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Delano, Minnesota

12 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1953 and the latest in 1991. It stands in Delano City. It lies in ZIP code area 55328. The Survey maps it on the Delano quadrangle. 6,484 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 922 feet above sea level.

Delano within Wright County

On record in Delano

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 4 records

Population over time

2 figures

Delano grew from 5,464 to 6,484 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
20105,464
20206,484+1,020 (+19%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

9 surveys from 12 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

In the county-history sources

7,719 words on this township

History of Wright County, Minnesota Volume II, published 1915 names this settlement in its chapter on Delano City. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.

The first land claimant, James P. Lyle, who came on June 15, 1855, located a claim lying partly within the present village limits, and John E, Ellis, who came with Lyle when he took up his permanent residence here, secured the main part of what is now Delano, James and Samuel Padden and James B. White, who came at the same time, settled in the same vicinity.

Passage source: History of Wright County, Minnesota Volume II, published 1915.

The first school was taught by John C. Ellis, in 1858, in the claim shanty which stood on the line between the Ellis and White pre-emptions. Later a log schoolhouse was erected near the mill block, and Stella Strickland taught the first school. In 1870 a two-story frame building, 26 by 40, was erected on the corner of Bim and Second streets. In 1882 a large building was erected.

Passage source: History of Wright County, Minnesota Volume II, published 1915.

The old grain house with a capacity of 8,000 bushels was one of the Davidson chain of elevators and was built soon after Delano was founded. It was bought by W. H. Landis and later rented to Louis Rausch. The Delano Elevator Co. was organized May 5, 1881, with a capital stock of $10,000, and the following officers: President, I. Gutzwiller, Jr.; secretary and treasurer, C. G, Roosen; trustees, John Coolen, Charles Eppel and John Haffner. An elevator was erected having a capacity of 32,000 bushels. In 1881, John Charles put up a hotel, and John W. Connole and P. B. O'Loughlin erected a store nearby, Mr. O'Loughlin being the postmaster.

Passage source: History of Wright County, Minnesota Volume II, published 1915.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Delano City - it names this place 8 more 8 times.

Fires near this place

6 since 2000

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 6 fires within 5 miles of Delano between 2000 and 2012, burning about 116 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Railroad operations and maintenance4
Missing data/not specified/undetermined2

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
8 April 2012Missing data/not specified/undetermined17 acresMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
26 March 2007Railroad operations and maintenanceunder an acreMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
26 March 2007Railroad operations and maintenanceunder an acreMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
26 March 2007Railroad operations and maintenance87 acresMinnesota Department of Natural ResourcesLAKE SARAH
26 March 2007Railroad operations and maintenance3.2 acresMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
21 October 2000Missing data/not specified/undetermined8.0 acresMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Wright County

Mines and quarries near this place

2 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Delano: 2 producers. All of them still produce. What was taken out: Granite, Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Delano Granite Works PlantGraniteProducer
Hanover PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer

