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Country around Melrose is a rural area of about 550 people in Monroe County, Iowa, named for the post office its ZIP code uses. It's about 50 miles from Des Moines, IA and 151 miles from Kansas City, MO, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 85°F and winter highs 31°F, with about 26 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $84k and rent runs about $798 a month.
550people
$84kTypical home
$798/moRent
85° / 31°Summer / winter
26"Snow
239Sunny days
112Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Rural — about 550 people spread over the area
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 5 people per sq mi
- 151 mi to Kansas City, MO
- 50 mi to Des Moines, IA
- 30 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $84k (≈$532/mo)
- Median rent $798/mo
- Median household income $51k
- Property tax about 1.0% of value
- 7.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 85°F
- Winter highs around 31°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 64°F)
- 239 sunny days a year (95 totally clear)
- 126 cloudy days a year
- 39 of 90 winter days are gray
- 112 days a year with rain or snow
- 26" of snow a year
- 9 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 34 nights a year below 10°F
- Breezy
Safety
- Very low violent crime (93 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (213 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 61
- 25% of households have kids
- 30% are 65 or older
- 14% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 2% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 35 min
- 2% walk or take transit to work
- 50 mi to DSM airport
- 50 mi to DSM (major hub)
- 33 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 77% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1975
- 87% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Gently rolling terrain
- Elevation 971 ft
- 749 mi to the ocean
- 254 mi to a big lake
- 58 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 49 mi to the nearest ski area
- 10 mi to the nearest campground
- 7 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 24 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 3 bars within 25 mi
- 3 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 15 museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 38 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 21% of Iowa districts (reading)
- 13 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 12 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 50 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 16 mi to the nearest vet
- 33 mi to the nearest dog park
- 13 congregations per 10k people
- 30 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Monroe County: R+51 in 2024
- Iowa: R+13 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- High tornado risk
- Low wildfire risk
- Very low earthquake risk
- Moderate flood risk
- Low drought risk
- Moderate winter storm risk
- Moderate heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk
Some of this place's Census numbers are blended with county figures because its survey sample is small.