Atlanta Nebraska 68923

Historical Background

Atlanta was established in 1883 when the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad extended to the site, the same railroad-driven wave of founding that produced Holdrege that same year. During World War II, Camp Atlanta operated near the village from 1943 to 1946, holding roughly 3,000 German prisoners of war — most captured during the North African campaign — across three compounds with their own chapel, theater, hospital, and rail spur; more than 30 local farms contracted POW labor during the wartime agricultural labor shortage. Atlanta is also the birthplace of U.S. federal district judge Warren Keith Urbom (born December 17, 1925).

Location

County: Phelps County
Region: South Central Region
Highways: US-6, US-34 (concurrent)
ZIP: 68923  |  Population: ~130  |  Designation: Village

Adjacent Towns

• Holdrege – Phelps County seat, about 7 miles east
• Loomis – fellow Phelps County village a few miles north
• Bertrand – fellow Phelps County village to the northwest
• Funk – fellow Phelps County village to the east

Adjacent Counties

• Kearney County (east)
• Franklin County (southeast)
• Harlan County (south)
• Furnas County (southwest)
• Gosper County (west)
• Dawson County (northwest)
• Buffalo County (northeast)

Points of Interest Near Atlanta

Cultural & Historical

Atlanta Prisoner of War Camp Historical Marker — a Nebraska State Historical Society roadside marker along the Grand Army of the Republic Highway (US-6/34) just north of the village, commemorating Camp Atlanta, the WWII-era compound that held roughly 3,000 German prisoners of war from 1943 to 1946.

Nearby Events

Atlanta Industry Days — an annual community celebration dating to 1904, held the first weekend of August. Festivities include an egg toss, karaoke, a greyhound race, and a pie auction that raises scholarship funds for local students.

Education

Local Schools

Atlanta is served by Holdrege Public Schools (K–12), based about 7 miles east in Holdrege.

Health Resources

Hospitals

Phelps Memorial Health Center — Holdrege, NE, about 7 miles east.

US-6/US-34 Corridor: Atlanta Segment

US-6 and US-34 run concurrently through Atlanta along the historic Grand Army of the Republic Highway.

Eastbound Toward Holdrege

Holdrege — 7 miles

Westbound

The corridor continues through open Phelps and Furnas County farmland; the next town along the route is Arapahoe, roughly 30 miles west.