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Arcadia, Nebraska
Arcadia is a small town in Valley County, Nebraska, about 21 miles southwest of Ord, the county seat, along Nebraska Highway 70. The town was platted in 1885 once it was certain the railroad would extend to that point, but the name itself dates to 1874, when postmaster Sarah Coulter Hawthorne chose it for the wild roses common to the area — she believed, mistakenly, that "Arcadia" meant "feast of flowers." Today Arcadia is a quiet farming community of a few hundred residents, its population having gradually declined from 359 in 2000 to 283 by the 2020 census.
The town’s most notable landmark is the Arcadia Township Library, a Carnegie library whose cornerstone was laid on March 24, 1917 and which opened its doors that October 2. Designed by the Lincoln architectural firm of Fiske and Meginnis, the building was funded primarily by a Carnegie Corporation grant, with the Arcadia Ladies Up-to-Date Club and local residents raising additional money for the site and furnishings. Arcadia also maintains a Veterans Memorial Wall honoring area service members, one of two such memorials in Valley County (the other is in North Loup). The town was home to June Holeman, an American champion barrel racer.
Adjacent Counties
Valley County is bordered by Garfield County (north), Wheeler County (northeast), Greeley County (east), Sherman County (south), and Custer County (west).
Nearby Towns
Ord (about 21 miles northeast via NE-70) · Westerville (about 14 miles west via NE-70).
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Road Conditions: Nebraska 511 — 511.nebraska.gov
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