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Big small town

Living in Perry, IA

Perry is a big small town of 7,985 people in Dallas County, Iowa. It's about 28 miles from Ames, IA and 189 miles from Kansas City, MO, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 85°F and winter highs 30°F, with about 33 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $121k and rent runs about $931 a month.

7,985people
$121kTypical home
$931/moRent
85° / 30°Summer / winter
33"Snow
242Sunny days
114Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Big small town of 7,985
  • A standalone small town, not a suburb
  • About 1,378 people per sq mi
  • 189 mi to Kansas City, MO
  • 28 mi to Ames, IA
  • 18 mi to the nearest town of 10k+

Money

  • Typical home $121k (≈$766/mo)
  • Median rent $931/mo
  • Median household income $69k
  • Property tax about 1.8% of value
  • 4.0% 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
  • 114 days a year with rain or snow
  • 33" of snow a year
  • 11 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 39 nights a year below 10°F
  • Windier than most places

Safety

  • Very low violent crime (157 per 100k)
  • Low property crime (921 per 100k)

People

  • Median age 39
  • 30% of households have kids
  • 15% are 65 or older
  • 19% have a college degree
  • Mixed community
  • 3% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 27 min
  • 2% walk or take transit to work
  • 31 mi to DSM airport
  • 31 mi to DSM (major hub)
  • 56 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 75% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1961
  • 85% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Flat, open land
  • Elevation 1,007 ft
  • 819 mi to the ocean
  • 242 mi to a big lake
  • 6 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 15 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 12 mi to the nearest campground
  • 27 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 176 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 40 bars within 25 mi
  • 65 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 17 museums within 25 mi
  • 3 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 55 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the bottom 32% of Iowa districts (reading)
  • Grocery store in town
  • 1 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 29 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • Vet in town
  • Dog park in town
  • 5 congregations per 10k people
  • 20 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Dallas County: R+5 in 2024
  • Iowa: R+13 in 2024

Natural hazards

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

Places near Perry

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