2021 Best Places to Live in Cerro Gordo County

Clear Lake

• Town in Iowa
• Rating 3.67 out of 5  15 reviews

Current Resident: Clear lake is a beautiful and family friendly town. Main street is a welcoming lively place. I have lived here for many years and have always felt safe. The people who live here are caring and wonderful.
Summer is one of the best times to be around. From our Thursday's on Main to the 4th of July extravaganza, there is so much to do. Take a beautiful ride on the Lady of the Lake or just sit and drink a coffee from the beloved Cabin Coffee shop. Either way you are going to get that homely, wonderful, small town feel.
Summers are fantastic, but there is plenty to experience the rest of the year. One of the most beautiful events is Christmas by the Lake. The whole town gathers down by the lake to build snowmen, see nativity scenes, ride animals, you name it! It is beautiful and everyone loves to come together to bring the experience.
Weather you like the small town lively main street life or the quiet walk by the lake, you will love Clear Lake. I have loved it ever since I moved here.
Read 15 Reviews

• grade A minus

• grade A minus

• 7,597 Population

Mason City

• Town in Iowa
• Rating 3.56 out of 5  66 reviews

Current Resident: Mason City is a decent sized town that has a small town feel, yet has some big town stores and restaurant. I would still appreciate some more stores coming to town though!
Read 66 Reviews

• grade B

• grade C+

• 27,200 Population

Grant Township

• Town in Iowa
• Rating 3 out of 5  1 review

• grade A minus

• grade B+

• 343 Population

Lake Township

• Town in Iowa

• grade B+

• grade B+

• 429 Population

Clear Lake Township

• Town in Iowa

• grade B

• grade B+

• 1,673 Population

Falls Township

• Town in Iowa

• grade B

• grade B

• 1,083 Population

Ventura

• Town in Iowa
• Rating 4 out of 5  2 reviews

Current Resident: Although it is a small town, the community and the atmosphere of Ventura are very nice. It also contains a small lake connected to Clear Lake, so it creates a nice view along with lake houses as options to rent or buy. In Ventura, we also have a very popular ice cream shop that is open during the summer. Schooling in Ventura is not an option anymore, as the schools got shut down and had to consolidate with our neighboring town, Garner. At one point Garner and Ventura's students went to middle school in Ventura, but after a few years, the Garner schools decided to shut down Ventura, which was not a smart idea. During the summer Ventura is somewhat popular because of the lake and the ice cream shop, which brings in thousands of customers each year. I work at this ice cream shop and it is busy every time I work. It also gets to very hot working conditions in the ice cream shop since it is a very small building, but yet still brings in lots business during a short span time
Read 2 Reviews

• grade B

• grade B

• 865 Population

Lime Creek Township

• Town in Iowa

• grade B

• grade C+

• 436 Population

Grimes Township

• Town in Iowa

• grade B

• grade C+

• 684 Population

Thornton

• Town in Iowa

• grade B

• grade C+

• 411 Population

Owen Township

• Town in Iowa

• grade B minus

• grade C+

• 198 Population

Plymouth

• Town in Iowa

• grade B minus

• grade B

• 447 Population

Pleasant Valley Township

• Town in Iowa

• grade B minus

• grade C+

• 283 Population

Geneseo Township

• Town in Iowa

• grade B minus

• grade C+

• 1,105 Population

Rockwell

• Town in Iowa

• grade B minus

• grade C+

• 888 Population

Rock Falls

• Town in Iowa

• grade C+

• grade B

• 136 Population

Meservey

• Town in Iowa

• grade C+

• grade C+

• 196 Population

Mason Township

• Town in Iowa
• Rating 4 out of 5  1 review

Niche User: My overall experience of Mason City has been very pleasant. I love living in a neighborhood that feels the way it should be. What I mean by that is everyone here has been welcoming, kind, and generous of each other's need. I've lived in many places throughout my life and have never had a neighbor come over just to say, "Hi". The City is also very beautiful in my opinion and I love the artsy vibe I get when I'm in town. The art and statues displayed on the streets are perfect inspiration for any artist of need of it. Environmentally, it is quite lovely as they keep the parks clean and have many dedicated clubs to gardening. Like, many other areas in Iowa Mason City keeps expanding as far as buildings and job opportunities so I can't wait to see how it turns out.
Read 1 Review

• grade C+

• grade C+

• 362 Population

Bath Township

• Town in Iowa

• grade C

• grade C+

• 271 Population

Mount Vernon Township

• Town in Iowa
• Rating 4 out of 5  1 review

Current Resident: Mount Vernon is an adorable little town with all the love and cheer one usually only see's in a hallmark movie. While it is separated from other big cities by a good 20-30 minute drive, there are tons of hidden gems throughout the town. First street has numerous little shops ranging from organic spices to eclectic jewelry. The townsfolk are nice for the most part, with only the occasional grouchy attitude towards the college students.
Read 1 Review

• grade C minus

• grade B+

• 141 Population

Lincoln Township

• Town in Iowa

• grade D

• grade B+

• 325 Population

Dougherty Township

• Town in Iowa

• grade unavailable

• grade unavailable

• 276 Population