IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in Wadena, IA
Wadena is a tiny town of 177 people in Fayette County, Iowa. It's about 43 miles from Waterloo, IA and 167 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 83°F and winter highs 26°F, with about 39 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $94k and rent runs about $532 a month.
177people
$94kTypical home
$532/moRent
83° / 26°Summer / winter
39"Snow
228Sunny days
111Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 177
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 235 people per sq mi
- 167 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- 43 mi to Waterloo, IA
- 42 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $94k (≈$594/mo)
- Median rent $532/mo
- Median household income $39k
- Property tax about 1.2% of value
- 4.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 83°F
- Winter highs around 26°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 62°F)
- 228 sunny days a year (80 totally clear)
- 137 cloudy days a year
- 44 of 90 winter days are gray
- 111 days a year with rain or snow
- 39" of snow a year
- 13 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 48 nights a year below 10°F
- Breezy
Safety
- Very low violent crime (156 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (270 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 54
- 21% of households have kids
- 26% are 65 or older
- 19% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 5% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 26 min
- 4% walk or take transit to work
- 42 mi to ALO airport
- 136 mi to DSM (major hub)
- 109 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 86% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1938
- 84% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Gently rolling terrain
- Elevation 866 ft
- 755 mi to the ocean
- 110 mi to a big lake
- 27 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 48 mi to the nearest ski area
- Campground in town
- 13 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 28 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- Few or no bars within 25 mi
- Few or no coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 13 museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 12 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 37% of Iowa districts (reading)
- 12 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 12 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 42 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 29 mi to the nearest vet
- 30 mi to the nearest dog park
- 13 congregations per 10k people
- 7 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Fayette County: R+31 in 2024
- Iowa: R+13 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- High tornado risk
- Very low wildfire risk
- Very low earthquake risk
- Low flood risk
- Low drought risk
- High winter storm risk
- Low heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk