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Town Overview
Malcolm is a village of 457 on just 0.14 square miles about 11 miles northwest of Lincoln, sitting between two of the biggest lakes in the Salt Valley chain. Its population has held up well — 413 in 2000, 382 in 2010, 457 in 2020.
The village was platted in 1877 and named for Malcolm Showers, who owned the original town site. Showers also built the village's first church in 1885 and served as its Methodist minister.
Its early years were hard. In 1880 a prairie fire burned from Middle Creek to Elk Creek, and a diphtheria outbreak followed. The Malcolm Messenger newspaper ran from 1891 to 1934. Politicians Ken Haar and Carol Hudkins and the major-league catcher Les Nunamaker (1889–1938) all came from here.
Adjacent Counties & Nearby Towns
Lancaster County is Nebraska's second most populous county, with 322,608 residents in 2020 across 846 square miles, and its seat is Lincoln, the state capital. It borders Saunders County to the north, Cass County to the northeast, Otoe County and Johnson County to the southeast, Gage County to the south, Saline County to the southwest, and Seward County and Butler County to the northwest.
Nearest towns. Raymond is about 6 miles northeast, Davey about 12 miles east-northeast and Denton about 12 miles south. Downtown Lincoln is about 11 miles southeast. Distances given here are straight-line measurements.
Points of Interest & Events
Branched Oak State Recreation Area — About 3.5 miles north of the village, Branched Oak is the largest of the Salt Valley lakes and the biggest recreation area in eastern Nebraska, created when Branched Oak Dam was completed in 1970. Boating, fishing, camping and swimming are the draws.
Pawnee Lake State Recreation Area — About 5 miles south, another of the Salt Valley reservoirs, also popular for boating and fishing.
Between the two, Malcolm is arguably the best-placed village in Lancaster County for anyone whose weekends revolve around water — a genuine distinction for a place of 457 people.
Events. No recurring town-wide celebration could be independently verified for Malcolm at the time of writing, so none is claimed here.
Education & Health
Schools. Malcolm is one of only five public school districts in Lancaster County and runs its own: Malcolm Public Schools, based in the village.
Health care. There is no hospital in Malcolm. Lincoln, about 11 miles southeast, has the region's full range of hospital care.
Highway Access
Malcolm lies on the county road network northwest of Lincoln, about 11 miles from the city and a few miles west of U.S. Route 34 and the Nebraska Highway 79 corridor that run north out of Lincoln.
The nearest interstate is Interstate 80, which passes a short distance north of the village on its way west from Lincoln toward York. Lincoln Airport is the nearest commercial airport.
Malcolm is a village of 457 about 11 miles northwest of Lincoln, platted in 1877 and named for Malcolm Showers, who owned the town site and built its first church. It sits between two of the Salt Valley reservoirs — Branched Oak State Recreation Area, the largest recreation area in eastern Nebraska, 3.5 miles north, and Pawnee Lake 5 miles south — and runs its own district, Malcolm Public Schools.
Navigate & Explore Malcolm
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Road Conditions: Nebraska 511 — 511.nebraska.gov
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