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Tiny town

Living in Leighton, IA

Leighton is a tiny town of 150 people in Mahaska County, Iowa. It's about 46 miles from Des Moines, IA and 179 miles from Kansas City, MO, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 85°F and winter highs 31°F, with about 28 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $127k and rent runs about $770 a month.

150people
$127kTypical home
$770/moRent
85° / 31°Summer / winter
28"Snow
237Sunny days
97Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Tiny town of 150
  • A standalone small town, not a suburb
  • About 1,613 people per sq mi
  • 179 mi to Kansas City, MO
  • 46 mi to Des Moines, IA
  • 8 mi to the nearest town of 10k+

Money

  • Typical home $127k (≈$798/mo)
  • Median rent $770/mo
  • Median household income $66k
  • Property tax about 1.5% of value
  • 3.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 85°F
  • Winter highs around 31°F
  • Somewhat humid summers (dew point 63°F)
  • 237 sunny days a year (88 totally clear)
  • 128 cloudy days a year
  • 41 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 97 days a year with rain or snow
  • 28" of snow a year
  • 10 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 34 nights a year below 10°F
  • Breezy

Safety

  • Very low violent crime (173 per 100k), county-wide
  • Very low property crime (568 per 100k), county-wide

People

  • Median age 43
  • 29% of households have kids
  • 20% are 65 or older
  • 24% have a college degree
  • Not very diverse
  • 4% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 20 min
  • 3% walk or take transit to work
  • 47 mi to DSM airport
  • 47 mi to DSM (major hub)
  • 29 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 83% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1951
  • 90% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Gently rolling terrain
  • Elevation 781 ft
  • 770 mi to the ocean
  • 226 mi to a big lake
  • 39 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 42 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 10 mi to the nearest campground
  • 10 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 37 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 8 bars within 25 mi
  • 11 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 13 museums within 25 mi
  • No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 28 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the top 49% of Iowa districts (reading)
  • 7 mi to the nearest grocery store
  • 8 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 29 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • 8 mi to the nearest vet
  • 26 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 16 congregations per 10k people
  • 9 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Mahaska County: R+52 in 2024
  • Iowa: R+13 in 2024

Natural hazards

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

Places near Leighton

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