IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in Forest City, IA
Forest City is a small town of 4,290 people in Winnebago County, Iowa. It's about 65 miles from Mankato, MN and 119 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 81°F and winter highs 23°F, with about 42 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $144k and rent runs about $720 a month.
4,290people
$144kTypical home
$720/moRent
81° / 23°Summer / winter
42"Snow
231Sunny days
109Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Small town of 4,290
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 935 people per sq mi
- 119 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- 65 mi to Mankato, MN
- 23 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $144k (≈$905/mo)
- Median rent $720/mo
- Median household income $69k
- Property tax about 1.6% of value
- 3.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 81°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
- 109 days a year with rain or snow
- 42" 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 (96 per 100k)
- Very low property crime (359 per 100k)
People
- Median age 34
- 30% of households have kids
- 18% are 65 or older
- 29% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 14% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 14 min
- 8% walk or take transit to work
- 17 mi to MCW airport
- 114 mi to MSP (major hub)
- 120 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 72% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1971
- 86% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 1,234 ft
- 798 mi to the ocean
- 185 mi to a big lake
- 74 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 63 mi to the nearest ski area
- Campground in town
- 14 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 54 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 5 bars within 25 mi
- 22 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 15 museums within 25 mi
- 1 brewery or distillery within 25 mi
- 44 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 26% of Iowa districts (reading)
- Grocery store in town
- 13 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 32 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 29 mi to the nearest vet
- 16 mi to the nearest dog park
- 13 congregations per 10k people
- College in town
Politics
- Winnebago County: R+31 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