Berea is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

in Box Butte County, in the northwestern part of the state of

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

in the

Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...

. It had a population of 41 at the 2010 census.

History

The

Burlington Railroad The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illin ...

reached the area of Berea in 1889, and railroad support facilities, including a water tower and section house, were built on the site. The town was founded by a group of settlers, originally from

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, Retrieved 2010-09-02. who named their new home after

Berea, Ohio Berea ( ) is a city in Cuyahoga County in the U.S. state of Ohio and is a western suburb of Cleveland. The population was 19,093 at the 2010 census. Berea is home to Baldwin Wallace University, as well as the training facility for the Cleveland ...

. In 1890-91, the town had a population of 50, and a general store, newspaper, and post office; five years later, a school and community hall had been added. The population of Berea fluctuated over the next century. The town was of some local importance as a shipping stop along the railroad, although it never developed many commercial enterprises. A garage opened in 1921, repairing both automobiles and farm machinery. In 1925, when the population was estimated at 35, the post office was re-opened; it closed again a year later. A refinery was operated in the town in 1935 by the Utility Petroleum Company of Chadron. In 1960, a population of 75 was reported for Berea. The District 39 school was closed in 2007, at which time it had nine students enrolled. In 2009, the town's population was estimated to be 50.

Geography

Berea is approximately northwest of

Alliance An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

, the county seat of Box Butte County. It lies along the west side of the

BNSF Railway BNSF Railway is one of the largest freight railroads in North America. One of seven North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 35,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and nearly 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that ...

tracks, and of

Nebraska Highway 2 Nebraska Highway 2 (N-2) is a state highway in Nebraska consisting of two discontinuous segments. The western segment begins at the South Dakota border northwest of Crawford and ends southeast of Grand Island at an intersection with Interstate ...

near its junction with

U.S. Route 385 U.S. Route 385 (US 385) is a spur of U.S. Route 85 that runs for 1,206 miles (1,941 km) from Deadwood, South Dakota to Big Bend National Park in Texas. Route description , - , TX , 545 , 877 , - , OK , 36 , 58 , - , CO , 317 , 510 ...

Demographics

Economy

Berea has no commercial district. The Kelley Bean Company operates a

grain elevator A grain elevator is a facility designed to stockpile or store grain. In the grain trade, the term "grain elevator" also describes a tower containing a bucket elevator or a pneumatic conveyor, which scoops up grain from a lower level and deposits ...

beside the railroad tracks; the elevator has a capacity of , and the siding has space for nine railroad cars. In 2010, West Plains Grain Inc. announced plans to build a high-speed grain-loading facility with a capacity of 126 rail cars near Berea.Ledbetter, George.
"County approves bonding for grain loading facilities".''Chadron Record''.
2010-08-10. Retrieved 2010-09-02.

References

{{Authority control Census-designated places in Box Butte County, Nebraska Census-designated places in Nebraska