Townsend has no public library of its own; the nearest is Lakes Country Public Library in Lakewood, 6.2 miles away
Townsend doesn’t have a public library of its own. The closest is Lakes Country Public Library in Lakewood, 6.2 miles away. Many small-town libraries give cards to neighbors, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead.
–Civic lifeNot graded: fewer than two of the three inputsLibraries for Townsend, in brief
Townsend borrows from the libraries next door
Townsend has no public library of its own, but two libraries are within 10 miles, the closest being Lakes Country Public Library in Lakewood (6.2 miles). Many small-town libraries give cards to people from neighboring towns, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead. Nearest libraries ↓
Townsend isn’t the only town nearby without one
Doty, Wolf River and Freedom don’t have a public library of their own either. Among the towns next door, Lakewood (Lakes Country Public Library) and Wabeno (Wabeno Public Library) do. Libraries next door ↓
This summary is written from the numbers on this page. Distances are straight-line from the town center.
What’s behind Townsend’s civic life grade
Townsend isn’t graded on civic life: it has no public library of its own and the volunteering estimate doesn’t cover enough of it.
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 →
7 community nonprofits are registered in Townsend
6.4 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: human services.
Community nonprofits, by kind
Counted from the IRS list of tax-exempt organizations by mailing address (fractions where a ZIP code spans towns). Congregations are counted apart (1 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
The closest is 6.2 miles away
Closest first, measured from the center of Townsend. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wabeno | Wabeno Public Library fine-free | 1.8 | 24 | A |
| Lakewood | Lakes Country Public Library | — | 48 | — under 1,000 residents |
| Doty | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
| Wolf River | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
| Freedom | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
| Riverview | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
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 Townsend
Does Townsend have a public library?
No. The closest is Lakes Country Public Library in Lakewood, 6.2 miles from the town center. Many libraries give cards to people from neighboring towns, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead.
What is Townsend’s civic life grade?
Townsend isn’t graded on civic life: it has no public library of its own and the volunteering estimate doesn’t cover enough of it. How it works.
Book talk
Reading, story times and the library in Townsend.
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.