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Palmer is a tiny town of 134 people in Pocahontas County, Iowa. It's about 65 miles from Ames, IA and 174 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 84°F and winter highs 26°F, with about 38 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $40k and rent runs about $832 a month.
134people
$40kTypical home
$832/moRent
84° / 26°Summer / winter
38"Snow
237Sunny days
102Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 134
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 317 people per sq mi
- 174 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- 65 mi to Ames, IA
- 23 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $40k (≈$250/mo)
- Median rent $832/mo
- Median household income $59k
- Property tax about 2.1% of value
- 5.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 84°F
- Winter highs around 26°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 61°F)
- 237 sunny days a year (84 totally clear)
- 128 cloudy days a year
- 40 of 90 winter days are gray
- 102 days a year with rain or snow
- 38" of snow a year
- 14 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 47 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
Safety
- Very low violent crime (57 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (255 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 53
- 19% of households have kids
- 26% are 65 or older
- 16% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 3% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 23 min
- 2% walk or take transit to work
- 21 mi to FOD airport
- 90 mi to DSM (major hub)
- 109 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 92% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1941
- 86% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 1,227 ft
- 863 mi to the ocean
- 202 mi to a big lake
- 66 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 53 mi to the nearest ski area
- 25 mi to the nearest campground
- 13 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 37 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 10 bars within 25 mi
- 5 coffee shops within 25 mi
- 1 music venue or club within 25 mi
- 12 museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 76 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 28% of Iowa districts (reading)
- 8 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 8 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 46 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 52 mi to the nearest vet
- 49 mi to the nearest dog park
- 20 congregations per 10k people
- 31 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Pocahontas County: R+54 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
- Low 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.