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Dows is a tiny town of 562 people in Wright County, Iowa. It's about 44 miles from Ames, IA and 160 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 84°F and winter highs 26°F, with about 30 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $60k and rent runs about $743 a month.
562people
$60kTypical home
$743/moRent
84° / 26°Summer / winter
30"Snow
233Sunny days
83Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 562
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 731 people per sq mi
- 160 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- 44 mi to Ames, IA
- 36 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $60k (≈$377/mo)
- Median rent $743/mo
- Median household income $78k
- Property tax about 1.9% of value
- 2.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 84°F
- Winter highs around 26°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
- 83 days a year with rain or snow
- 30" of snow a year
- 11 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 48 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
Safety
- Very low violent crime (55 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (227 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 37
- 37% of households have kids
- 18% are 65 or older
- 20% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 5% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 24 min
- 2% walk or take transit to work
- 36 mi to MCW airport
- 78 mi to DSM (major hub)
- 119 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 91% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1938
- 83% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 1,161 ft
- 825 mi to the ocean
- 194 mi to a big lake
- 55 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 49 mi to the nearest ski area
- 11 mi to the nearest campground
- 17 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 29 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 3 bars within 25 mi
- 3 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 17 museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 54 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 28% of Iowa districts (reading)
- 13 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 14 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 44 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 14 mi to the nearest vet
- 24 mi to the nearest dog park
- 20 congregations per 10k people
- 42 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Wright County: R+37 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.