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Smiley Township vs Kratka Township

Next-door neighbors in Pennington County. The biggest differences: trails (4.5× in Kratka Township) and household income (+57% in Smiley Township).

S ×
Smiley Township, MNA small town of 471Pennington County · 471 people
K ×
Kratka Township, MNA small town of 216Pennington County · 216 people
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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.

Smiley TownshipA small town of 471
Quiet strengthsSmiley Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Smiley Township →
Kratka TownshipA small town of 216
Quiet strengthsKratka Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Kratka Township →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Trails4.5×
Kratka Township has more miles of trail
Kratka Township 5.0 miSmiley Township 1.1 mi
Household income+57%
Households in Smiley Township earn more
Smiley Township $90,893Kratka Township $57,917
Home values+54%
Homes cost more in Kratka Township
Kratka Township $416,700Smiley Township $271,400
Street grid2.1×
Smiley Township has the more walkable street grid
Smiley Township 1.7Kratka Township 0.8
Size2.2×
Smiley Township is the bigger place
Smiley Township 471Kratka Township 216
Typical home built14 yrs
Smiley Township’s homes are older
Kratka Township 1993Smiley Township 1979
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $800 more a month in Kratka Township

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.

Smiley Township$1,630/mo
Typical home $271K (Census) · tax rate 0.93% · or rent about $1,042/mo · Housing →
Kratka Township$2,430/mo
Typical home $417K (Census) · tax rate 0.70% · Housing →

The difference: $800 a month, about $9,600 a year, between Kratka Township and Smiley Township.

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.

Where they are

Smiley Township and Kratka Township share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Smiley TownshipKratka TownshipSmiley TownshipKratka Township
Smiley Township ↔ Kratka Township5.8 miles apart · They share a border · Same county
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.

Seasons
Smiley TownshipKratka Township
Snow a year50″50″
January low-3°F-3°F
July high79°F79°F
Growing season (days)142d142d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)95th95th
Outdoors & history
Smiley TownshipKratka Township
Trails1 mi5 mi
Conserved land0.3%0.6%
Community
Smiley TownshipKratka Township
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

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.

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.

Smiley TownshipKratka Township
People
Population 471Highest 216Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +6.9% MN: +7.6% —
Median age 45.8±6.6Highest 18% above MN 32.9±16Lowest 15% below MN
Smiley Township and Kratka Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 21.4%±4.8Lowest MN: 22.9% 32.9%±7.3Highest MN: 22.9%
Kratka Township and Smiley Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 20.4%±6.3Highest MN: 17.3% 7.4%±10.7Lowest MN: 17.3%
Smiley Township and Kratka Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 23.1%Lowest MN: 39.4% 27.8%Highest MN: 39.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.1%±2.9Lowest MN: 5.8% 1.4%±5Highest MN: 5.8%
Kratka Township and Smiley Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $90,893±$10kHighest about the MN average $57,917±$4kLowest 35% below MN
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $271,400±$34kLowest 18% below MN $416,700±$86kHighest 27% above MN
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,042±$446 19% below MN —
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,516Lowest 25% below MN $2,925Highest 13% below MN
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 15%±87.3Highest MN: 48.1% 0%±100Lowest MN: 48.1%
Smiley Township and Kratka Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 2.1%Lowest MN: 9.3% 2.8%Highest MN: 9.3%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 89%Highest MN: 72.2% 81.7%Lowest MN: 72.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1979Lowest same as MN 1993Highest 14 yrs newer than MN
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 19 minLowest 16% below MN 19 minHighest 15% below MN
Work from home 5.8%±4.5Lowest MN: 17.6% 20.8%±10.9Highest MN: 17.6%
Kratka Township and Smiley Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0.6%Highest 0%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 6.8 miLowest 12.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.08Highest 0.00Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Thief River Falls (57%)Thief River Falls (66%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Kratka TownshipFew work in Smiley Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.3%Lowest 0.6%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 1.1 miLowest 5.0 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.1 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 1.7Highest 0.8Lowest
Minnesota average“±” Census margin of errorACS 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.

Smiley Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Smiley Township’s Town Square.

Kratka Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Kratka Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Smiley Township and Kratka Township

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Bordering Smiley Township

R
+ Compare
Rocksbury Township1,201 people · $232K homes
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Wyandotte Township63 people · $225K homes
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Silverton Township265 people · $225K homes

Towns like Smiley Township

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Silver Brook Township544 people · $276K homes
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Oakwood Township405 people · $289K homes
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Fahlun Township406 people · $313K homes
+ Compare
Blooming Prairie Township454 people · $271K homes

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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