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History · Cody

Cody’s post office opened in 1886, and 53% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1950 on and the census since 1910.

1886first post office
0on the National Register
53%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Cody began, and where its name came from

When was Cody founded?

1886

The Cody post office opened in 1886, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 185 in 19102020 census: 168140 years

How did Cody get its name?

Cody was named for Thomas Cody, a railroad foreman.

Founding year: the first Cody post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Cody’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 Cody are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Cody’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 428 in 1920; 168 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Cody’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Cody came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Cody.

Read it all →

Cody was platted in 1886 when the railroad was extended to that point. It was named for Thomas Cody, a railroad foreman.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

People over time

Cody, census by census

0100200300400192019401960198020002020Peak: 428

Peaked at 428 in 1920; 168 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

Timeline

Cody, 1886 to 1950

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1886Post officeThe Cody post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 428
  5. 1950On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Cody, decade by decade

Today10 recent
Cody, Nebraska from W2012Cody, Nebraska from WCody, Nebraska Cherry Street 32012Cody, Nebraska Cherry Street 3Cody, Nebraska Cherry Street 22012Cody, Nebraska Cherry Street 2Cody, Nebraska Cherry Street 12012Cody, Nebraska Cherry Street 1Cody, Nebraska2012Cody, NebraskaCody, Nebraska2012Cody, NebraskaCody, Nebraska2012Cody, NebraskaCody, Nebraska2012Cody, NebraskaCody, Nebraska2012Cody, NebraskaNEMap-doton-Cody2005NEMap-doton-Cody
On the map

Cody on the map, 1950 to 1985

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

Cody on the 1950 USGS mapCody on the 1985 USGS map1950Cody sheet · 1:62,500

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

Questions about Cody’s history

What year was Cody founded?

The Cody post office opened in 1886, 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 (10), Wikipedia, 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.