IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in Eldora, IA
Eldora is a small town of 2,617 people in Hardin County, Iowa. It's about 35 miles from Ames, IA and 180 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 84°F and winter highs 26°F, with about 33 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $133k and rent runs about $750 a month.
2,617people
$133kTypical home
$750/moRent
84° / 26°Summer / winter
33"Snow
233Sunny days
111Rain/snow days
Is Eldora right for you?
Take the 5-minute quiz and see your match — and how it stacks up against 34,000 other places.
Size & setting
- Small town of 2,617
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 611 people per sq mi
- 180 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- 35 mi to Ames, IA
- 25 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $133k (≈$839/mo)
- Median rent $750/mo
- Median household income $77k
- Property tax about 1.7% of value
- 4.0% 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
- 111 days a year with rain or snow
- 33" of snow a year
- 11 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 43 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
Safety
- High violent crime (880 per 100k)
- Very low property crime (785 per 100k)
People
- Median age 40
- 36% of households have kids
- 19% are 65 or older
- 21% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 4% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 21 min
- 6% walk or take transit to work
- 38 mi to ALO airport
- 64 mi to DSM (major hub)
- 99 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 79% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1958
- 88% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 1,079 ft
- 827 mi to the ocean
- 188 mi to a big lake
- 41 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 49 mi to the nearest ski area
- Campground in town
- 18 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 36 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 13 bars within 25 mi
- Few or no coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 14 museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 35 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 34% of Iowa districts (reading)
- Grocery store in town
- 13 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 34 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 13 mi to the nearest vet
- 24 mi to the nearest dog park
- 17 congregations per 10k people
- 34 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Hardin County: R+38 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