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History · Belgrade

Belgrade’s post office opened in 1883, and 76% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1899 on and the census since 1910.

1883first post office
0on the National Register
76%homes built before 1940
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Belgrade began

When was Belgrade founded?

1883

The Belgrade post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Myra (1879), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 400 in 19102020 census: 103143 years
Founding year: the first Belgrade post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Belgrade’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 Belgrade are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18993 editions of the USGS map, 1899 to 1985. Watch Belgrade change.Old housesHalf of Belgrade’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 493 in 1920; 103 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Belgrade’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Belgrade’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

Belgrade on the map, 1899 to 1985

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

Belgrade on the 1899 USGS mapBelgrade on the 1954 USGS mapBelgrade on the 1985 USGS map1899St Paul 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 Belgrade.

The story

How Belgrade came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Belgrade.

Read it all →

Belgrade was established in 1889 when the Union Pacific Railroad was extended to that point. The village was named after Belgrade, capital of Serbia.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Belgrade, 1879 to 1940

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1879Post officeThe Myra post office opens
  3. 1883Post officeThe Myra post office closes
  4. 1883Post officeThe Belgrade post office opens
  5. 1899On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 20th century
  7. 1911Born hereAllan F. Smith is born here
  8. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 493
  9. 1933Born hereNorma Paulus is born here
  10. 1940Born hereGary E. Zaruba is born here
By decade

Belgrade, decade by decade

Today8 recent
Belgrade, Nebraska village office and fire dept2012Belgrade, Nebraska village office and fire deptBelgrade, Nebraska post office2012Belgrade, Nebraska post officeBelgrade, Nebraska jail2012Belgrade, Nebraska jailBelgrade, Nebraska downtown 32012Belgrade, Nebraska downtown 3Belgrade, Nebraska downtown 22012Belgrade, Nebraska downtown 2Belgrade, Nebraska downtown 12012Belgrade, Nebraska downtown 1Belgrade, Nebraska AF&AM-Cooley bldg2012Belgrade, Nebraska AF&AM-Cooley bldgNEMap-doton-Belgrade2005NEMap-doton-Belgrade
People over time

Belgrade, census by census

0100200300400500192019401960198020002020Peak: 493

Peaked at 493 in 1920; 103 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Belgrade

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Norma PaulusAmerican politician · b. 1933
Allan F. SmithAmerican law professor · b. 1911
G
Gary E. ZarubaAmerican art educator, painter and potter · b. 1940
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Belgrade’s post office has been open since 1883. Another post office, Myra, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Myra
1879–1883
Belgrade
1883–today
18701950today

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Belgrade’s history

What year was Belgrade founded?

The Belgrade post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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 (8), 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.