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Small town

Living in Emmetsburg, IA

Emmetsburg is a small town of 3,648 people in Palo Alto County, Iowa. It's about 81 miles from Mankato, MN and 146 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 85°F and winter highs 26°F, with about 37 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $114k and rent runs about $624 a month.

3,648people
$114kTypical home
$624/moRent
85° / 26°Summer / winter
37"Snow
236Sunny days
96Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Small town of 3,648
  • A standalone small town, not a suburb
  • About 962 people per sq mi
  • 146 mi to Minneapolis, MN
  • 81 mi to Mankato, MN
  • 24 mi to the nearest town of 10k+

Money

  • Typical home $114k (≈$721/mo)
  • Median rent $624/mo
  • Median household income $56k
  • Property tax about 1.3% of value
  • 2.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 85°F
  • Winter highs around 26°F
  • Somewhat humid summers (dew point 61°F)
  • 236 sunny days a year (80 totally clear)
  • 129 cloudy days a year
  • 39 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 96 days a year with rain or snow
  • 37" of snow a year
  • 12 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 (30 per 100k)
  • Very low property crime (478 per 100k)

People

  • Median age 45
  • 23% of households have kids
  • 25% are 65 or older
  • 15% have a college degree
  • Not very diverse
  • 5% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 16 min
  • 9% walk or take transit to work
  • 46 mi to FOD airport
  • 121 mi to DSM (major hub)
  • 143 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 79% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1960
  • 88% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Flat, open land
  • Elevation 1,234 ft
  • 842 mi to the ocean
  • 195 mi to a big lake
  • 99 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 77 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 11 mi to the nearest campground
  • 12 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 29 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • Few or no bars within 25 mi
  • 8 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 19 museums within 25 mi
  • No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 51 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the top 31% of Iowa districts (reading)
  • 21 mi to the nearest grocery store
  • 1 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 24 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • 40 mi to the nearest vet
  • 46 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 19 congregations per 10k people
  • 31 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Palo Alto County: R+45 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

Places near Emmetsburg

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