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Tiny town

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

Places near Colo

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