Compare towns
Bell City vs Lanagan 258 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (7.7× in Bell City) and street grid (2× in Bell City).
Where each one shines Two towns, two different strengths What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.
Bell City A small town of 496
Quiet strengths Bell City doesn’t stand out on the data we have Neighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Bell City →
Lanagan A small town of 483
Quiet strengths Lanagan doesn’t stand out on the data we have Neighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Lanagan →
The biggest differences Where they differ most The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.
★ What stands out · Monthly cost A typical home costs $220 more a month in Lanagan A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.
Down payment3.5% 10% 20% Rate
Bell City $280 /mo
Typical home $48K (Census) · tax rate 0.81% · Housing →
Lanagan $500 /mo
Typical home $90K (Census) · tax rate 0.33% · or rent about $678/mo · Housing →
The difference: $220 a month , about $2,600 a year , between Lanagan and Bell City.
Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.
Life in each What daily life feels like in each The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.
Outdoors & history
Community
A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.
Where they are 258 miles apart Straight-line miles between town centers.
Bell City ↔ Lanagan 258 miles apart
Everything, side by side What matters to you? Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.
Raising kids Affordability Owning a home Short commute Working from home Younger crowd Settled, older crowd Growing town Outdoorsy Walkable streets
Population
496 Highest 483 Lowest
Median age
34.9 ±9.7 Highest 11% below MO 32.6 ±4.7 Lowest 16% below MO
Kids under 18
15.1% ±4.4 Lowest MO: 22.3% 28.4% ±9.5 Highest MO: 22.3%
Age 65+
9.9% ±5.3 Highest MO: 17.9% 9.5% ±5.7 Lowest MO: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+
10.4% Highest MO: 32.4% 6.8% Lowest MO: 32.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents
2.2% ±1.4 Highest MO: 5.7% 1.9% ±3.5 Lowest MO: 5.7%
Household incomemedian
— $49,000 ±$19k 31% below MO
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied
$47,500 ±$14k Lowest 79% below MO $90,000 ±$51k Highest 61% below MO
Rentmedian gross, monthly
— $678 ±$136 34% below MO
Property taxmedian, yearly
$385 Highest 80% below MO $300 Lowest 85% below MO
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent
30.6% ±78 Lowest MO: 45.6% 46.2% ±13.6 Highest MO: 45.6%
Below poverty line
36.7% Highest MO: 12.6% 17% Lowest MO: 12.6%
Homeownersof occupied homes
44.9% Highest MO: 68.1% 34.5% Lowest MO: 68.1%
Typical home builtmedian year
1981 Highest 3 yrs newer than MO 1960 Lowest 18 yrs older than MO
Average commuteone way
23 min Lowest about the MO average 25 min Highest 7% above MO
Work from home
2.8% ±3.2 Lowest MO: 13% 8.8% ±6.5 Highest MO: 13%
Work in townworking residents
3.1% Highest 0% Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line
17.8 mi Lowest 26.3 mi Highest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub
0.69 Highest 0.09 Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town
Advance (15%) Noel (7%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others
Few work in Lanagan Few work in Bell City
Conserved landshare of the town
0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles
0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Trail densitymiles per sq mi
0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map
0 Lowest 1 Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure
78.1 Highest 39.6 Lowest
“±” Census margin of error ACS 2020–2024
Deciding? Ask the people who live there The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.
Bell City or Lanagan: which would you pick? → What’s it really like to live in Bell City? → Moving to Bell City: what should I know? →
Your question goes to Bell City’s Town Square.
Lanagan or Bell City: which would you pick? → What’s it really like to live in Lanagan? → Moving to Lanagan: what should I know? →
Your question goes to Lanagan’s Town Square.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.
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