IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in West Bend, IA
West Bend is a tiny town of 855 people in Palo Alto County, Iowa. It's about 77 miles from Ames, IA and 150 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 84°F and winter highs 26°F, with about 38 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $160k and rent runs about $538 a month.
855people
$160kTypical home
$538/moRent
84° / 26°Summer / winter
38"Snow
237Sunny days
97Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 855
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 959 people per sq mi
- 150 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- 77 mi to Ames, IA
- 34 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $160k (≈$1,007/mo)
- Median rent $538/mo
- Median household income $86k
- Property tax about 1.2% of value
- 3.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 84°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
- 97 days a year with rain or snow
- 38" of snow a year
- 14 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 50 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
Safety
- Very low violent crime (34 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (542 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 36
- 27% of households have kids
- 25% are 65 or older
- 23% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 3% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 16 min
- 5% walk or take transit to work
- 31 mi to FOD airport
- 106 mi to DSM (major hub)
- 132 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 88% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1966
- 90% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 1,201 ft
- 841 mi to the ocean
- 207 mi to a big lake
- 86 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 69 mi to the nearest ski area
- 7 mi to the nearest campground
- 11 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 22 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
- 11 museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 60 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 25% of Iowa districts (reading)
- 14 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 14 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 38 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 43 mi to the nearest vet
- 56 mi to the nearest dog park
- 19 congregations per 10k people
- 45 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Palo Alto County: R+45 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