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Sheldahl is a tiny town of 361 people in Polk County, Iowa. It's about 12 miles from Ames, IA and 195 miles from Kansas City, MO, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 85°F and winter highs 29°F, with about 30 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $185k and rent runs about $1k a month.
361people
$185kTypical home
$1,149/moRent
85° / 29°Summer / winter
30"Snow
237Sunny days
112Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 361
- Part of a metro area
- About 447 people per sq mi
- 195 mi to Kansas City, MO
- 12 mi to Ames, IA
- 11 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $185k (≈$1,165/mo)
- Median rent $1,149/mo
- Median household income $81k
- Property tax about 1.5% of value
- 8.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 85°F
- Winter highs around 29°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 62°F)
- 237 sunny days a year (89 totally clear)
- 128 cloudy days a year
- 40 of 90 winter days are gray
- 112 days a year with rain or snow
- 30" of snow a year
- 11 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 37 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
Safety
- About average violent crime (356 per 100k), county-wide
- About average property crime (1,897 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 36
- 36% of households have kids
- 12% are 65 or older
- 36% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 4% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 24 min
- 1% walk or take transit to work
- 23 mi to DSM airport
- 23 mi to DSM (major hub)
- 66 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 80% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1973
- 93% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 1,034 ft
- 816 mi to the ocean
- 233 mi to a big lake
- 20 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 17 mi to the nearest ski area
- 7 mi to the nearest campground
- 45 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 525 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 148 bars within 25 mi
- 171 coffee shops within 25 mi
- 5 music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 38 museums within 25 mi
- 15 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 35 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 20% of Iowa districts (reading)
- 5 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 13 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 13 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 5 mi to the nearest vet
- 11 mi to the nearest dog park
- 6 congregations per 10k people
- 10 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Polk County: D+11 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
Some of this place's Census numbers are blended with county figures because its survey sample is small.