Living in Union, IA
Union is a tiny town of 378 people in Hardin County, Iowa. It's about 32 miles from Ames, IA and 188 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 83°F and winter highs 27°F, with about 34 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $75k and rent runs about $875 a month.
378people
$75kTypical home
$875/moRent
83° / 27°Summer / winter
34"Snow
233Sunny days
99Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 378
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 662 people per sq mi
- 188 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- 32 mi to Ames, IA
- 17 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $75k (≈$470/mo)
- Median rent $875/mo
- Median household income $56k
- Property tax about 1.2% of value
- 2.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 83°F
- Winter highs around 27°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 63°F)
- 233 sunny days a year (82 totally clear)
- 132 cloudy days a year
- 40 of 90 winter days are gray
- 99 days a year with rain or snow
- 34" of snow a year
- 12 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 42 nights a year below 10°F
- Breezy
Safety
- About average violent crime (367 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (649 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 51
- 20% of households have kids
- 26% are 65 or older
- 20% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 3% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 23 min
- 7% walk or take transit to work
- 40 mi to ALO airport
- 58 mi to DSM (major hub)
- 91 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 87% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1958
- 81% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 932 ft
- 832 mi to the ocean
- 192 mi to a big lake
- 44 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 48 mi to the nearest ski area
- 8 mi to the nearest campground
- 17 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 41 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 13 bars within 25 mi
- Few or no coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 14 museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 36 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 44% of Iowa districts (reading)
- 8 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 16 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 31 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 16 mi to the nearest vet
- 26 mi to the nearest dog park
- 17 congregations per 10k people
- 34 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