Welcome to the City of Beatrice, Nebraska website. We want to welcome you to our city of nearly 12,500 residents. We are located in Southeast Nebraska, about 37 miles south of Nebraska’s State Capital. The town of Beatrice was founded in 1857 by a group of pioneers from St. Louis, traveling by the steamer "Hannibal" up the Missouri River to the new territory of Nebraska thus ‘Staking Their Claim’ in the Nebraska Territory. The City of Beatrice was named after Julia Beatrice Kinney, the 17-year-old daughter of Judge John F. Kinney, a member of the settlers. The Territorial Legislature selected Beatrice as the county seat of Gage County in 1857.
Our town lies in a rural, Midwestern setting in Southeast Nebraska. The people are friendly, and the overall quality of life is great! We pride ourselves on qualities of life not found in many communities our size including an outstanding airport facility with two 5,000 ft. runways, an impressive public library, an active senior citizens center, a new community hospital, and many fine health care facilities and clinics. Public Safety is important and supports the community with our new state-of-the-art Fire Station. We have a strong public school system, which includes a high school with a state-of-the-art performance center. We are home to Southeast Community College which has 1,000 students enrolled in a wide variety of educational areas. There are a number of recreational opportunities in our City, including a recreational trail system, ball fields for all ages, a great YMCA facility, 12 beautiful parks, a splash pad, and an aquatic center. We enjoy our Homestead National Historical Park with its exhibits and demonstrations depicting the life of the first homesteaders. It is located just west of Beatrice and is a part of the National Park system.
We are also blessed to be located near Lincoln, Nebraska, which one can access by a four-lane highway should you want a metropolitan experience for a change of pace.
We are proud of our community and our advancements in many areas while being able to maintain our rural heritage. We are a progressive, small community with opportunities for all to join in and “Stake Your Claim” as a part of our community.