City in Minnesota, United States

Waconia

$445kMedian Home
291Sunny Days/yr
55°FAvg High Temp
Loading Weather
View on MapPopulation12kElevation1,014 ft
Quick Read

Long cold season, with rain spread fairly evenly through the year. Winter is not just a brief interruption. Noticeable daylight swing. Snow is a real part of winter.

Waconia is a city in Carver County, Minnesota, United States. Waconia attracts visitors to nearby Lake Waconia.Wikipedia

Long winterEven rainfallNoticeable daylight swing
01

Where It Is

Location Context
Waconia, Minnesota
Latitude44.85°
Longitude-93.79°
Population12k
Altitude1,014 ft

State Context

MinnesotaU.S. state

Minnesota is a state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the south, and North Dakota and South Dakota to the west. The northeast corner has a water boundary with Michigan.Wikipedia

Income tax: 5.35% - 9.85%Avg sales tax: 8.04%Property tax: 0.98%Official school data available

About the Region

Great Lakes Midwest

The Great Lakes Midwest is undergoing a quiet, steady reassessment. Cities like Detroit, Cleveland, and Buffalo — long associated with industrial decline — have seen genuine neighborhood revivals driven by very low housing costs and incoming professional and creative workers. Chicago remains the undisputed anchor: a world-class city that, particularly in its residential neighborhoods, is underpriced relative to coastal equivalents. Minneapolis consistently ranks among the best-governed large cities in the country, with a walkable downtown and access to 10,000 lakes.

Winters are genuinely cold — lake-effect snow shapes life along the Great Lakes shores, and Minneapolis regularly logs the coldest temperatures of any major American city — but summers compensate with warmth and greenness that surprises transplants from the coasts. The economic base has diversified significantly: advanced manufacturing, major healthcare systems, agriculture tech, and financial services anchor the broader region, while university towns like Ann Arbor, Madison, and Bloomington punch well above their weight culturally.

02

Nature Access

Nature & Park Feeds

Closest protected landscapes, reserves, and big park systems surfaced from the same nearby feeds used in compare.

Distances in miles
Federal park feed

National Parks

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OpenStreetMap feed

Local Nature & Reserves

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Sources: National Park Service and OpenStreetMap
03

City Profile

Median Age37 yrs
College Educated49%bachelor's or higher
Work From Home19%of workforce
04

Cost of Living

Housing
$2k/mo
Median rent
$445k
Median home price
Rent burden20% of income
Household Income
$102k
Median annual
05

Livability

School Rating
7.5/10
Internet
Fiber
27%
Cable
87%
address availability
06

Climate

Sunshine
291
sunny days per year
80% of the year
Avg High Temp
55°F
annual average
Humidity Pattern
Damp cool season
69% warm season / 77% cool season
Comfort Score
33/100
Challenging
Temp Swing
59°F
seasonal high-temp spread
Rainfall
33"
inches per year
Snowfall
14"
inches per year
Air Quality
41
Good AQI
How To Read Comfort

Comfort combines temperature band fit, humidity fit, seasonal swing, and penalties for long stretches of extreme heat or cold. Higher scores mean the yearly pattern stays closer to an easier day-to-day climate band.

Monthly Temperature
Daylight Span (Sunrise to Sunset)
Precipitation Distribution
33" of rain per year
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Humidity Through The Year
Hover any month for the exact RH value. This is measuring monthly relative humidity, not dew point or current weather.
fairly steady humidity
Summer 69% · Winter 77% · Jun-Jan 63-81%
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Hover a month for exact RH and seasonal context.
08

Current Conditions

10

Local Next Steps

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11

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Common Comparisons

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