Living in Menlo, IA
Menlo is a tiny town of 398 people in Guthrie County, Iowa. It's about 41 miles from Des Moines, IA and 166 miles from Kansas City, MO, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 85°F and winter highs 30°F, with about 29 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $107k and rent runs about $845 a month.
398people
$107kTypical home
$845/moRent
85° / 30°Summer / winter
29"Snow
242Sunny days
106Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 398
- Part of a metro area
- About 802 people per sq mi
- 166 mi to Kansas City, MO
- 41 mi to Des Moines, IA
- 27 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $107k (≈$675/mo)
- Median rent $845/mo
- Median household income $77k
- Property tax about 1.2% of value
- 9.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 85°F
- Winter highs around 30°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 62°F)
- 242 sunny days a year (90 totally clear)
- 123 cloudy days a year
- 38 of 90 winter days are gray
- 106 days a year with rain or snow
- 29" of snow a year
- 10 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 37 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
Safety
- Very low violent crime (103 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (458 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 44
- 26% of households have kids
- 21% are 65 or older
- 18% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 3% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 26 min
- 4% walk or take transit to work
- 39 mi to DSM airport
- 39 mi to DSM (major hub)
- 32 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 90% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1938
- 87% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Gently rolling terrain
- Elevation 1,247 ft
- 798 mi to the ocean
- 237 mi to a big lake
- 24 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 42 mi to the nearest ski area
- 12 mi to the nearest campground
- 7 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 17 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- Few or no bars within 25 mi
- 6 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 9 museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 47 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 29% of Iowa districts (reading)
- 12 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 14 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 55 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 27 mi to the nearest vet
- 17 mi to the nearest dog park
- 17 congregations per 10k people
- 31 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Guthrie County: R+38 in 2024
- Iowa: R+13 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- High tornado risk
- Low wildfire risk
- Very low earthquake risk
- Moderate flood risk
- Low drought risk
- Moderate winter storm risk
- Moderate 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.