IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in Nelson, WI
Nelson is a tiny town of 381 people in Buffalo County, Wisconsin. It's about 37 miles from Rochester, MN and 73 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 80°F and winter highs 22°F, with about 40 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $164k and rent runs about $972 a month.
381people
$164kTypical home
$972/moRent
80° / 22°Summer / winter
40"Snow
226Sunny days
110Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 381
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 282 people per sq mi
- 73 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- 37 mi to Rochester, MN
- 30 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $164k (≈$1,035/mo)
- Median rent $972/mo
- Median household income $71k
- Property tax about 1.5% of value
- 2.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 80°F
- Winter highs around 22°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 60°F)
- 226 sunny days a year (71 totally clear)
- 139 cloudy days a year
- 42 of 90 winter days are gray
- 110 days a year with rain or snow
- 40" of snow a year
- 13 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 46 nights a year below 10°F
- Breezy
Safety
- Very low violent crime (45 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (45 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 39
- 27% of households have kids
- 24% are 65 or older
- 25% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 3% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 27 min
- 6% walk or take transit to work
- 40 mi to EAU airport
- 68 mi to MSP (major hub)
- 65 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 81% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1968
- 89% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Gently rolling terrain
- Elevation 1,165 ft
- 684 mi to the ocean
- 99 mi to a big lake
- 28 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 5 mi to the nearest ski area
- 6 mi to the nearest campground
- 10 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 43 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 19 bars within 25 mi
- 3 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 11 museums within 25 mi
- 2 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 28 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 34% of Wisconsin districts (reading)
- 4 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 5 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 27 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 20 mi to the nearest vet
- 28 mi to the nearest dog park
- 10 congregations per 10k people
- 30 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Buffalo County: R+30 in 2024
- Wisconsin: Purple — split almost evenly
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- Moderate tornado risk
- Very low wildfire risk
- Very low earthquake risk
- Low flood risk
- Very low drought risk
- High winter storm risk
- Low heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk