Compare towns
Etowah vs Ames 96 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (64.6× in Ames) and jobs per worker (7.3× in Ames).
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Ames, OK Homes around $177K Oklahoma · 220 people
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.
Etowah A small town of 138
Quiet strengths Etowah doesn’t stand out on the data we have Neighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Etowah →
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 $310 more a month in Ames 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
Etowah $700 /mo
Typical home $120K (Census) · tax rate 0.73% · Housing →
Ames $1,010 /mo
Typical home $177K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.58% · Housing →
The difference: $310 a month , about $3,700 a year , between Ames and Etowah.
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
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 96 miles apart Straight-line miles between town centers.
Etowah ↔ Ames 96 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
138 Lowest 220 Highest
Median age
46.3 ±8.8 25% above OK 46.3 ±17 25% above OK
Kids under 18
22.5% ±13.6 Highest OK: 24% 17.7% ±10 Lowest OK: 24%
Age 65+
14.5% ±18.7 Lowest OK: 16.3% 30.5% ±13.4 Highest OK: 16.3%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+
17.3% Highest OK: 28.3% 15.8% Lowest OK: 28.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents
2.9% ±8.8 Highest OK: 5.8% 2.3% ±5 Lowest OK: 5.8%
Household incomemedian
$55,313 ±$7k Highest 15% below OK $49,231 ±$10k Lowest 24% below OK
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied
$120,000 ±$83k Highest 40% below OK $95,900 ±$19k Lowest 52% below OK
Property taxmedian, yearly
$878 Highest 45% below OK $554 Lowest 65% below OK
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent
50% ±100 Highest OK: 46.3% 0% ±100 Lowest OK: 46.3%
Below poverty line
7.2% Lowest OK: 15.3% 16.4% Highest OK: 15.3%
Homeownersof occupied homes
85.1% Lowest OK: 65.8% 90.2% Highest OK: 65.8%
Typical home builtmedian year
1994 Highest 14 yrs newer than OK 1973 Lowest 7 yrs older than OK
Average commuteone way
38 min Highest 71% above OK 26 min Lowest 16% above OK
Work from home
4.9% ±7.1 Highest OK: 9.4% 0% ±7.5 Lowest OK: 9.4%
Work in townworking residents
0% 0%
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line
25.8 mi Lowest 51.3 mi Highest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub
0.03 Lowest 0.22 Highest
Top workplaceoutside town
Oklahoma City (28%) Enid (15%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others
Few work in Ames Few work in Etowah
Conserved landshare of the town
0.3% Highest 0% Lowest
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 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure
1.5 Lowest 96.9 Highest
“±” 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.
Etowah or Ames: which would you pick? → What’s it really like to live in Etowah? → Moving to Etowah: what should I know? →
Your question goes to Etowah’s Town Square.
Ames or Etowah: which would you pick? → What’s it really like to live in Ames? → Moving to Ames: what should I know? →
Your question goes to Ames’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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