IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in Kanawha, IA
Kanawha is a tiny town of 756 people in Hancock County, Iowa. It's about 63 miles from Ames, IA and 143 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 83°F and winter highs 25°F, with about 35 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $78k and rent runs about $575 a month.
756people
$78kTypical home
$575/moRent
83° / 25°Summer / winter
35"Snow
233Sunny days
103Rain/snow days
Is Kanawha right for you?
Take the 5-minute quiz and see your match — and how it stacks up against 34,000 other places.
Size & setting
- Tiny town of 756
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 381 people per sq mi
- 143 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- 63 mi to Ames, IA
- 33 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $78k (≈$489/mo)
- Median rent $575/mo
- Median household income $68k
- Property tax about 1.2% of value
- 2.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 83°F
- Winter highs around 25°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 61°F)
- 233 sunny days a year (82 totally clear)
- 132 cloudy days a year
- 40 of 90 winter days are gray
- 103 days a year with rain or snow
- 35" of snow a year
- 12 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 (47 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (300 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 36
- 29% of households have kids
- 20% are 65 or older
- 24% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 1% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 21 min
- 5% walk or take transit to work
- 28 mi to MCW airport
- 97 mi to DSM (major hub)
- 133 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 87% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1956
- 87% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 1,175 ft
- 820 mi to the ocean
- 200 mi to a big lake
- 72 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 63 mi to the nearest ski area
- 11 mi to the nearest campground
- 16 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 43 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- Few or no bars within 25 mi
- 11 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 16 museums within 25 mi
- 1 brewery or distillery within 25 mi
- 66 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 20% of Iowa districts (reading)
- 11 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 11 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 55 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 11 mi to the nearest vet
- 25 mi to the nearest dog park
- 21 congregations per 10k people
- 24 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Hancock County: R+47 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