Living in Buffalo Center, IA
Buffalo Center is a tiny town of 911 people in Winnebago County, Iowa. It's about 54 miles from Mankato, MN and 114 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 81°F and winter highs 23°F, with about 44 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $101k and rent runs about $640 a month.
911people
$101kTypical home
$640/moRent
81° / 23°Summer / winter
44"Snow
231Sunny days
102Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 911
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 851 people per sq mi
- 114 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- 54 mi to Mankato, MN
- 32 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $101k (≈$634/mo)
- Median rent $640/mo
- Median household income $53k
- Property tax about 1.3% of value
- 8.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 81°F
- Winter highs around 23°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 61°F)
- 231 sunny days a year (77 totally clear)
- 134 cloudy days a year
- 41 of 90 winter days are gray
- 102 days a year with rain or snow
- 44" of snow a year
- 15 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 53 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
Safety
- Very low violent crime (96 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (359 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 59
- 16% of households have kids
- 30% are 65 or older
- 27% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 3% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 18 min
- 18% walk or take transit to work
- 35 mi to MCW airport
- 109 mi to MSP (major hub)
- 116 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 81% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1959
- 90% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 1,188 ft
- 803 mi to the ocean
- 189 mi to a big lake
- 84 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 51 mi to the nearest ski area
- 11 mi to the nearest campground
- 8 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 11 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- Few or no bars within 25 mi
- 3 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 9 museums within 25 mi
- 1 brewery or distillery within 25 mi
- 39 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 21% of Iowa districts (reading)
- Grocery store in town
- 18 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 31 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 37 mi to the nearest vet
- 34 mi to the nearest dog park
- 13 congregations per 10k people
- 17 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Winnebago 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
- Moderate flood risk
- Low drought risk
- High winter storm risk
- Low heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk