattan, KS
- 34 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $98k (≈$618/mo)
- Median rent $771/mo
- Median household income $53k
- Property tax about 1.3% of value
- 1.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 90°F
- Winter highs around 38°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 64°F)
- 258 sunny days a year (108 totally clear)
- 107 cloudy days a year
- 32 of 90 winter days are gray
- 86 days a year with rain or snow
- 13" of snow a year
- 6 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- 5 days a year over 100°F
- 23 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
Safety
- Low violent crime (240 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (440 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 46
- 23% of households have kids
- 26% are 65 or older
- 19% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 3% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 22 min
- 2% walk or take transit to work
- 37 mi to MHK airport
- 107 mi to MCI (major hub)
- 69 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 84% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1953
- 89% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Gently rolling terrain
- Elevation 1,168 ft
- 688 mi to the ocean
- 253 mi to a big lake
- 17 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 91 mi to the nearest ski area
- 11 mi to the nearest campground
- 5 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 6 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- Few or no bars within 25 mi
- Few or no coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 3 museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 40 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 4% of Kansas districts (reading)
- Grocery store in town
- 12 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 38 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 13 mi to the nearest vet
- 11 mi to the nearest dog park
- 16 congregations per 10k people
- 30 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Marshall County: R+49 in 2024
- Kansas: R+16 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- High tornado risk
- Low wildfire risk
- Very low earthquake risk
- Low flood risk
- Very low drought risk
- Moderate winter storm risk
- High 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.