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Swaledale is a tiny town of 148 people in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa. It's about 59 miles from Waterloo, IA and 137 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 83°F and winter highs 24°F, with about 41 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $63k and rent runs about $850 a month.
148people
$63kTypical home
$850/moRent
83° / 24°Summer / winter
41"Snow
233Sunny days
112Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 148
- Its own small hub, not a suburb
- About 594 people per sq mi
- 137 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- 59 mi to Waterloo, IA
- 13 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $63k (≈$397/mo)
- Median rent $850/mo
- Median household income $52k
- Property tax about 1.7% of value
- 4.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 83°F
- Winter highs around 24°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
- 112 days a year with rain or snow
- 41" of snow a year
- 13 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 49 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
Safety
- Low violent crime (265 per 100k), county-wide
- About average property crime (1,949 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 56
- 21% of households have kids
- 24% are 65 or older
- 19% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 2% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 19 min
- 4% walk or take transit to work
- 13 mi to MCW airport
- 101 mi to DSM (major hub)
- 137 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 82% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1938
- 89% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 1,142 ft
- 802 mi to the ocean
- 176 mi to a big lake
- 50 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 73 mi to the nearest ski area
- 10 mi to the nearest campground
- 17 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 58 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 5 bars within 25 mi
- 19 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 19 museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 52 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 36% of Iowa districts (reading)
- 12 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 14 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 47 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 18 mi to the nearest vet
- 11 mi to the nearest dog park
- 10 congregations per 10k people
- 26 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Cerro Gordo County: R+12 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.