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Small town

Living in Preston, IA

Preston is a small town of 1,044 people in Jackson County, Iowa. It's about 35 miles from Dubuque, IA and 140 miles from Chicago, IL, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 84°F and winter highs 28°F, with about 31 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $164k and rent runs about $765 a month.

1,044people
$164kTypical home
$765/moRent
84° / 28°Summer / winter
31"Snow
227Sunny days
106Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Small town of 1,044
  • A standalone small town, not a suburb
  • About 1,213 people per sq mi
  • 140 mi to Chicago, IL
  • 35 mi to Dubuque, IA
  • 16 mi to the nearest town of 10k+

Money

  • Typical home $164k (≈$1,034/mo)
  • Median rent $765/mo
  • Median household income $74k
  • Property tax about 1.4% of value
  • 5.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 84°F
  • Winter highs around 28°F
  • Somewhat humid summers (dew point 63°F)
  • 227 sunny days a year (78 totally clear)
  • 138 cloudy days a year
  • 43 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 106 days a year with rain or snow
  • 31" of snow a year
  • 11 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 37 nights a year below 10°F
  • Breezy

Safety

  • Very low violent crime (119 per 100k)
  • Very low property crime (745 per 100k)

People

  • Median age 46
  • 18% 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 26 min
  • 2% walk or take transit to work
  • 29 mi to DBQ airport
  • 128 mi to ORD (major hub)
  • 61 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 85% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1950
  • 82% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Gently rolling terrain
  • Elevation 689 ft
  • 731 mi to the ocean
  • 127 mi to a big lake
  • 13 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 18 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 12 mi to the nearest campground
  • 16 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 59 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 19 bars within 25 mi
  • 11 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 23 museums within 25 mi
  • 2 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 35 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

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

Politics

  • Jackson County: R+33 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 Preston

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