Living in Steamboat Rock, IA
Steamboat Rock is a tiny town of 312 people in Hardin County, Iowa. It's about 37 miles from Waterloo, IA and 177 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 83°F and winter highs 26°F, with about 33 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $106k and rent runs about $771 a month.
312people
$106kTypical home
$771/moRent
83° / 26°Summer / winter
33"Snow
233Sunny days
111Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 312
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 578 people per sq mi
- 177 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- 37 mi to Waterloo, IA
- 27 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $106k (≈$667/mo)
- Median rent $771/mo
- Median household income $47k
- Property tax about 0.9% of value
- 4.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 83°F
- Winter highs around 26°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 62°F)
- 233 sunny days a year (82 totally clear)
- 132 cloudy days a year
- 40 of 90 winter days are gray
- 111 days a year with rain or snow
- 33" of snow a year
- 11 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 43 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
Safety
- About average violent crime (367 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (649 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 46
- 25% of households have kids
- 23% are 65 or older
- 22% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 3% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 23 min
- 6% walk or take transit to work
- 35 mi to ALO airport
- 68 mi to DSM (major hub)
- 102 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 86% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1943
- 82% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 1,017 ft
- 823 mi to the ocean
- 185 mi to a big lake
- 38 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 52 mi to the nearest ski area
- 3 mi to the nearest campground
- 16 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 22 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 3 bars within 25 mi
- Few or no coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 12 museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 32 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 34% of Iowa districts (reading)
- 4 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 12 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 37 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 12 mi to the nearest vet
- 27 mi to the nearest dog park
- 17 congregations per 10k people
- 32 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Hardin County: R+38 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