Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0Highfield-Cascade has no public library of its own; the nearest is Blue Ridge Summit Free Library in Blue Ridge Summit, 1.2 miles away
Highfield-Cascade doesn’t have a public library of its own. The closest is Blue Ridge Summit Free Library in Blue Ridge Summit, 1.2 miles away. Many small-town libraries give cards to neighbors, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead.
–Civic lifeNot graded: unincorporated places have too few inputsGetting a library card from Highfield-Cascade
Highfield-Cascade borrows from the libraries next door
Highfield-Cascade has no public library of its own, but four libraries are within 10 miles, the closest being Blue Ridge Summit Free Library in Blue Ridge Summit (1.2 miles). Many small-town libraries give cards to people from neighboring towns, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead. Nearest libraries ↓
Highfield-Cascade isn’t the only town nearby without one
Fort Ritchie, Sabillasville and Pen Mar don’t have a public library of their own either. Among the towns next door, Washington Township (Blue Ridge Summit Free Library) does. Libraries next door ↓
The closest isn’t the one open longest
Blue Ridge Summit Free Library is nearest, open about 20 hours a week. Smithsburg Library, 6.1 miles away, is open about 47 hours a week, so it may be easier to fit in. Nearest libraries ↓
This summary is written from the numbers on this page. Distances are straight-line from the town center.
What’s behind Highfield-Cascade’s civic life grade
Highfield-Cascade isn’t graded on civic life: it’s unincorporated, so its nonprofits can’t be counted reliably (mailing addresses don’t follow its boundary) and it has no public library of its own.
Civic life counts registered nonprofits, library visits and online volunteering groups, so it can miss civic life that runs through congregations, mutual aid or neighbors looking out for each other.
Library visits: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024. Nonprofits: IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File, October 2026. Volunteering: Social Capital Atlas (Opportunity Insights), from data by Meta Platforms, Inc.; Chetty et al., Nature 2022. How TownRatings grades civic life →
Volunteering in Highfield-Cascade
Highfield-Cascade is unincorporated, so its nonprofits aren’t counted: they file by mailing address, which doesn’t follow its boundary.
5.8%
5.8% of Highfield-Cascade’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 6.2% in the typical Maryland town and 7.5% nationally.
Volunteering: Social Capital Atlas (Opportunity Insights), from data by Meta Platforms, Inc.; Chetty et al., Nature 2022. ZIP-code figures, weighted by where Highfield-Cascade’s residents live; 2022.
The closest is 1.2 miles away
Closest first, measured from the center of Highfield-Cascade. Each one’s hours, and whether it charges late fines.
Libraries next door
Who has a library of their own, and how much each town borrows. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Township | Blue Ridge Summit Free Library fine-free | — | 20 | B |
| Fort Ritchie | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
| Sabillasville | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
| Pen Mar | None of its own | — | — | — graded with its twin city |
Loans = print + digital items borrowed in the library’s fiscal year, per person it serves. — = no library of its own, a county or regional system (its numbers cover many towns), or no report. Civic life: — = not graded (unincorporated places, whose nonprofits can’t be placed by mailing address, or towns with fewer than two of the three inputs).
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- The library’s own count. Libraries report their own visits, loans and programs. A library that didn’t respond keeps its address and hours here, with no numbers.
Hours are the survey’s yearly average; libraries are compared with others serving about as many people. How TownRatings uses library figures →
Questions about the library and civic life in Highfield-Cascade
Does Highfield-Cascade have a public library?
No. The closest is Blue Ridge Summit Free Library in Blue Ridge Summit, 1.2 miles from the town center. Many libraries give cards to people from neighboring towns, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead.
What is Highfield-Cascade’s civic life grade?
Highfield-Cascade isn’t graded on civic life: it’s unincorporated, so its nonprofits can’t be counted reliably (mailing addresses don’t follow its boundary) and it has no public library of its own. How it works.
Book talk
Reading, story times and the library in Highfield-Cascade.
Libraries: Institute of Museum and Library Services, Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024. Each library reports its own numbers. Distances are straight-line from the town center. “What your card is worth” uses typical retail prices and is an estimate, not an official figure.