Crete is a city in and the most populous municipality of Saline County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 7,099 at the 2020 census. The city is home to Doane University. The railroad was extended to the area in 1870, bringing settlers. In 1871, two rival towns merged to form a new town, which was named after Crete, Illinois, the former hometown of an early settler. The name was also chosen to conform with the alphabetical stops on the new Burlington & Quincy Railroad line traveling westward from Lincoln: Berks, Crete, Dorchester, Exeter, Fairmont, Grafton, Harvard, Inland, Junianta, Kenesaw, Lowell, Minden etc. Some towns were already in existence, with Friend and Sutton inserted into the alphabetical town names. It was planned to have a town every 9 miles on the railroad, as a steam engine needed to fill up with water periodically. Crete was once a contender for county seat.
Save
Share
More