Story County, IA

Living in Story County, Iowa, feels a lot like being part of a well-run small city that happens to have a massive university at its center. Ames is the anchor, but the county’s identity stretches across towns like Nevada, Gilbert, Huxley, and Slater, each with its own rhythm. You get the energy of Iowa State University—game days, research labs, and a young median age of 27—mixed with the quiet practicality of farm country and bedroom communities where people know their mail carrier by name.

Daily Rhythm: From Campus Life to Cornfields

Most days in Story County revolve around a few predictable anchors. In Ames, the morning commute is mercifully short—the average drive clocks in at just over 18 minutes, which means you can live in a subdivision in Gilbert or a farmhouse near Cambridge and still be at your desk in Ames before your coffee cools. The county’s median income of $69,006 supports a comfortable middle-class lifestyle, especially given a cost of living index of 87, well below the national average. You’ll see families grabbing pizza at Pizza Pit in Ames after a youth soccer game, or couples splitting a burger at The Grove Cafe in Nevada on a Saturday morning. For groceries, Hy-Vee is the local king, with locations in Ames, Nevada, and Story City, while the Ames Main Street Farmers’ Market runs from May through October, drawing vendors from as far as Zearing.

Weekends often split between outdoor activity and community events. Ada Hayden Heritage Park in Ames is a go-to for walking trails and kayaking on the lake, while Hickory Grove Park near Colo offers camping and fishing that feels a world away from campus. The weather shapes everything: summers are humid and hot, with July highs near 86°F, while winters are genuinely cold, with January lows around 12°F and snow that sticks from December into March. Locals don’t complain much—they just layer up and head to a Cyclones game.

Sports & Community: Cyclones Rule Everything

If you live in Story County, you live with Iowa State University sports. Jack Trice Stadium fills with 61,500 fans on fall Saturdays, and the energy spills into every corner of the county. Bars like Welch Avenue Station and Cy’s Roost in Ames are packed before kickoff, and even in towns like Huxley or Slater, you’ll see Cyclones flags on front porches. High school sports are a close second: Gilbert High School has a strong football program, and Nevada High School draws crowds for basketball in the winter. The county’s 53.3% college-educated rate means many residents are ISU alumni or employees, so the university’s rhythm—homecoming, Veishea (the spring festival), and graduation—sets the calendar.

Beyond sports, the county has a quirky cultural streak. Main Street Cultural District in Ames hosts First Friday art walks, while Nevada’s Lincoln Highway celebration in September brings classic cars and a small-town parade. The Story City Carousel, a hand-carved antique from 1913, still runs in the town’s park, a beloved oddity that draws families from across the county. For music, Stephens Auditorium in Ames books national touring acts, but the real local scene happens at The Maintenance Shop, a student-run venue that’s hosted everyone from John Prine to Lizzo.

Pros and Cons of Living Here

Longtime residents will tell you the biggest upside is the balance. You get a vibrant college town with restaurants, a performing arts scene, and a job market anchored by Iowa State, Mary Greeley Medical Center, and major employers like Danfoss Power Solutions and Barilla (which has a pasta plant in Ames). The schools are a genuine draw: Ames Community School District consistently ranks among the state’s best, and smaller districts like Gilbert and Collins-Maxwell offer tight-knit environments where teachers know every kid’s name. The median home value of $243,600 means a family can buy a three-bedroom in Nevada or Huxley for under $250,000—something unthinkable in Des Moines or Iowa City.

But there are real frustrations. The violent crime rate of 230.6 per 100,000 is higher than the national average, though it’s concentrated in a few Ames neighborhoods near campus—property crime like bike theft and package theft is more common than violent incidents. Locals also grumble about the “ISU bubble”: when school is out in summer, Ames feels half-empty, and some restaurants and bars close early. Traffic on Lincoln Way in Ames can back up during game days and rush hour, and the nearest major airport (Des Moines International) is 45 minutes south. For single adults in their 30s and 40s, the dating pool skews young and transient, so many find community through church groups, volunteer work, or hobby clubs like the Ames Model Railroad Club.

The kind of person who fits here is someone who values stability and community over excitement. It’s a place for parents who want good schools and safe neighborhoods (Slater and Gilbert are particularly popular for families), for ISU faculty and staff, and for remote workers who want a low cost of living without total isolation. The cultural quirk is that people are genuinely friendly but not pushy—you’ll get waved at on a rural road near Maxwell, but your neighbor won’t pry into your business. It’s a county where the biggest annual event is ISU’s VEISHEA (though it’s been scaled back in recent years), and the most controversial local issue is usually a zoning dispute over a new apartment complex. If that sounds like your pace, Story County might be exactly right.