Information provided by: Nebraska Department of Economic Development and Nebraska Public Power District
 
LOCATION  
Distance in miles from:
  Omaha...... 99
  Lincoln...... 41
  Chicago...... 563
  Dallas...... 581
  Denver...... 524
  Los Angeles...... 1,535
  New York...... 1,337
  Kansas City...... 186
Distance in highway miles
Beatrice, the county seat of Gage County, is located in the southeastern section of Nebraska at the intersection of State Highway 4 and U.S. Highways 77 and 136. Beatrice is 39 miles south of Lincoln, 99 miles southwest of Omaha, and 179 miles northwest of Kansas City.  
 
POPULATION
General:
    Last Census   Latest Year   % Change
    2000   2003
Beatrice ....... 12,496   12,945
Gage County ....... 22,993   23,363
Labor Market Population1 ....... 335,837   346,200

1) Labor market population is the county population plus the contiguous county population.
Source: Population Division, U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Estimates of the Population, Released April 9, 2004.

County Age Distribution (2002):
Age: 0-17   18-24   25-44   45-64   65+   85+   Total
Male......... 2,682   1,090   3,002   2,763   1,732   200   11,269  
Female...... 2,565   1,041   2,913   2,772   2,561   507   11,852  
Total: 5,247   2,131   5,915   5,535   4,293   707  

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division, County Population Estimates by Selected Age Categoeis and Sex: July 1, 2002.

LABOR
  County (2002)   Area Labor
Force (2002)1
Labor Force..... 12,863   199,429
Unemployment..... 442   6,580
Unemployment as % of Labor Force..... 3.4%   3.34%
Total Employment..... 12,421   192,847

1) Area labor force and employment data are for the county plus the contiguous counties.
For further information regarding underemployment in the area, please contact NPPD at (800) 282-6773.
Source: Nebraska DOL, Nebraska Databook, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Online Data, 2004.

Wages: Sample of hourly wage rates in manufacturing occupations (production and/or clerical).
Job Title   10th
Percentile		   Median   90th
Percentile
Assemblers/Fabricators exc. Mach./Electr./Prec.   $8.97   $12.31   $14.60
Data Entry Keyers   $7.05   $9.84   $12.95
Laborers, Helpers & Material Movers, Hand   $6.28   $9.07   $12.76
Lathe Tool Setters   $8.62   $11.94   $14.23
Machinery Maintenance Mechanics   $9.36   $11.85   $16.27
Machinists   $10.41   $13.64   $17.45
Secretaries, exc. Legal & Medical   $6.55   $9.38   $13.75
Welders & Cutters   $10.15   $13.48   $17.86
Welding Machine Operators   $11.03   $13.14   $14.70

Source: Nebraska Workforce Development, Occupational Employment Statistics Program, First Quarter 2004.
  Percent of Manufacturing Labor Force Unionized ............ 4.9%
  Number of Work Stoppages in Past 5 Years ............ 0
Employment in the Beatrice labor market, which is defined as the whole of Gage County, has a total labor force of 13,032, and a total potential labor supply of 2,677.
TRANSPORTATION
 
Motor Carrier:
  Federal State County
Number of INTERSTATE Highways Serving City.....      
Number of Limited Access, Four-Lane Highways..... 1    
Number of Improved Two-Lane Highways..... 1 1  
 
  Hwy. Name   Miles
Miles to nearest Interstate highway..... Interstate 80   35
 
Miles to nearest four-lane highway..... U.S. Highway 77   1
 
  Interstate   Intrastate
Number Motor Freight Carriers Serving Community..... 18   3
 
 
       
Number of Carriers with Local Terminals..... 1    
Transit Time for Carload or Truckload Lots to:
Destination

Days
by Railroad

   Days
by Motor Freight
Chicago.......... 1-3 days   1-2 days
Dallas.......... 3-4 days   2-3 days
Denver.......... 1-3 days   1-2 days
Kansas City.......... 1-3 days   1-2 days
Los Angeles.......... 4-7 days   2-3 days
Minneapolis.......... 1-3 days   1-2 days
New York.......... 4-7 days   3-5 days
St. Louis.......... 1-3 days   2-3 days
U.S. Highway 77 (north-south) and 136 (east-west) intersect in Beatrice. East-west Nebraska Highway 4 also passes through the community. There are no local road restrictions. Interstate 80 is 35 miles from Beatrice. U.S. Highway 77 has been resurfaced and widened to a four-lane expressway to Interstate 80 and Lincoln. U.S. Highway 136 connects to Interstate 29, 62 miles east.

