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Big small town

Living in Creston, IA

Creston is a big small town of 7,435 people in Union County, Iowa. It's about 53 miles from Des Moines, IA and 134 miles from Kansas City, MO, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 85°F and winter highs 31°F, with about 27 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $115k and rent runs about $703 a month.

7,435people
$115kTypical home
$703/moRent
85° / 31°Summer / winter
27"Snow
242Sunny days
103Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Big small town of 7,435
  • A standalone small town, not a suburb
  • About 1,433 people per sq mi
  • 134 mi to Kansas City, MO
  • 53 mi to Des Moines, IA
  • 44 mi to the nearest town of 10k+

Money

  • Typical home $115k (≈$722/mo)
  • Median rent $703/mo
  • Median household income $53k
  • Property tax about 1.8% of value
  • 4.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 85°F
  • Winter highs around 31°F
  • Somewhat humid summers (dew point 63°F)
  • 242 sunny days a year (90 totally clear)
  • 123 cloudy days a year
  • 38 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 103 days a year with rain or snow
  • 27" of snow a year
  • 9 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 35 nights a year below 10°F
  • Breezy

Safety

  • About average violent crime (413 per 100k)
  • Very low property crime (782 per 100k)

People

  • Median age 40
  • 26% of households have kids
  • 20% are 65 or older
  • 24% have a college degree
  • Not very diverse
  • 7% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 14 min
  • 6% walk or take transit to work
  • 49 mi to DSM airport
  • 49 mi to DSM (major hub)
  • Amtrak station in town
  • 73% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1961
  • 88% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Flat, open land
  • Elevation 1,296 ft
  • 766 mi to the ocean
  • 255 mi to a big lake
  • 51 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 56 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 4 mi to the nearest campground
  • 6 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 22 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 3 bars within 25 mi
  • 3 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 10 museums within 25 mi
  • No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 31 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the top 48% of Iowa districts (reading)
  • Grocery store in town
  • 2 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 75 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • Vet in town
  • 36 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 10 congregations per 10k people
  • 38 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Union County: R+36 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
  • Very low drought risk
  • Moderate winter storm risk
  • Moderate heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near Creston

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