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Tiny town

Living in Nichols, IA

Nichols is a tiny town of 373 people in Muscatine County, Iowa. It's about 17 miles from Iowa City, IA and 189 miles from Chicago, IL, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 85°F and winter highs 30°F, with about 27 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $134k and rent runs about $689 a month.

373people
$134kTypical home
$689/moRent
85° / 30°Summer / winter
27"Snow
233Sunny days
113Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Tiny town of 373
  • A standalone small town, not a suburb
  • About 1,636 people per sq mi
  • 189 mi to Chicago, IL
  • 17 mi to Iowa City, IA
  • 13 mi to the nearest town of 10k+

Money

  • Typical home $134k (≈$848/mo)
  • Median rent $689/mo
  • Median household income $73k
  • Property tax about 1.4% of value
  • 2.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 85°F
  • Winter highs around 30°F
  • Somewhat humid summers (dew point 63°F)
  • 233 sunny days a year (86 totally clear)
  • 132 cloudy days a year
  • 41 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 113 days a year with rain or snow
  • 27" of snow a year
  • 10 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 27 nights a year below 10°F
  • Breezy

Safety

  • Very low violent crime (176 per 100k), county-wide
  • Very low property crime (578 per 100k), county-wide

People

  • Median age 33
  • 37% of households have kids
  • 19% are 65 or older
  • 18% have a college degree
  • Mixed community
  • 2% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 24 min
  • 3% walk or take transit to work
  • 35 mi to CID airport
  • 122 mi to DSM (major hub)
  • 37 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 81% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1938
  • 87% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Flat, open land
  • Elevation 646 ft
  • 764 mi to the ocean
  • 178 mi to a big lake
  • 20 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 29 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 7 mi to the nearest campground
  • 18 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 194 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 31 bars within 25 mi
  • 49 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 12 museums within 25 mi
  • 3 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 17 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

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

Politics

  • Muscatine County: R+15 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
  • High winter storm risk
  • Moderate heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near Nichols

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