Mason City Nebraska

Mason City is a village in Custer County, Nebraska, platted and incorporated in 1886, with its first train arriving that July. Its name is disputed between two theories: one traces it to Mason County, Virginia, while the other — described as the “generally accepted” account — honors Judge Oliver Perry Mason of the Nebraska Supreme Court. The village sits along Nebraska Highway 2 on the Sandhills Journey Scenic Byway. Mason City's annual Homecoming celebration, begun in 1919, drew an estimated 20,000 visitors at its peak in the 1930s and even became a stop on the political campaign trail. In its 1986 centennial year, the community was named a winner in the Nebraska Community Improvement Program among towns under 300 population. Mason City's population has declined from a 1920s peak of 487 to 151 as of the 2020 census, down from 171 in 2010.

Mason City, platted in 1886, is most likely named for Nebraska Supreme Court Judge Oliver Perry Mason. Its Homecoming celebration, started in 1919, once drew about 20,000 visitors and became a campaign stop. The village's 2020 population was 151, down from a 1920s peak of 487.