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Tiny town

Living in Joy, IL

Joy is a tiny town of 387 people in Mercer County, Illinois. It's about 29 miles from Davenport, IA and 171 miles from Chicago, IL, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 85°F and winter highs 31°F, with about 22 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $76k and rent runs about $965 a month.

387people
$76kTypical home
$965/moRent
85° / 31°Summer / winter
22"Snow
231Sunny days
92Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Tiny town of 387
  • A standalone small town, not a suburb
  • About 904 people per sq mi
  • 171 mi to Chicago, IL
  • 29 mi to Davenport, IA
  • 18 mi to the nearest town of 10k+

Money

  • Typical home $76k (≈$480/mo)
  • Median rent $965/mo
  • Median household income $56k
  • Property tax about 2.6% of value
  • 3.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 85°F
  • Winter highs around 31°F
  • Somewhat humid summers (dew point 64°F)
  • 231 sunny days a year (84 totally clear)
  • 134 cloudy days a year
  • 44 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 92 days a year with rain or snow
  • 22" of snow a year
  • 9 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 29 nights a year below 10°F
  • Breezy

Safety

  • Very low violent crime (29 per 100k), county-wide
  • Very low property crime (457 per 100k), county-wide

People

  • Median age 33
  • 29% of households have kids
  • 19% are 65 or older
  • 15% have a college degree
  • Not very diverse
  • 2% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 31 min
  • 2% walk or take transit to work
  • 26 mi to MLI airport
  • 146 mi to DSM (major hub)
  • 29 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 87% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1945
  • 91% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Gently rolling terrain
  • Elevation 696 ft
  • 740 mi to the ocean
  • 174 mi to a big lake
  • 32 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 17 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 8 mi to the nearest campground
  • 9 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 84 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 39 bars within 25 mi
  • 9 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 6 museums within 25 mi
  • No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 27 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the bottom 42% of Illinois districts (reading)
  • 8 mi to the nearest grocery store
  • 8 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 19 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • 7 mi to the nearest vet
  • 7 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 14 congregations per 10k people
  • 27 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Mercer County: R+27 in 2024
  • Illinois: D+11 in 2024

Natural hazards

  • Very low hurricane risk
  • High tornado risk
  • Very low wildfire risk
  • Very low earthquake risk
  • Moderate flood risk
  • Very low drought risk
  • Moderate winter storm risk
  • Moderate heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near Joy

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