IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in Coulter, IA
Coulter is a tiny town of 228 people in Franklin County, Iowa. It's about 50 miles from Ames, IA and 154 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 83°F and winter highs 25°F, with about 30 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $90k and rent runs about $693 a month.
228people
$90kTypical home
$693/moRent
83° / 25°Summer / winter
30"Snow
233Sunny days
99Rain/snow days
Is Coulter right for you?
Take the 5-minute quiz and see your match — and how it stacks up against 34,000 other places.
Size & setting
- Tiny town of 228
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 92 people per sq mi
- 154 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- 50 mi to Ames, IA
- 30 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $90k (≈$568/mo)
- Median rent $693/mo
- Median household income $63k
- Property tax about 1.5% of value
- 3.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 83°F
- Winter highs around 25°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 62°F)
- 233 sunny days a year (82 totally clear)
- 132 cloudy days a year
- 40 of 90 winter days are gray
- 99 days a year with rain or snow
- 30" of snow a year
- 12 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 47 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
Safety
- Very low violent crime (110 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (141 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 34
- 29% of households have kids
- 19% are 65 or older
- 17% have a college degree
- Mixed community
- 3% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 21 min
- 3% walk or take transit to work
- 30 mi to MCW airport
- 84 mi to DSM (major hub)
- 127 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 87% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1944
- 81% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 1,243 ft
- 816 mi to the ocean
- 186 mi to a big lake
- 49 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 57 mi to the nearest ski area
- 7 mi to the nearest campground
- 12 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 22 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 3 bars within 25 mi
- Few or no coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 15 museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 49 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 46% of Iowa districts (reading)
- 8 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 8 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 50 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 15 mi to the nearest vet
- 27 mi to the nearest dog park
- 19 congregations per 10k people
- 39 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Franklin County: R+42 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