North Platte Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

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City · Lincoln County · County seat · Population 23,390 (2020 census) · ZIP 69101 · Founded 1866

About North Platte

North Platte is a city of 23,390 people (2020), the seat of Lincoln County and the largest city in west-central Nebraska, near where the North and South Platte rivers join. Interstate 80, US 30 (the Lincoln Highway) and US 83 meet here, and the Union Pacific main line runs through Bailey Yard, the world’s largest railroad classification yard, which visitors view from the Golden Spike Tower. North Platte has Great Plains Health, the regional hospital; North Platte Public Schools and North Platte Catholic Schools; Mid-Plains Community College; a commercial airport with daily flights to Denver; Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park; Lake Maloney State Recreation Area 6 miles south; and the Wild West Arena, home of NEBRASKAland Days. North Platte is on Central Time.

History

The Union Pacific reached the forks of the Platte in November 1866, laid out the town and made it the end of track that winter, until the line pushed on to Julesburg in 1867. Voters moved the county seat here from Cottonwood Springs on October 8, 1867. William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody bought land north of town in 1878 and built the 18-room mansion of Scout’s Rest Ranch in 1886; the Old Glory Blowout he staged here on July 4, 1882, is remembered as the forerunner of his Wild West show. From December 25, 1941, to April 1, 1946, volunteers from North Platte and some 125 other communities met every troop train at the depot and fed about six million service members at the North Platte Canteen. The downtown blocks around the old depot became the North Platte Commercial Historic District on the National Register in 2020; the courthouse, the Fox Theatre, the Hotel Yancey and the 1913 federal building are also listed. NEBRASKAland Days, the state’s official celebration, is now in its seventh decade.

Highways and trails through North Platte

Route	One way	Other way
I-80Along the south edge of the city (Exit 177)	East to Maxwell, Brady and Gothenburg	West to Hershey, Sutherland and Ogallala
US 30The Lincoln Highway, through the city beside the Union Pacific	East to Maxwell and Brady	West to Hershey and Sutherland
US 83Through the city	North to Stapleton and Thedford	South to Wellfleet and McCook

Nearby towns

Hershey	about 13 mi west	US 30 and I-80
Maxwell	about 13 mi east-southeast	US 30 and I-80
Sutherland	about 19 mi west	US 30 and I-80
Brady	about 22 mi east-southeast	US 30 and I-80
Wellfleet	about 26 mi south	US 83
Stapleton	about 27 mi north-northeast	US 83
Gandy	about 28 mi northeast	US 83
Wallace	about 29 mi southwest	I-80 and NE 25
Paxton	about 31 mi west	I-80
Tryon	about 31 mi north-northwest	NE 97
Maywood	about 34 mi south-southeast	US 83
Gothenburg	about 35 mi east-southeast	I-80
Arnold	about 36 mi northeast	US 83 and NE 92
Ogallala	about 50 mi west	I-80

Things to see

the Golden Spike Tower over Bailey Yard, 1249 N. Homestead Rd. · Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park (Scout’s Rest Ranch, a National Historic Landmark) and the adjoining recreation area · the Lincoln County Historical Museum with its Canteen exhibit · Cody Park and the Cody Park Railroad Museum · the North Platte Commercial Historic District and the Fox Theatre · Lake Maloney State Recreation Area, 6 miles south · NEBRASKAland Days each June

Events in North Platte

Lincoln County Fair
Lincoln County Fair, a county fair in North Platte, Nebraska.
Miss Nebraska and Miss Nebraska’s Teen Competition
Miss Nebraska and Miss Nebraska's Teen Competition is held in North Platte, Nebraska, in the first week of June.
NEBRASKAland Days PRCA Rodeo
NEBRASKAland Days PRCA Rodeo, a rodeo in North Platte, Nebraska.
North Platte Rail Days
North Platte Rail Days is held in North Platte, Nebraska, in early August (Thursday to Sunday).

More about this event: NEBRASKAland Days PRCA Rodeo

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Schools and health care

Schools: North Platte Public Schools, 301 W. F St., (308) 535-7100: North Platte High School, Adams and Madison middle schools and nine elementary schools; North Platte Catholic Schools (St. Patrick Jr./Sr. High and McDaid Elementary), 500 S. Silber Ave.; Mid-Plains Community College, 1101 Halligan Dr.

Health care: Great Plains Health, 601 W. Leota St., North Platte, (308) 568-8000, regional hospital with emergency department

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; Lincoln County (co.lincoln.ne.us); History Nebraska and HMdb markers; Andreas, History of the State of Nebraska (1882); 1890 Nebraska State Gazetteer; NEGenWeb Lincoln County; National Archives (North Platte Canteen); National Register; VA National Cemetery Administration; Nebraska Game and Parks; Golden Spike Tower; NEBRASKAland Days; AirNav; KNOP; North Platte Chamber; SchoolDigger. Distances marked "about" are straight-line estimates.