Living in Crystal Lake, IA
Crystal Lake is a tiny town of 283 people in Hancock County, Iowa. It's about 66 miles from Mankato, MN and 123 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 82°F and winter highs 23°F, with about 40 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $100k and rent runs about $911 a month.
283people
$100kTypical home
$911/moRent
82° / 23°Summer / winter
40"Snow
231Sunny days
108Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 283
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 1,141 people per sq mi
- 123 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- 66 mi to Mankato, MN
- 30 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $100k (≈$632/mo)
- Median rent $911/mo
- Median household income $69k
- Property tax about 1.1% of value
- 1.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 82°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
- 108 days a year with rain or snow
- 40" of snow a year
- 14 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 52 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
Safety
- Very low violent crime (47 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (300 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 34
- 30% of households have kids
- 23% are 65 or older
- 17% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 4% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 28 min
- 2% walk or take transit to work
- 24 mi to MCW airport
- 117 mi to DSM (major hub)
- 124 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 90% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1950
- 90% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 1,273 ft
- 806 mi to the ocean
- 193 mi to a big lake
- 79 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 64 mi to the nearest ski area
- Campground in town
- 11 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 32 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- Few or no bars within 25 mi
- 11 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 11 museums within 25 mi
- 1 brewery or distillery within 25 mi
- 51 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 26% of Iowa districts (reading)
- 8 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 7 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 38 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 28 mi to the nearest vet
- 23 mi to the nearest dog park
- 21 congregations per 10k people
- 8 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Hancock County: R+47 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
Some of this place's Census numbers are blended with county figures because its survey sample is small.