Mount Vernon
A hilltop college town east of Cedar Rapids, home to Cornell College and a historic uptown on the old Lincoln Highway, with Palisades-Kepler State Park nearby.
Typical times without traffic, from OpenStreetMap routing. Rush hour runs longer.
College town on a hill.
Mount Vernon started as Pinhook, a rest stop on the Military Road, and was platted and renamed in 1847. The 2020 census counted 4,527 people.
Housing runs from Victorian homes in the Ash Park Historic District to new construction in Spring Meadow Heights and Stonebrook.
A liberal arts college founded in 1853, and one of two US colleges whose whole campus is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Bluffs along the Cedar River, with hiking, boating, camping, cabins and a stone lodge.
A sidewalk chalk art festival in uptown every May, with more than 160 artists in 2026.
The historic business district on the hill, along the old Lincoln Highway.
Mount Vernon has three National Register historic districts. If a property is in one, exterior changes like additions, demolition or new construction need city review before a building permit; interior work and sales aren't restricted.
Planning changes to an older home? We confirm with the city whether the address falls under that review before you offer.
Every Mount Vernon home on the MLS right now, updated daily.
See homes → SoldRecent salesEvery Mount Vernon home sold in the last 6 months, with prices.
See the sales → SellingWhat's mine worth?An instant estimate for your Mount Vernon address, then a pricing opinion and an estimated net sheet from me.
Get my number →Sources: 2020 US Census (Iowa Secretary of State); Census ACS 2020-24 via Census Reporter; Linn County Auditor, consolidated levy rates FY2026-27; City of Mount Vernon; Mount Vernon Historic Preservation Commission; Mount Vernon Community School District; KCRG, May 2026.
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