Pawnee City is banking that a brand new house and the security of small-town living will lure needed families to this metropolis of 878 people in southeast Nebraska.
Pawnee City is the county seat for Pawnee County. The town sits between Beatrice and Fall City.
It's throwing in some financial incentive to make the move.
The town plans to and the Pawnee City Community Foundation is offering a $50,000 down payment to buyers.
“We’re confident we’ll get a lot of people,” said Steve Glenn, chairman of the Pawnee City economic development council of the Chamber of Commerce.
“The beautiful thing about Pawnee City is we still have a high school, we still have a great hospital, we still have a swimming pool, hardware store and grocery store. We have all the things you need for a small town. But we also acknowledge that to sustain those, we need more people and rooftops.”
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Pawnee City is an hour and 35 minutes drive south of Omaha, midway between Beatrice and Falls City.
Glenn, one of the drivers behind the town’s promotion, said that when he went to high school in Pawnee City in the 1970s there were 1,300 residents. But as with many small towns, the population has continued to fall. It’s the same story in Pawnee County, he said, where larger farms have led to fewer people.
Pawnee City has a grocery, a hardware store, a day care, a golf course and a swimming pool. “We have all the things you need for a small town,” said Steve Glenn, chairman of the Pawnee City economic development council of the Chamber of Commerce.
A big part of the problem in Pawnee City, Glenn said, is a lack of housing. The town is doing all it can to change that.
Pawnee City has been tearing down its dilapidated houses and plans to fill those empty lots with new two- and three-bedroom homes with open floor plans and two-car garages. Go to to see those plans.
It is using a $650,000 grant from the Department of Economic Development’s Nebraska Affordable Housing Trust Fund to start building the first two $325,000 houses, which will be done this summer. Proceeds from those will bring more.
“They are really good houses,” Glenn said. “You couldn’t buy this in Lincoln for $325,000. It would cost you $525,000.”
The chamber of commerce is hoping its down payment offer appeals to people who can work from home, so they can live anywhere. They also plan to reach out to alumni of the high school.
Apartments are also on the agenda. There are none available within 22 miles.
Glenn, chairman of Executive Travel in Lincoln and owner of the hardware store in Pawnee City, said the town wants working people who will contribute to the economy. In turn, the addition of several families could have a huge impact on local retailers and the school.
Pawnee City offers a great quality of life, Glenn said, where kids can walk to school and the swimming pool and people know their neighbors. There’s a 9-hole sand green golf course, a new limestone amphitheater and even two pickleball courts.
“All this stuff adds up to quality of life,” Glenn said. “The amenities like that make it feel like there is more than just an empty town. It’s a really cute little town.”
Contact the Pawnee City Economic Development Office at pawneecitydevelopment@gmail.com or call 402-630-6977 for more details.
