Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: maps from 1968 on and the census since 1920.
Obert dates its founding to 1907 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1920.
Obert was named for a railroad official.
Originally, Obert was named Oberton, but there was confusion between the villages of Oberton and Overton, Nebraska regarding the mail.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Obert’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Obert.
Obert was established in 1907 when the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway was extended to that point. It was named for a railroad official. Originally, Obert was named Oberton, but there was confusion between the villages of Oberton and Overton, Nebraska regarding the mail. Oberton was therefore shortened to Obert.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological SurveyEvery edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Obert. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Obert.
Between 22 and 116 people in every census since 1920.
11 censuses, 1920–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Obert’s Wikipedia page.
Nobody well known was born in Obert itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Obert’s post office has been open since 1909. Another post office, Oberton, opened and closed inside today’s town.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
In 1907, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Obert’s post office opened in 1909, and the census of 1920 counted 116 people here.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (7), 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.
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