Every working recorded in Wright County

Storms near this place

58 since 1993

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Delano in 58 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 27 hail, 24 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado, 2 heavy rain. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
June 2002Tornado (F1)Delano$50,000Tornado touched down briefly, knocking down trees and damaging two houses. One house had a roof blown off while the other had damage to siding and shingles.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindDelano$25,000A metal roof was blown off a barn, with several large trees and power lines blown down south of Delano.
September 2023Thunderstorm WindDelano-A storm survey determined damaging winds accompanied a brief tornado. The damaging winds were offset south and east of the tornado path. At least two dozen trees were downed.
September 2023Tornado (EF0)Delano-A brief tornado touched down just south of the intersection of Wright County Road 14 and 30th Street Southeast. The tornado tracked northeast and mainly uprooted or broke over 100 trees, most of them at one farmstead. A storm survey was conducted and maximum winds were estimated at 85 mph.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindDelano-Numerous trees were blown down near Delano.
March 2019FloodDelano-Numerous roads were closed for several days due to snow melt, and the flood waters that develop from it. Rapidly runoff led to impassable roads, especially along streams and creeks along county roads.
June 2019Thunderstorm WindDelano-A social media picture posted a large tree that was blown down in Delano.
August 2019HailDelano-The four inch diameter hailstone was measured with a ruler, and posted on social media.
August 2019HailDelano-A picture from social media with the baseball sized hailstone.
August 2019HailDelano-There were numerous pictures from social media on the large hailstone.
August 2016Thunderstorm WindDelano-Windows were damaged near Delano.
August 2016Thunderstorm WindDelano-Several large oak trees were blown down, some of which were severed 15 feet above the ground near Delano.
June 2014FloodDelano-Several sources in Wright County compiled a summary of flood related damages and locations for the flood of June 2014. The Crow River At Delano rose to its highest level in 50 years. The primary impacts were flooding of low-level roads and minor basement flooding that begun to affect homes closest to the river. In addition, several parks were closed.
June 2014Heavy RainDelano-A 24 hour rainfall total of 4.60 inches was reported.
June 2013Thunderstorm WindDelano-Several large trees and branches were blown down in eastern Wright County, with the worst area in the far northeast.
May 2012Heavy RainDelano-A local observer measured 5.20 inches in the last 24 hours.
May 2011HailDelano-Located in downtown Rockford.
May 2011HailDelano-Located in Rockford, near Highway 55 and Main Street.
July 2008Thunderstorm WindDelano-Eight inch diameter branches severed. A two foot diameter and a one foot diameter tree toppled.
July 2008Thunderstorm WindDelano-Eight inch branch and two foot diameter tree downed over road.
July 2008Thunderstorm WindDelano-Three to 4 inch branches severed.
July 2008Thunderstorm WindDelano-Strong winds bending trees over.
June 2007Thunderstorm WindDelano-Several six inch branches down one mile northeast of Rockford.
July 2006Thunderstorm WindDelano-Trees down.
September 2005Thunderstorm WindDelano-A few trees were downed north of Highway 12 and East of Highway 14 on the south end of Cook's Lake.
September 2005Thunderstorm WindDelano-A shed was blown apart and a tree was downed onto 44th Street in Franklin Township outside of Delano.
June 2002Thunderstorm WindDelano-Few trees down.
June 2002Thunderstorm WindDelano-Few trees and power lines down.
July 1999HailDelano-Occurred in the city of Rockford on the Wright County side.
July 1999Thunderstorm WindDelano-Trees toppled. Winds estimated.
July 1997Thunderstorm WindDelano-Roof damage to high school. Numerous large trees blown down onto homes and power lines. Estimated windspeed.
July 1997Thunderstorm WindDelano-Trees down. Estimated windspeed.
July 1997Thunderstorm WindDelano-Barn destroyed. Scattered damage across southeastern Wright county. Estimated windspeed.
July 1994Thunderstorm WindDelano-Several large trees were blown down.
September 2025HailDelano-no account filed
August 2023HailDelano-no account filed
August 2019HailDelano-no account filed
May 2018HailDelano-no account filed
June 2017HailDelano-no account filed
June 2016HailDelano-no account filed
August 2016HailDelano-no account filed
July 2015HailDelano-no account filed
June 2013HailDelano-no account filed
August 2013HailDelano-no account filed
August 2013HailDelano-no account filed
May 2011HailDelano-no account filed
May 2011HailDelano-no account filed
May 2011HailDelano-no account filed
July 2008HailDelano-no account filed
September 2007HailDelano-no account filed
April 2007HailDelano-no account filed
June 2007HailDelano-no account filed
July 2006HailDelano-no account filed
May 2006HailDelano-no account filed
September 2000HailDelano-no account filed
July 1997Flash FloodDelano-no account filed
August 1996Thunderstorm WindDelano-no account filed
August 1993Thunderstorm WindDelano-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Wright County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Rockford Riverview Estates3.8 miles15
Rockford4.3 miles15
Montrose6.7 miles12
Waverly9.5 miles12
Buffalo Manor East9.9 miles12
Bufflao Manor9.9 miles12
Buffalo10.1 miles12
Hanover10.2 miles15

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on DelanoAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q1926976The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 642749. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.