Living in Twin Lakes, IA
Twin Lakes is a tiny town of 579 people in Calhoun County, Iowa. It's about 60 miles from Ames, IA and 184 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 $562k and rent runs about $723 a month.
579people
$562kTypical home
$723/moRent
83° / 26°Summer / winter
33"Snow
237Sunny days
95Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 579
- Its own small hub, not a suburb
- About 438 people per sq mi
- 184 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- 60 mi to Ames, IA
- 23 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $562k (≈$3,541/mo)
- Median rent $723/mo
- Median household income $110k
- Property tax about 1.1% of value
- 7.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 83°F
- Winter highs around 26°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 61°F)
- 237 sunny days a year (84 totally clear)
- 128 cloudy days a year
- 40 of 90 winter days are gray
- 95 days a year with rain or snow
- 33" of snow a year
- 13 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 45 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
Safety
- Low violent crime (183 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (305 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 58
- 22% of households have kids
- 27% are 65 or older
- 39% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 6% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 25 min
- 2% walk or take transit to work
- 23 mi to FOD airport
- 82 mi to DSM (major hub)
- 99 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 95% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1979
- 86% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 1,198 ft
- 864 mi to the ocean
- 203 mi to a big lake
- 58 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 47 mi to the nearest ski area
- 16 mi to the nearest campground
- 12 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 35 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 10 bars within 25 mi
- 5 coffee shops within 25 mi
- 1 music venue or club within 25 mi
- 13 museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 73 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 15% of Iowa districts (reading)
- 6 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 16 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 53 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 53 mi to the nearest vet
- 50 mi to the nearest dog park
- 22 congregations per 10k people
- 32 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Calhoun County: R+47 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.