Ravenna Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

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City · Buffalo County · Population 1,441 (2020 census) · ZIP 68869 · Founded 1886 · Peak population 1,703 (1920)

About Ravenna

Ravenna is a city of 1,441 people (2020) in northern Buffalo County, at 2,015 feet near where Beaver Creek meets the South Loup River, on NE 2 about 24 miles north-northeast of Kearney. NE 68 runs north to Rockville. Ravenna has its public schools, a Heartland Health Center clinic, a Good Samaritan Society nursing home and Seneca Sunrise assisted living. Ravenna is on Central Time.

History

Erastus Smith brought his family and cattle from Iowa in 1874 and homesteaded near the mouth of Beaver Creek, and the Beaver Creek post office opened in his care on December 11, 1878. When the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad wanted a division point on its line from Lincoln toward Wyoming, the Lincoln Townsite Co. bought a two-thirds interest in Smith’s land. The town was platted in June 1886, regular trains began on July 1, and it was incorporated on October 12, 1886. A company man suggested the name Ravenna, for the city in Italy, and the original streets were named for Italian cities, among them Genoa and Milan. Early settlers included German, Irish and Bohemian (Czech) families. The population peaked at 1,703 in 1920. Wrestler John Pesek, world champion in 1937, was a Ravenna native. About 8,000 visitors came for the total solar eclipse of August 21, 2017.

Highways and trails through Ravenna

Route	One way	Other way
NE 2Through the city	Northwest to Sweetwater and Hazard	Southeast to Cairo and Grand Island
NE 68North from NE 2	North to Rockville	South end at NE 2

Nearby towns

Poole	about 4 mi southwest	County roads
Sweetwater	about 5 mi west-northwest	NE 2
Rockville	about 7 mi northeast	NE 68
Saint Michael	about 9 mi east	County roads
Hazard	about 10 mi west-northwest	NE 2
Pleasanton	about 10 mi west-southwest	County roads
Boelus	about 11 mi east-northeast	County roads
Litchfield	about 15 mi northwest	County roads
Cairo	about 16 mi east	NE 2
Loup City	about 17 mi north	NE 68 and NE 58
Gibbon	about 20 mi south	County roads
Kearney	about 24 mi south-southwest	County roads and NE 10

Things to see

the Historical Society of Ravenna, 210 Grand Ave., in an 1893 building (by appointment and during Annevar) · the Bohning Memorial Auditorium (National Register 2023) · Annevar, the mid-June celebration (“Ravenna” spelled backward); June 18–20 in 2027 · Ravenna Golf Club, 1117 Alba Ave.

Events in Ravenna

Annevar
Annevar is held in Ravenna, Nebraska, on the third weekend of June (Thursday to Sunday).

Know of another event here? Tell us about it.

Schools and health care

Schools: Ravenna Public Schools, 41750 Carthage Rd.: Ravenna Elementary (PreK–6) and Ravenna Senior High (7–12)

Health care: Heartland Health Center – Ravenna Clinic, 104 W. Seneca St.; Good Samaritan Society – Ravenna (nursing home), 411 W. Genoa St.; Seneca Sunrise (assisted living), 710 Grand Ave., (308) 452-4444; Hospitals: CHI Health Good Samaritan and Kearney Regional Medical Center, Kearney, about 24 mi

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; Andreas, History of the State of Nebraska (1882); Bassett, History of Buffalo County and Its People (1916); Who’s Who in Nebraska (1940); Fitzpatrick, Nebraska Place-Names (1925); NEGenWeb Buffalo County; History Nebraska and its markers; National Register; Buffalo County; City of Kearney; Visit Kearney; Nebraska Game and Parks; Central Platte NRD; Audubon Rowe Sanctuary; Kearney Regional Airport; school districts. Distances marked "about" are straight-line estimates.