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History · Atlanta

Atlanta dates to 1883, and 29% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1896 on and the census since 1910.

1883founded
0on the National Register
29%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Ammodramus · Public domain
Quick answers

How Atlanta began

When was Atlanta founded?

1883

Atlanta dates its founding to 1883 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 250 in 19102020 census: 106143 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1884.The full story ↓

What stands out about Atlanta’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Atlanta are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18963 editions of the USGS map, 1896 to 1986. Watch Atlanta change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Atlanta’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Atlanta’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Atlanta on the map, 1896 to 1986

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Atlanta. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Atlanta on the 1896 USGS mapAtlanta on the 1970 USGS mapAtlanta on the 1986 USGS map1896Holdrege sheet · 1:125,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Atlanta.

The story

How Atlanta came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Atlanta.

Read it all →

Atlanta was laid out in 1883 when the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad was extended to that point. It was likely named after Atlanta, Georgia.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Atlanta, 1883 to 1925

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1883
    FoundingAtlanta is established
  3. 1884Post officeThe Atlanta post office opens
  4. 1896On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 20th century
  6. 1925Born hereWarren Keith Urbom is born here
By decade

Atlanta, decade by decade

Today4 recent
Atlanta, Nebraska from SW 22010Atlanta, Nebraska from SW 2Atlanta, Nebraska from SW 12010Atlanta, Nebraska from SW 1Atlanta, Nebraska 12010Atlanta, Nebraska 1NEMap-doton-Atlanta2005NEMap-doton-Atlanta
People over time

Atlanta, census by census

0100200192019401960198020002020Peak: 258

Between 101 and 258 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Atlanta’s Wikipedia page.

Questions about Atlanta’s history

What year was Atlanta founded?

In 1883, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Atlanta’s post office opened in 1884, and the census of 1910 counted 250 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (4), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.