Best PlacesTwain, Iowa City, IA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Twain, Iowa City, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Twain, Iowa City ranks 2,529th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and internet speeds rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Twain, Iowa City
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Twain, Iowa City's strengths and weaknesses
Where Twain, Iowa City ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 93% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$773 a month, better than 92% of neighborhoods
- Short commute18.4 minutes each way, better than 88% of neighborhoods
- School gradeA−, better than 87% of neighborhoods
Where Twain, Iowa City ranks low
- Internet speedBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 18% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 18% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than only 19% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Twain, Iowa City
A household needs to earn about $60,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Twain, Iowa City home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $66,762, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Twain, Iowa City's effective rate of 1.47%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Twain, Iowa City
Twain, Iowa City runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Twain, Iowa City.
Who works in Twain, Iowa City, and how
Work in Twain, Iowa City centers on retail trade and health care & social. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 82%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 11%
Life in Twain, Iowa City
Twain, Iowa City has more restaurants and bars per resident than 70% of neighborhoods and more parkland per resident than 95% of neighborhoods. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Twain, Iowa City and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Twain, Iowa City, month by month
Twain, Iowa City sees roughly 91 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 86 degrees. January highs sit near 32, with lows near 16. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, August, and September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 23° | 16° |
| April | 63° | 51° | 40° |
| July | 86° | 76° | 67° |
| October | 66° | 54° | 44° |
Flying in and out of Twain, Iowa City
The nearest airport, The Eastern Iowa, is about 20 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Chicago O'Hare International, about 187 miles away.
The best schools in and around Twain, Iowa City
Schools across Twain, Iowa City average an A−, better than 87% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Ernest Horn Elementary SchoolA− · 57% proficient
- Alexander ElementaryB · 45% proficient
- Lone Tree Elementary SchoolB− · 44% proficient
Top middle schools
- Northwest Junior High SchoolA+ · 68% proficient
- Southeast Junior High SchoolA · 64% proficient
Top high schools
- West Senior High SchoolA · 73% proficient
- Iowa City High SchoolA− · 66% proficient
- Elizabeth Tate Alt. High SchoolC− · 27% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Twain, Iowa City school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Twain, Iowa City measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Twain, Iowa City against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Twain, Iowa City
Is Twain, Iowa City a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Twain, Iowa City ranks 2,529th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on state finances, cheap car insurance, and affordable childcare, and lowest on internet speeds and distance from a big city. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Twain, Iowa City expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $211,237. The overall cost of living runs about 10% below the national average. Set against a $66,762 median income, cost of living beats 42% of neighborhoods.
Is Twain, Iowa City safe?
Yes, Twain, Iowa City is safer than 83% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $282 per resident a year.
Compare Twain, Iowa City with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Twain, Iowa City. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Twain, Iowa City represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Twain, Iowa City detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Twain, Iowa City: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Twain, Iowa City: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Twain, Iowa City: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Twain, Iowa City: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Twain, Iowa City detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.