Living in Country around Buffalo Center, IA
Country around Buffalo Center is a rural area of about 1,441 people in Winnebago County, Iowa, named for the post office its ZIP code uses. It's about 53 miles from Mankato, MN and 113 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 81°F and winter highs 23°F, with about 45 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $115k and rent runs about $628 a month.
1,441people
$115kTypical home
$628/moRent
81° / 23°Summer / winter
45"Snow
231Sunny days
102Rain/snow days
Is Near Buffalo Center right for you?
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Size & setting
- Rural — about 1,441 people spread over the area
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 10 people per sq mi
- 113 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- 53 mi to Mankato, MN
- 31 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $115k (≈$722/mo)
- Median rent $628/mo
- Median household income $59k
- Property tax about 1.1% of value
- 6.0% 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
- 45" of snow a year
- 16 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 52
- 19% of households have kids
- 25% are 65 or older
- 26% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 3% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 18 min
- 13% walk or take transit to work
- 35 mi to MCW airport
- 108 mi to MSP (major hub)
- 115 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 83% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1956
- 92% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 1,165 ft
- 802 mi to the ocean
- 188 mi to a big lake
- 84 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 50 mi to the nearest ski area
- 12 mi to the nearest campground
- 9 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
- 38 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 21% of Iowa districts (reading)
- Grocery store in town
- 17 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 30 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 36 mi to the nearest vet
- 34 mi to the nearest dog park
- 13 congregations per 10k people
- 18 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