IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in Lester, IA
Lester is a tiny town of 340 people in Lyon County, Iowa. It's about 21 miles from Sioux Falls, SD and 185 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 85°F and winter highs 25°F, with about 35 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $191k and rent runs about $843 a month.
340people
$191kTypical home
$843/moRent
85° / 25°Summer / winter
35"Snow
242Sunny days
87Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 340
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 186 people per sq mi
- 185 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- 21 mi to Sioux Falls, SD
- 16 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $191k (≈$1,204/mo)
- Median rent $843/mo
- Median household income $99k
- Property tax about 0.9% of value
- 1.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 85°F
- Winter highs around 25°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 59°F)
- 242 sunny days a year (83 totally clear)
- 123 cloudy days a year
- 37 of 90 winter days are gray
- 87 days a year with rain or snow
- 35" of snow a year
- 12 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 53 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
Safety
- Very low violent crime (74 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (230 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 39
- 34% of households have kids
- 20% are 65 or older
- 19% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 4% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 20 min
- 5% walk or take transit to work
- 23 mi to FSD airport
- 149 mi to OMA (major hub)
- 153 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 90% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1974
- 91% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 1,408 ft
- 887 mi to the ocean
- 115 mi to a big lake
- 20 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 19 mi to the nearest ski area
- 7 mi to the nearest campground
- 22 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 125 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 53 bars within 25 mi
- 60 coffee shops within 25 mi
- 1 music venue or club within 25 mi
- 18 museums within 25 mi
- 8 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 20 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 10% of Iowa districts (reading)
- 5 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 8 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 19 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 11 mi to the nearest vet
- 19 mi to the nearest dog park
- 24 congregations per 10k people
- 21 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Lyon County: R+70 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
Some of this place's Census numbers are blended with county figures because its survey sample is small.