Living in Colo, IA
Colo is a tiny town of 686 people in Story County, Iowa. It's about 16 miles from Ames, IA and 204 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 83°F and winter highs 27°F, with about 31 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $152k and rent runs about $950 a month.
686people
$152kTypical home
$950/moRent
83° / 27°Summer / winter
31"Snow
233Sunny days
88Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 686
- Part of a metro area
- About 644 people per sq mi
- 204 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- 16 mi to Ames, IA
- 16 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $152k (≈$959/mo)
- Median rent $950/mo
- Median household income $64k
- Property tax about 1.5% of value
- 5.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 83°F
- Winter highs around 27°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 63°F)
- 233 sunny days a year (82 totally clear)
- 132 cloudy days a year
- 40 of 90 winter days are gray
- 88 days a year with rain or snow
- 31" of snow a year
- 13 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 40 nights a year below 10°F
- Breezy
Safety
- Very low violent crime (87 per 100k), county-wide
- Low property crime (985 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 42
- 21% of households have kids
- 18% are 65 or older
- 34% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 15% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 26 min
- 6% walk or take transit to work
- 37 mi to DSM airport
- 37 mi to DSM (major hub)
- 83 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 78% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1959
- 85% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 1,034 ft
- 822 mi to the ocean
- 212 mi to a big lake
- 42 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 32 mi to the nearest ski area
- 7 mi to the nearest campground
- 22 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 122 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 32 bars within 25 mi
- 32 coffee shops within 25 mi
- 1 music venue or club within 25 mi
- 15 museums within 25 mi
- 4 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 26 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 42% of Iowa districts (reading)
- 6 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 7 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 14 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 7 mi to the nearest vet
- 15 mi to the nearest dog park
- 7 congregations per 10k people
- 16 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Story County: D+10 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
- Very low drought risk
- High winter storm risk
- Moderate heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk