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Big small town

Living in Oelwein, IA

Oelwein is a big small town of 5,834 people in Fayette County, Iowa. It's about 26 miles from Waterloo, IA and 172 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 82°F and winter highs 26°F, with about 39 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $96k and rent runs about $847 a month.

5,834people
$96kTypical home
$847/moRent
82° / 26°Summer / winter
39"Snow
228Sunny days
106Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Big small town of 5,834
  • A standalone small town, not a suburb
  • About 1,212 people per sq mi
  • 172 mi to Minneapolis, MN
  • 26 mi to Waterloo, IA
  • 26 mi to the nearest town of 10k+

Money

  • Typical home $96k (≈$607/mo)
  • Median rent $847/mo
  • Median household income $47k
  • Property tax about 1.6% of value
  • 7.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 82°F
  • Winter highs around 26°F
  • Somewhat humid summers (dew point 62°F)
  • 228 sunny days a year (80 totally clear)
  • 137 cloudy days a year
  • 44 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 106 days a year with rain or snow
  • 39" of snow a year
  • 13 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 45 nights a year below 10°F
  • Breezy

Safety

  • Low violent crime (259 per 100k)
  • Very low property crime (662 per 100k)

People

  • Median age 42
  • 26% of households have kids
  • 23% are 65 or older
  • 18% have a college degree
  • Not very diverse
  • 1% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 23 min
  • 5% walk or take transit to work
  • 26 mi to ALO airport
  • 119 mi to DSM (major hub)
  • 117 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 83% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1950
  • 85% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Gently rolling terrain
  • Elevation 1,037 ft
  • 772 mi to the ocean
  • 128 mi to a big lake
  • 26 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 56 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 2 mi to the nearest campground
  • 17 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 30 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 11 bars within 25 mi
  • 4 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • 2 music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 9 museums within 25 mi
  • No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 21 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the bottom 17% of Iowa districts (reading)
  • Grocery store in town
  • 2 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 25 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • 14 mi to the nearest vet
  • 27 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 13 congregations per 10k people
  • 13 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Fayette County: R+31 in 2024
  • Iowa: R+13 in 2024

Natural hazards

  • Very low hurricane risk
  • High tornado risk
  • Very low wildfire risk
  • Very low earthquake risk
  • Low flood risk
  • Low drought risk
  • High winter storm risk
  • Low heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near Oelwein

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