Why visit Alma
Townapedia lists 1 museum or landmark, 2 parks and trails, 1 place to eat, 1 place to stay and 1 attraction in and around town.
Highlights include Parrot Theatre, Alma City Auditorium and Sale Barn, Alma Municipal Golf Course and Alma City Park.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 90°F; January lows average 14°F.
Weather in Alma
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Alma
Alma is a city in Harlan County, Nebraska, United States. As of the 2020 census, Alma had a population of 1,043. It is the county seat of Harlan County.
From the Wikipedia article Alma, Nebraska (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do1
Museums and landmarks1
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Alma City Auditorium and Sale Barn
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.4 mi
United States historic place
Parks, trails and playgrounds2
Restaurants and cafes1
History
Alma was founded in the spring of 1871 by a group of Union Pacific railroad laborers originally from Cheyenne, Wyoming. Harlan County was created by the Nebraska Legislature on June 3, 1871, and Alma was made the county seat on July 3, 1871. A dispute among the original settlers led to a dissolution of the town, but it was re-organized in 1874.
Alma's status as county seat was challenged by residents of Orleans, but an 1884 Nebraska Supreme Court decision affirmed Alma's status as seat of Harlan County. Alma officially incorporated in July 1881. The town was named after a daughter of one of the early settlers.
On January 13, 1880, the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad reached Alma, providing a significant boost for local commerce and industry. In 1887, the Kansas City and Omaha Railroad also reached Alma. Telephone service reached Alma in June 1899. Electricity arrived with a steam power plant in 1906 and water service followed in 1907.
In 1935, major flooding of the nearby Republican River provided an impetus to build a dam on the river. The Army Corps of Engineers started construction of the Harlan County Dam on August 1, 1946, and completed work in November 1952. The lake thus created, Harlan County Reservoir, became one of Alma's top recreation destinations.
From the History section of Alma, Nebraska on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay1
Churches and places of worship6
Schools, colleges and libraries4
Healthcare1
Map of Alma
17 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39°F | 14°F | 0.4 in | 3.5 in |
| Feb | 44°F | 18°F | 0.5 in | 4.2 in |
| Mar | 56°F | 27°F | 1.3 in | 1.8 in |
| Apr | 65°F | 37°F | 2.4 in | 0.6 in |
| May | 74°F | 49°F | 4.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 85°F | 60°F | 3.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 90°F | 65°F | 4.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 88°F | 63°F | 3.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 81°F | 53°F | 1.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 68°F | 39°F | 1.9 in | 1.3 in |
| Nov | 54°F | 27°F | 0.8 in | 1.6 in |
| Dec | 42°F | 18°F | 0.8 in | 2.3 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Harlan Co Lake (8 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Harlan County has had 10 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for severe storms.
- 2022-02-23: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes (Severe Storm)
- 2020-04-04: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2019-03-21: Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding (Flood)
- 2018-08-27: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2014-07-24: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Brewster Field (HDE) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 24 miles away.
- Orleans 5 mi west, about 8 min by car
- Oxford 17 mi northwest, about 28 min by car
- Wilcox 21 mi northeast, about 33 min by car
- Franklin 22 mi east, about 35 min by car
- Holdrege 23 mi north, about 37 min by car
- Phillipsburg 24 mi south, about 39 min by car
- Norton 33 mi southwest, about 54 min by car
- Smith Center 38 mi southeast, about 1 h by car
- Kearney 44 mi north, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Lexington 51 mi northwest, about 1 h 15 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Alma, Nebraska Main Street face NW 1, Ammodramus, CC0
- Alma, Nebraska (9179316135), Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Alma, Nebraska (9181529906), Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Alma, Nebraska auditorium from NE 3, Ammodramus, CC0
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