Mason City is a modern-day city that has managed to preserve its cultural beauty over the years. It’s the largest city in the region and it is the economic, cultural, and entertainment center of North Iowa. Mason City is the hometown of “The Music Man” composer Meredith Wilson and is also home to the Prairie School Architecture.
The city is 135 miles south of Minneapolis and 120 miles north of Des Moines; and is a hub of delicious dining, vibrant shopping, and warm community events. Any Mason City resident will tell you that the city is a crossbreed of small-town living and sophisticated big-city resources.
Homes for sale in Mason City, Iowa, are competitive because of the breathtaking neighborhoods, great schools, fantastic employment opportunities, and great healthcare. The lively, walkable downtown area of the city also maintains its aesthetic beauty all year round.
Below is a comprehensive breakdown of life in Mason City to provide you with insight as to why it comes as little surprise that passersby fall in love with the city and instantly want to make it their home.
Table of Contents
Mason City Community Profile
Mason City recorded a population of around 50,000 people as of 2019. The median age is 45 and the median household income is $50,000.
The average property value stands at about $120,000 and the median property rent is $534, meaning it should be affordable for a lot of Americans. Rented homes that are rented take up about 30% with the other 70% of the homes in the city occupied by their owners.
Healthcare
Mason City is known for its great healthcare infrastructure with 94% of the residents being having health coverage. In 2018, the city was awarded by the Iowa Healthiest State Initiative. The award was aimed at recognizing the community’s efforts to better the social, physical, and emotional well-being of the people of Iowa.
Some of the city’s directives included the bike-share program, farmer’s market, River City Sculptures on Parade, community gardens, playground improvements, and new walking and cycling trails.
The Healthiest State Initiative backs Healthy Hometown to assist communities to identify programs and environments that promote health and well-being. Healthy Hometown also helps the communities to identify various policy strengths and weaknesses. This initiative provides the community with not just tools but also expertise to work towards making the city safer and healthier.
Employment Sector
The unemployment rate in Mason City is 3.2% but the employment growth rate has been rising steadily in the last few years. Business owners added almost 27,325 jobs within the two-year period between 2016 and 2018.
There are nearly 1500 businesses in Mason City with 67.2% of the population actively employed. The main industries in the region are manufacturing, retail trade, and healthcare, and social assistance. However, the higher paying industries include utilities, transport, and professional business services, all accounting for over a considerable number of jobs in Mason City.
Places of Worship
Worship provides a great opportunity for community connection. Whatever your faith, you are sure to get a community that will not only welcome you but also expand your social circle. The Mason City religious communities comprise of Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu and Buddhist communities.
Education
There are a lot of schools in Mason City dedicated to providing high-quality education to its residents for both their personal and professional growth. More profoundly is Buena Vista University that offers human services programs in psychology, human services, criminal justice, and criminology.
The NIACC (North Iowa Area Community College) is a two-year institution that’s nationally ranked and serves students of all abilities and ages. It has about 300 faculty staff members and offers nearly 40 short career programs that cater for the first two years in bachelor degree programs in a variety of fields.
The University of Iowa John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center provides training services for new businesses to start-up and expand. They provide one-on-one business counseling, technical assistance, feasibility planning, and access to capital guidance among many other resources offered to entrepreneurs and budding entrepreneurs.
Recreation
Mason City has an elaborate walking/biking trail network. Over 24,725 linear feet of trail was added to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan for Mason City. This work included the completion of the South Taft Street’s 850-foot trail extension.
The extension connects worksites and residents to a university branch, retail businesses, a grocery store, and a bank. This new development has made it easier for residents to safely commute to these popular places by foot or bike.
In 1984, the Lime Creek Nature Center was opened as a conservation education facility that serves North Iowa. The various habitats at the Lime Creek Conservations Area are connected by over eight miles of trails.
The Lime Creek Nature center provides a great opportunity to witness native plants and animals in their natural setting. The trail is frequented by joggers, bikers, hikers, cross-country skiers, horseback riders, nature photographers, and nature enthusiasts. There’s also an easy access trail for the handicapped to use their wheelchairs or strollers.
Senior Living
Mason City has a wide selection of homecare facilities for the elderly. When considering care for the elderly, you also have the options of low-income housing, assisted living, and independent living. Examples of elderly care facilities include the Heritage Care and Rehabilitation Center and the Good Shepherd Health Center.
Transportation
The Mason City Public Transit is open to everyone, including people with disabilities. The transit operates from Monday to Friday from 6.30 am to 5.30 pm except on particular holidays. Jefferson Bus Line services are also available in the city to help you travel to different places within the city as well as across Iowa State.
North Iowa’s gateway to the outside world is found in Mason City Municipal Airport. The local airport offers first-class airline service to Minneapolis, St. Louis, and Chicago. It also has easy access, free parking, streamlined security, and free terminal Wi-Fi. You can get rental cars through Enterprise Rent-A-Car.
Winding Up
Mason City is indubitably a great place to live. There are numerous homes for sale in Mason City, Iowa, should you decide to move there. The neighborhoods are both warm and lively with ready access to the necessary amenities. It is a compact, convenient, and safe residential city for those who are tired of the hustle, bustle, and noise of big cities. All in all, Mason City is a haven that should be rank highly among your list of considerations.