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Big small town

Living in Winterset, IA

Winterset is a big small town of 5,416 people in Madison County, Iowa. It's about 26 miles from Des Moines, IA and 156 miles from Kansas City, MO, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 84°F and winter highs 30°F, with about 31 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $193k and rent runs about $1k a month.

5,416people
$193kTypical home
$1,095/moRent
84° / 30°Summer / winter
31"Snow
242Sunny days
96Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Big small town of 5,416
  • A standalone small town, not a suburb
  • About 1,150 people per sq mi
  • 156 mi to Kansas City, MO
  • 26 mi to Des Moines, IA
  • 18 mi to the nearest town of 10k+

Money

  • Typical home $193k (≈$1,214/mo)
  • Median rent $1,095/mo
  • Median household income $68k
  • Property tax about 1.8% of value
  • 3.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 84°F
  • Winter highs around 30°F
  • Somewhat humid summers (dew point 63°F)
  • 242 sunny days a year (90 totally clear)
  • 123 cloudy days a year
  • 38 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 96 days a year with rain or snow
  • 31" of snow a year
  • 12 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 35 nights a year below 10°F
  • Breezy

Safety

  • Low violent crime (181 per 100k)
  • Very low property crime (484 per 100k)

People

  • Median age 38
  • 31% of households have kids
  • 22% are 65 or older
  • 23% have a college degree
  • Not very diverse
  • 4% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 25 min
  • 2% walk or take transit to work
  • 23 mi to DSM airport
  • 23 mi to DSM (major hub)
  • 27 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 75% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1973
  • 89% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Gently rolling terrain
  • Elevation 1,089 ft
  • 785 mi to the ocean
  • 260 mi to a big lake
  • 28 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 30 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 19 mi to the nearest campground
  • 20 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 242 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 62 bars within 25 mi
  • 69 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • 1 music venue or club within 25 mi
  • 13 museums within 25 mi
  • 4 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 25 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the top 49% of Iowa districts (reading)
  • Grocery store in town
  • 2 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 52 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • 19 mi to the nearest vet
  • 14 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 9 congregations per 10k people
  • 17 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Madison County: R+39 in 2024
  • Iowa: R+13 in 2024

Natural hazards

  • Very low hurricane risk
  • High tornado risk
  • Low wildfire risk
  • Very low earthquake risk
  • Moderate flood risk
  • Very low drought risk
  • Moderate winter storm risk
  • Moderate heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

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