Air:
Distance to nearest public airport..... 1 (minutes)
Elevation..... 1,318 (feet)
Length of longest runway..... 5,600 (feet)
Runway lighted..... Yes  
Private aircraft storage available..... Yes  
Private aircraft maintenance available..... Yes  
Distance to nearest commercial air transportation..... 35 (minutes)

Distance to nearest international airport:

Name of Airport Miles to Airport
from Community
Omaha Eppley International 103
Kansas City International 169
Denver International 517
Barge service is available at l9 barge terminal facilities on the Missouri River in Nebraska. The Brownville river port is 60 miles east of Beatrice. These river ports are navigable approximately eight months per year. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers maintains a 9-foot deep, 300-foot wide channel for 735 navigable miles from Sioux City to the mouth of the Missouri River.

Rail:
Community Served by Railroad..... Yes  
Distance to Nearest Railroad..... 1 (miles)
Number of Freight Trains Per Day..... 1  
Functional Piggyback Ramp Available..... No  
Distance to Nearest Piggyback Service..... 35 (miles)
Name of Railroad Serving Community:  
  Burlington Northern Santa Fe
Beatrice is served by a branch line of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe, with one freight train daily. Amtrak provides Lincoln, 35 miles north of Beatrice, with rail passenger service east to Chicago and west to Denver and San Francisco/Oakland. The Superliner features coach and first-class accommodations and dining car service. Travel time is l0 1/2 hours to Chicago and 39 hours to the West Coast. Amtrak has one train each way daily.
UTILITIES
 
Electricity:
Electric Supplier:   Beatrice Board of Public Works
KW Capacity..... 62,500  
KW Peak Demand..... 38,703  
Additional Source..... Nebraska Public Power District  
State Electric Power Deregulated..... No  

 

The Nebraska Public Power District provides wholesale electric service to the City of Beatrice. The city is provided with two alternate 34,500 volt feeder lines from a 115,000 volt substation located on the northwest edge of the city. Two additional 34,500 volt alternate feeder lines are provided from a new 115,000 volt substation southeast of the city. Total transmission system capacity is approximately 112 MVA. The Nebraska Public Power District's 115,000 volt substations are an integral part of a 115,000 volt statewide system. This 115,000 volt system is also supported with interconnections with Mid-Continent Area Power Pool (MAPP). A portion of the distribution system is 12.5kV with the remainder at 4.16kV. The distribution system has a total transformer capacity of approximately 62.5 MVA.

Natural Gas:
Natural Gas Service Available..... Yes  
Supplier in Community..... Aquila  
Aquila is the retail supplier of natural gas in Beatrice. The community is served by an 8-inch line at 70 pounds of pressure. Northern Natural Gas is the pipeline company. Peoples, a division of UtiliCorp United(NYSE:UCU) is a full-service natural gas distribution company. Natural gas with an average value of 1,000 BTU is available for residential, commercial, and industrial customers for base and peak use on a firm basis. Interruptible service is available for customers with alternate fuel capability. Annual curtailment of interruptible customers varies with the type of service selected by the customer.

Water:
Provider..... Beatrice Board of Public Works  
Major Source..... wells  
If Wells, Average Depth..... 150 (feet)
Rated Capacity..... 10,000,000.000 (mgd)
Average Capacity..... 2,200,000.000 (mgd)
Peak Demand..... 6,750,000.000 (mgd)
Storage Capacity..... 9,500,000 (gallons)
Hardness..... 295 (ppm)
Treated..... No  
Temperature Range..... 54-57 (degrees Fahrenheit)
The municipal water system in Beatrice is supplied by 12 wells, located nine miles northwest of the city. The wells range in depth from 95 feet to 220 feet. These wells produce from 1,000 to 2,000 gallons per minute. The system has a combined pumping capacity of 7,000 gallons per minute to the city reservoirs. Two elevated storage tanks have a capacity for 1.5 million gallons of water and two underground storage reservoirs have a capacity of 8 million gallons.

Sanitation/Waste Water:
Name of Provider..... Board of Public Works  
Type of Service..... primary/secondary  
Rated Capacity..... 2,500,000.000 (mgd)
Average Daily Demand..... 1,800,000.000 (mgd)
Peak Demand..... 1,709,000.000 (mgd)
Sewer Connection Fee..... Yes  
Beatrice has a municipal sanitary sewerage system and a storm sewer system. The treatment plant (rotating biological contactor) was built in l983 and in August of 2001 a $1.6 million trickling filter was added. The daily capacity is 2,500,000 gallons with the average daily flow of 1,800,000 and historic peak daily discharge of 2,000,000.

