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History · Julian

Julian’s post office opened in 1882, and 42% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1907 on and the census since 1900.

1882first post office
0on the National Register
42%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Julian began, and where its name came from

When was Julian founded?

1882

The Julian post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 206 in 19002020 census: 46144 years

How did Julian get its name?

Julian was named for Julian Bahuaud, an early settler from France.

More on the name

The first name was chosen as no one seemed to be able to pronounce his last name.

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

What stands out about Julian’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 Julian are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19073 editions of the USGS map, 1907 to 1984. Watch Julian change.Old housesHalf of Julian’s homes were built before 1944.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Julian’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Julian’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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On the map

Julian on the map, 1907 to 1984

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

Julian on the 1907 USGS mapJulian on the 1966 USGS mapJulian on the 1984 USGS map1907Nebraska City 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 Julian.

The story

How Julian came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Julian.

Read it all →

Julian was settled by French settlers. It was named for Julian Bahuaud, an early settler from France. The first name was chosen as no one seemed to be able to pronounce his last name. In June 1899, Julian Bahuaud was murdered for his money. He lived alone about 1/2 miles south of Julian. The murder went unsolved for 14 years. In 1913 one of three men who were under suspicion had a heatstroke in Kansas. He thought he was going to die so he confessed to his part in the murder. He recovered, was brought back to Auburn where he was tried and convicted. The murderer spent the rest of his life in the Nebraska State Penitentiary.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Julian, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Julian, Nebraska West Street 22012Julian, Nebraska West Street 2Julian, Nebraska West Street 12012Julian, Nebraska West Street 1NEMap-doton-Julian2005NEMap-doton-Julian
People over time

Julian, census by census

01002001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 206

Between 46 and 206 people in every census since 1900.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Julian

Nobody well known was born in Julian itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Pete RickettsUnited States Senator from Nebraska since 2023 · b. 1964
R
Rainbow RowellAmerican children's writer · b. 1973
Elzada CloverAmerican botanist · b. 1897
E
Edison PettitAmerican astronomer · b. 1889
Anthony DexterAmerican actor · b. 1913
Robert Leroy CochranAmerican politician · b. 1886

Questions about Julian’s history

What year was Julian founded?

The Julian post office opened in 1882, 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 →
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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 (3), 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.