Lonsdale, Minnesota
Lonsdale is a city of 4,896 people in Rice County, Minnesota, founded in 1903.
Why visit Lonsdale
Townapedia lists 1 museum or landmark, 7 parks and trails and 6 places to eat in and around town.
Highlights include 3R Landmark School Museum.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 82°F; January lows average 5°F, and about 43 inches of snow fall in a normal year.
Weather in Lonsdale
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Lonsdale
Lonsdale is a city in Rice County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 4,686 at the 2020 census, with a 2026 estimate of 5,243. A fast growing exurb of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area, Lonsdale is located 40 miles south of downtown Minneapolis.
From the Wikipedia article Lonsdale, Minnesota (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks1
3R Landmark School Museum
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.4 mi
Museum in Lonsdale, Minnesota
Parks, trails and playgrounds7
Restaurants and cafes6
Rail 19 Bar & Grill
Restaurant · Burger · 0.4 mi
110 Northwest Railway Street, Lonsdale
Mo-Su 10:00-22:00
Subway
Fast food · Sandwich
747 Northeast Ash Street, Lonsdale
Sa 08:00-22:00, Su 09:00-22:00, Mo-Fr 07:00-22:00
Churches and places of worship4
Church of the Most Holy Trinity
Church · National Register of Historic Places · 3.2 mi
Wheatland Township, Minnesota, listed on the NRHP in Minnesota
Trondhjem Norwegian Lutheran Church
Church · National Register of Historic Places · 1.4 mi
Church building in Webster Township, United States of America
History
Prior to the American Civil War, a number of families of Czech descent had begun migrating to south central Minnesota from Bohemia. In 1878, a small settlement of Norwegian farmers built a Lutheran church slightly to the southeast of present day Lonsdale. They called the area Trondhjem, after the name of the city in Norway from which they had emigrated. In 1891, a proposed new railroad from Mankato to Farmington was reported in the New Prague Times. However, construction of this railroad was never initiated due to an economic downturn.
It was the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway that proceeded with plans for their existing branch line from Wells to Mankato, to begin constructing trackage northeastward into Farmington. The extension of this line would bring the possibility of development, population growth and job opportunities to towns along the prospective line such as Cleveland, Le Sueur Center, Veseli and New Market. But the businesses of the Veseli area favored the construction of a spur line of the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway (M & St. L) from New Prague instead.
From the History section of Lonsdale, Minnesota on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Shopping1
Gas and EV charging3
Schools, colleges and libraries1
Map of Lonsdale
23 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 23°F | 5°F | 1.0 in | 9.4 in |
| Feb | 28°F | 8°F | 1.0 in | 10.6 in |
| Mar | 40°F | 20°F | 1.9 in | 6.4 in |
| Apr | 56°F | 33°F | 3.1 in | 1.6 in |
| May | 68°F | 45°F | 4.4 in | 0.2 in |
| Jun | 78°F | 57°F | 5.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 82°F | 61°F | 4.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 80°F | 58°F | 4.7 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 73°F | 50°F | 3.7 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 59°F | 36°F | 2.6 in | 0.1 in |
| Nov | 42°F | 24°F | 1.7 in | 4.9 in |
| Dec | 29°F | 13°F | 1.2 in | 10.1 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Faribault (14 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Rice County has had 9 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for floods.
- 2024-06-28: Severe Storms And Flooding (Flood)
- 2020-04-07: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2016-11-02: Severe Storms And Flooding (Flood)
- 2014-07-21: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Flood)
- 2012-07-06: Severe Storms And Flooding (Severe Storm)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Faribault Municipal Airport (FBL) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 12 miles away.
- Elko New Market 8 mi northeast, about 12 min by car
- Dundas 11 mi east, about 18 min by car
- Northfield 13 mi east, about 20 min by car
- Faribault 14 mi southeast, about 23 min by car
- Credit River 14 mi north, about 22 min by car
- Lakeville 16 mi northeast, about 26 min by car
- Prior Lake 17 mi north, about 28 min by car
- Jordan 17 mi northwest, about 27 min by car
- Farmington 18 mi northeast, about 29 min by car
- Savage 20 mi north, about 32 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Lonsdale, Minnesota 5, Jon Platek, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Lonsdale Feed Mill, Lonsdale, MN-01, Andrew Filer, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Lonsdale Feed Mill, Lonsdale, MN-02, Andrew Filer, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Lonsdale Public School, Elkman, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Lonsdale Public School 2015, McGhiever, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Feed Mill at Lonsdale, Minnesota, Joe Passe, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Most Holy Trinity Veseli, Elkman, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Trondhjem Norwegian Lutheran Church, McGhiever, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Trondhjem Church, Elkman, CC BY-SA 3.0
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