Telecommunications:
Name of Local Service Provider..... Alltel Communications  
Number of Long Distance Service Providers..... 60  
Number of Internet Providers..... 1  
Alltel has a digital central office in Lincoln, 35 miles, served by T-1 lines and fiber. ADSL and ISDN is available.
TAX STRUCTURE
 
Actual Valuation of City.....   $437,194,620
  Real Property Tax Rates ($ per $100 of actual value):
For Year: 2003
 
City.......   0.2739840
County.......   0.4015050
School.......   1.1688040
Special District.......   0.1697570
Total Real Property.......   2.0140500

 

  Bond Indebtedness:
For Year: June 2003
 
  General Obligation......... $2,200,000.00
  Revenue......... $8,283,619.00
  County......... $8,274,682.00
  School......... $7,286,769.00
All real property is subject to be taxed at its actual value. Agricultural land is valued at 80 percent of its actual value. Personal property that is used in a trade or business and is depreciable is subject to tax at its "net book value." All other personal property is exempt from taxation.
MUNICIPAL SERVICES
 
Type of Government..... Mayor/Council  
Comprehensive City Plan..... Yes, 2001 (year)
City Manager..... Yes  
City Engineer..... Yes  
City Zoning Ordinance in Effect..... Yes  
County Zoning Ordinance in Effect..... Yes  
Garbage Service Provider..... Private  
Public Library in City..... Yes  
Percent of Streets Paved..... 90 %  
Number Full-Time Fire Department Personnel..... 24  
Number Volunteer Fire Department Personnel..... 10  
Number Full-Time Police Officers..... 22  
  Inside City   Outside City
Fire Insurance Class..... 5   3/9
Beatrice, a first-class city, has a mayor-council form of government.

EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES
Public Schools
  # of Schools Enrollment Student Teacher Ratio
Elementary 4 963 17
Middle / Jr. High 1 536 17
Senior High 1 779 20
Trade & Tech Schools    
Community College 1 1,200
Four-Year College    
University    
Private
  # of Schools Enrollment Student Teacher Ratio
Elementary 2 185 16
Middle / Jr. High      
Senior High      
Colleges      
School District 15 in Gage County covers 58.3 square miles. This Class 3, Type K-5,3,4 district is accredited "AA" by the State of Nebraska and the North Central Association. The public high school, built in l998, has a maximum capacity of 800 and houses the Beatrice Fine Arts Auditorium. Vocational courses offered in the high school include family science, auto mechanics, welding, woodworking, machine shop, electricity, drafting, electronics and business education.

RECREATIONAL FACILITIES
Type of facilities in city or within 30 minutes:
  Public Golf Course(s)..... 1
  Private Golf Course(s)..... 1
  Public Tennis Court(s)..... 10
  Public Swimming Pool(s)..... 1
  Public Park(s)..... 10
  Public Camp Ground(s)..... 2
Nearest Public Access to Lake or River..... 8 (miles)
Camping..... Yes
Swimming..... Yes
Fishing..... Yes
Motorized Boats..... Yes
Water Skiing/Tubing..... Yes
Ten parks in Beatrice cover approximately 210 acres of land, including 11 ball diamonds, six lighted. Recreational facilities include bowling, roller skating, and a full-service YMCA facility. Softball, baseball and midget football programs are available under the direction of Beatrice Youth Recreation. Annual celebrations include the Gage County Fair in July and a Homestead Days Celebration the last weekend in June.

HOUSING
  Number of Single Units Built in Last 2 Years..... 50
  Number of Multiple Units Built in Last 2 Years..... 23
  Average Cost Per Square Foot of Single Units Built in Last 2 Years..... $99,616
  Average Monthly Rental - 3 Bedroom House..... $485
  Average Monthly Rental - 2 Bedroom Apartment..... $375
  Average Cost of Houses Sold (last 2 years)..... $80,361
There were 48 new homes constructed during the past two years. It is estimated that 64 percent of the 5559 homes in the community are owner-occupied.

HEALTH FACILITIES
 
Number of Hospitals in Community..... 1
Number of Beds in Hospital(s)..... 120
Number of Outpatient Clinics..... 3
  Medical Personnel in or Serving Community:
 
  Medical Doctor(s)..... 25
  Dentist(s)..... 12
  Chiropractor(s)..... 3
  Registered Nurse(s)..... 175
  Practical Nurse(s)..... 128
  Veterinarian(s)..... 7
The Beatrice Community Hospital is a diverse healthcare organization providing a variety of services. There are 49 acute beds and 71 long term care beds; ambulatory care services in surgery, diagnostic, and rehabilitation areas; an occupational health program; and many home health services. Four physicians are employed by the hospital and staff the emergency department 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

COMMERCIAL SERVICES
  Machine Shops in City....... 8
  Tool & Die Services in City....... 3
  Electric Motor Repair Services in City....... 1

 
  Type of Newspaper in City....... daily
  Local Radio Station(s)....... 1

 
  Number of TV Channels Received without Cable....... 6
  Cable Antenna Television Serves City....... Yes
  Maximum Number of Cable Channels Received....... 92

 
  Number of Protestant Churches....... 33
  Number of Catholic Churches....... 1
     

 
  Number of Motels & Hotels in Community....... 6
  Total Number of Rooms Available....... 309

 
  Number of Banks in City....... 6