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Big small town

Living in Columbus, WI

Columbus is a big small town of 5,488 people in Columbia County, Wisconsin. It's about 26 miles from Madison, WI and 57 miles from Milwaukee, WI, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 81°F and winter highs 26°F, with about 42 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $231k and rent runs about $874 a month.

5,488people
$231kTypical home
$874/moRent
81° / 26°Summer / winter
42"Snow
224Sunny days
124Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Big small town of 5,488
  • Part of a metro area
  • About 1,209 people per sq mi
  • 57 mi to Milwaukee, WI
  • 26 mi to Madison, WI
  • 13 mi to the nearest town of 10k+

Money

  • Typical home $231k (≈$1,454/mo)
  • Median rent $874/mo
  • Median household income $75k
  • Property tax about 1.6% of value
  • 5.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 81°F
  • Winter highs around 26°F
  • Somewhat humid summers (dew point 61°F)
  • 224 sunny days a year (73 totally clear)
  • 141 cloudy days a year
  • 46 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 124 days a year with rain or snow
  • 42" of snow a year
  • 16 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 41 nights a year below 10°F
  • Breezy

Safety

  • Very low violent crime (94 per 100k)
  • Very low property crime (578 per 100k)

People

  • Median age 40
  • 27% of households have kids
  • 16% are 65 or older
  • 28% have a college degree
  • Not very diverse
  • 4% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 27 min
  • 4% walk or take transit to work
  • 21 mi to MSN airport
  • 63 mi to MKE (major hub)
  • 26 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 69% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1961
  • 90% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Flat, open land
  • Elevation 869 ft
  • 651 mi to the ocean
  • 43 mi to a big lake
  • 18 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 27 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 4 mi to the nearest campground
  • 25 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 323 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 136 bars within 25 mi
  • 72 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • 1 music venue or club within 25 mi
  • 14 museums within 25 mi
  • 12 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 14 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the top 48% of Wisconsin districts (reading)
  • Grocery store in town
  • 2 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 27 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • 14 mi to the nearest vet
  • 12 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 9 congregations per 10k people
  • 18 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Columbia County: R+5 in 2024
  • Wisconsin: Purple — split almost evenly

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
  • Low heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near Columbus

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