city, seat (1867) of Lincoln county, west-central Nebraska, U.S. It lies at the point where the North Platte and South Platte rivers join to form the Platte River. Founded in 1866 on the Union Pacific Railroad (of which it became a division headquarters), North Platte developed as a centre for the Nebraska Sand Hills cattle industry and the produce of the irrigated Platte valley. Railroading is the basis of the contemporary economy. The North Platte area's major agricultural products include corn (maize), alfalfa (lucerne), wheat, beans, oats, sorghum, soybeans, and cattle. Business services and the manufacture of doors also contribute to the economy.
North Platte Community College, a part of the Mid-Plains Community College system, was established there in 1965, and a University of Nebraska agricultural-experiment station and a state walleye fish hatchery are nearby. Immediately northwest is Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park, site of the ranch that was home for more than 30 years to Col. William F. (“Buffalo Bill”) Cody and where he assembled his Wild West Show in 1884. Inc. 1873. Pop. (2000) 23,878; (2005 est.) 24,324.
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