IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in Marathon, IA
Marathon is a tiny town of 234 people in Buena Vista County, Iowa. It's about 76 miles from Sioux City, IA and 169 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 82°F and winter highs 25°F, with about 36 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $47k and rent runs about $775 a month.
234people
$47kTypical home
$775/moRent
82° / 25°Summer / winter
36"Snow
237Sunny days
96Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 234
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 312 people per sq mi
- 169 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- 76 mi to Sioux City, IA
- 19 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $47k (≈$296/mo)
- Median rent $775/mo
- Median household income $39k
- Property tax about 1.3% of value
- 9.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 82°F
- Winter highs around 25°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 60°F)
- 237 sunny days a year (84 totally clear)
- 128 cloudy days a year
- 40 of 90 winter days are gray
- 96 days a year with rain or snow
- 36" of snow a year
- 12 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 48 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
Safety
- Low violent crime (198 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (858 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 54
- 26% of households have kids
- 20% are 65 or older
- 19% have a college degree
- Mixed community
- 4% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 19 min
- 4% walk or take transit to work
- 45 mi to FOD airport
- 114 mi to DSM (major hub)
- 121 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 85% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1938
- 88% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 1,381 ft
- 865 mi to the ocean
- 181 mi to a big lake
- 90 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 78 mi to the nearest ski area
- 17 mi to the nearest campground
- 14 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 28 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 4 bars within 25 mi
- 11 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 18 museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 61 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 46% of Iowa districts (reading)
- 17 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 17 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 22 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 34 mi to the nearest vet
- 30 mi to the nearest dog park
- 13 congregations per 10k people
- 19 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Buena Vista County: R+33 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
- Moderate heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk