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Jamaica is a tiny town of 189 people in Guthrie County, Iowa. It's about 37 miles from Ames, IA and 188 miles from Kansas City, MO, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 85°F and winter highs 29°F, with about 33 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $67k and rent runs about $498 a month.
189people
$67kTypical home
$498/moRent
85° / 29°Summer / winter
33"Snow
242Sunny days
112Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 189
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 508 people per sq mi
- 188 mi to Kansas City, MO
- 37 mi to Ames, IA
- 26 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $67k (≈$423/mo)
- Median rent $498/mo
- Median household income $65k
- Property tax about 1.4% of value
- 3.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 85°F
- Winter highs around 29°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 62°F)
- 242 sunny days a year (90 totally clear)
- 123 cloudy days a year
- 38 of 90 winter days are gray
- 112 days a year with rain or snow
- 33" of snow a year
- 10 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 39 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
Safety
- Very low violent crime (103 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (458 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 38
- 29% of households have kids
- 22% are 65 or older
- 22% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 2% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 31 min
- 3% walk or take transit to work
- 40 mi to DSM airport
- 40 mi to DSM (major hub)
- 55 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 88% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1938
- 89% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 1,020 ft
- 820 mi to the ocean
- 232 mi to a big lake
- 14 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 22 mi to the nearest ski area
- 10 mi to the nearest campground
- 13 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 18 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- Few or no bars within 25 mi
- 6 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 11 museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 63 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 38% of Iowa districts (reading)
- 11 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 10 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 39 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 12 mi to the nearest vet
- 10 mi to the nearest dog park
- 17 congregations per 10k people
- 14 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Guthrie County: R+38 in 2024
- Iowa: R+13 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- High tornado risk
- Low wildfire risk
- Very low earthquake risk
- Moderate flood risk
- Low drought risk
- Moderate winter storm risk
- Moderate 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.