Ralston Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

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City · Douglas County · Population 6,494 (2020 census) · ZIP 68127 · Founded 1908

About Ralston

Ralston is a city of 6,494 in southern Douglas County, bordered by Omaha on the north, east and west and by La Vista, in Sarpy County, on the south along Harrison Street, which is also the county line. It has Ralston Public Schools, the Baright Public Library, the HINGE Creative District along Main Street and the Liberty First Credit Union Arena, where the Douglas County Fair is held each July.

History

Omaha newspaper editor Dr. George L. Miller bought 280 acres here in 1867, called his estate Deerfield, and platted part of it as Seymour Park in 1888; Seymour Lake formed in 1892 after a well struck artesian water near 73rd and P streets. The townsite was sold on May 23, 1907, to the Ralston Investment Company and platted in 1908 by Roy N. Towl, later mayor of Omaha, and the village incorporated on June 24, 1912. The name is said to come from C. A. Ralston, a local businessman. Streetcars ran to Omaha and Papillion, and a spur served the Cudahy icehouse.

Ralston went bankrupt in 1934, and in 1967 it signed a non-annexation agreement with Omaha. The city-owned Ralston Arena opened on October 19, 2012; its bonds were cut to junk status in 2016, and it was renamed Liberty First Credit Union Arena in 2022. The Nebraska Arts Council certified the HINGE Creative District in 2024. The 2020 count, 6,494, was the city's highest.

Highways and trails through Ralston

Route	One way	Other way
84th St.Former NE 85 (returned to the cities in 2020), along most of the west edge	North into Omaha	South into La Vista and Papillion
US 275 / NE 92L St., on the north edge	East through South Omaha to the Missouri River bridge	West across Omaha toward Elkhorn and Waterloo

Nearby towns

La Vista	about 1.2 mi south-southeast	72nd St.
Papillion	about 3.2 mi south	84th St.
Bellevue	about 7 mi east-southeast	Harrison St. and US 75
Boys Town	about 6 mi northwest	I-680 and US 6
Omaha	about 6 mi northeast	L St. and I-80
Gretna	about 11 mi west-southwest	I-80
Elkhorn	about 12 mi west-northwest	US 275

Things to see

Liberty First Credit Union Arena, 7300 Q St. (opened 2012), home of the Omaha Lancers and the Douglas County Fair (July 17–19 in 2026) · the HINGE Creative District, with the "Everyone Belongs" sign at 72nd and Main made from old arena marquee letters · Granary Green, with Tunes on the Green concerts · Independence Day Celebration: fireworks July 3 at 73rd and Q, parade July 4 at 1 p.m. · Baright Public Library, 5555 S. 77th St. · next door in Omaha: WarHorse Casino at Horsemen's Park, 6303 Q St., and Fun Plex, 7003 Q St.

Events in Ralston

Douglas County Fair
Douglas County Fair, a county fair in Omaha, Nebraska.
Ralston’s Independence Day Celebration
Ralston's Independence Day Celebration is held in Ralston, Nebraska, on July 3 and 4.

Know of another event here? Tell us about it.

Schools and health care

Schools: Ralston Public Schools: Blumfield, Karen Western, Meadows, Mockingbird, Seymour and Wildewood elementary schools, Ralston Middle School, and Ralston High School, 8969 Park Dr.; St. Gerald Catholic School, 7859 Lakeview St.

Health care: No hospital in Ralston; CHI Health Bergan Mercy, 7500 Mercy Rd., Omaha, is about 3 mi north

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; Andreas, History of the State of Nebraska (1882); Douglas County Historical Society; NEGenWeb Douglas County; National Register of Historic Places; Nebraska Game and Parks; Papio-Missouri River NRD; city, school and hospital websites; Nebraska Department of Transportation. Distances marked "about" are straight-line estimates.