Town file
Mason City, Iowa
Mason City, Iowa (Cerro Gordo County, Iowa) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 645, "Breaking Badder" (6 November 2025). Mason City, Iowa, is in Cerro Gordo County in the north central part of the state, about two hours from Des Moines, with a population in 1993 of 27,385.
- Town
- Mason City
- County
- Cerro Gordo County
- State
- Iowa
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 645
- Approximate location
- 43.148, -93.200
Episode 645 / 6 November 2025 / 180 min / full
Breaking Badder
"We are going to Iowa this week... Mason City, Iowa... in north central Iowa... Cerro Gordo County" about 0:04:13
The case: Murder of Greg Nicholson, Lori Duncan, Candy Duncan, Amber Duncan and Terry DeGeis (July 1993 and November 1993). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2025
- Population
- 27,385
- Median age
- 42 and a half
- Median household income
- $56,009
- Two-bedroom rent
- $840
- Religious
- 67.6%
- Property crime
- ▲ about one quarter above
- Violent crime
- ▼ about half
History, in brief
- Known for its musical and masonry heritage and a large collection of Prairie School architecture. about 0:05:45
- The first settlement in the area was around 1853 at the confluence of the Winnebago River and Calamus Creek. about 0:07:10
- The town was called Shibboleth, Masonic Grove and Masonville before Mason City was adopted in 1855, named for a founder's son, Mason Long. about 0:07:20
- Nicknamed River City because the Winnebago River and Calamus Creek converge there. about 0:05:19
The reviews read out
"Ranked the 31st best place to retire in Iowa and 467th best in the United States."about 0:07:43
5 stars
"Lived there my whole life; everyone is a little dramatic about the town's flaws; the perfect combination of big city but still local; events all year, not much crime and most people are nice."about 0:08:23
3 stars
"A small town that has always been small; the local government seems to want to keep it that way; companies have been shut out; plenty of jobs for the unskilled and fabulous restaurants but almost no shopping."about 0:09:17
3 stars
"Born and raised there; as a teenager it is a good place for old people to drive around and do nothing; 55 churches and an art museum, but run-down houses and untrimmed lawns; schools are good."about 0:10:27
2 stars
"A lot of crime in this town; the killing is really close."about 0:11:33
"Murder, arson, abductions, bestiality, gang killings, meth labs, panty thieves, high utility bills, no jobs, corrupt police, evil judges, extreme weather, vandalism, slumlords, religious freaks, backstabbing busybodies and horrible bland food."about 0:12:02
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Forest City, Iowa23 miles
- Blooming Prairie, Minnesota50 miles
- Eyota, Minnesota76 miles
- Montgomery, Minnesota92 miles
- Red Wing, Minnesota103 miles
- Earlville, Iowa108 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.