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City Offices, Montrose, MinnesotaPhoto: Myotus · CC BY 4.0
Libraries near Montrose

Montrose has no public library of its own; the nearest is Delano Public Library in Delano, 6.6 miles away

Montrose doesn’t have a public library of its own. The closest is Delano Public Library in Delano, 6.6 miles away. Many small-town libraries give cards to neighbors, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead.

BCivic lifeAhead of 64% of U.S. towns · #87 of 271 in Minnesota. Nonprofits and volunteering.
In brief

Getting a library card from Montrose

Montrose borrows from the libraries next door

Montrose has no public library of its own, but four libraries are within 10 miles, the closest being Delano Public Library in Delano (6.6 miles). Many small-town libraries give cards to people from neighboring towns, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead. Nearest libraries ↓

Montrose isn’t the only town nearby without one

Marysville Township, Woodland Township and Waverly don’t have a public library of their own either. Libraries next door ↓

Most nearby libraries are fine-free

Three of the four closest libraries don’t charge late fines. Nearest libraries ↓

This summary is written from the numbers on this page. Distances are straight-line from the town center.

Civic life grade

What’s behind Montrose’s civic life grade

On community nonprofits and volunteering, Montrose is ahead of 64% of U.S. towns, #87 of 271 in Minnesota. Montrose is graded on two of the three inputs. The share of younger adults in volunteering groups holds the grade up; Montrose’s count of community nonprofits pulls it down.

B
Civic lifeA character grade: shown, never part of Montrose’s overall grade.
All U.S. towns we grade (17,556)Ahead of 64%
FewerMore
Minnesota towns we grade (271)Ahead of 68%
U.S. towns with similar incomes, $77K–$128K (6,747)Ahead of 67%

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.

How sure. Graded on two inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. Montrose is small (3,986 residents), so a few dozen organizations or visits move its per-resident figures; the volunteering share is a 2022 estimate from Facebook users aged 25–44.

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 →

Places to belong

11 community nonprofits are registered in Montrose

2.8 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: civic groups, clubs & veterans.

Community nonprofits, by kind

Arts & culture00.00 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.24
Youth, sports & recreation20.51 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.52
Civic groups, clubs & veterans61.54 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.74
Human services10.26 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.59
Education00.00 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.43
Health10.26 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.16
Environment & animals10.26 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.17

Counted from the IRS list of tax-exempt organizations by mailing address (fractions where a ZIP code spans towns). Congregations are counted apart (3 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.

Volunteering

11.7%

11.7% of Montrose’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 7.4% in the typical Minnesota 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 Montrose’s residents live; 2022.

Nearest libraries

The closest is 6.6 miles away

Closest first, measured from the center of Montrose. Each one’s hours, and whether it charges late fines.

Next door

Libraries next door

Who has a library of their own, and how much each town borrows. Tap a town to see its library.

12+ loans per resident8–124–8Under 4No library / shared system
TownLibraryLoans per residentHoursCivic life
Marysville TownshipNone of its own——C
Woodland TownshipNone of its own——C
WaverlyNone of its own——B+

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).

How to read these numbers

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 Montrose

Does Montrose have a public library?

No. The closest is Delano Public Library in Delano, 6.6 miles from the town center. Many libraries give cards to people from neighboring towns, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead.

What is Montrose’s civic life grade?

B Montrose is ahead of 64% of U.S. towns on civic life, #87 of 271 in Minnesota. The grade combines library visits per resident, community nonprofits per 1,000 residents and the share of adults 25–44 in volunteering groups. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

Book talk

Reading, story times and the library in Montrose.

Town Square →
Start a conversation

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.