What You Didn't Know about Valentine, Nebraska

Feb 12, 2014

There's a city in Nebraska that shares a name with a certain holiday (think of boxes of chocolates, lots of pink, roses) and has a mysterious past and lots of charm: Valentine. It's likely that many people outside of Nebraska have never heard of this small city in Cherry County with a population of around 30,000. The same people would probably assume that the city's nothing special, but they would be wrong. Valentine, which has been considered the Hearth City of America, is a city full of surprises.

Named after Edward K. Valentine, a Nebraskan congressman, the city of Valentine has had a rocky history. For years, the city's denizens endured disaster, both man-made and natural. In fact, within a span of two recent years, the city experienced not only a terrible storm, but also a large wild fire that covered 3,000 acres of land. Yet, the city recovered excellently after each devastating incident and is now a center for leisure and business.

Today, Valentine offers many unique experiences. National Geographic Adventure included the city in a "Best of" list for wilderness cities and towns. Visitors can relax and take in the beautiful fields, hills, and woods and watch grazing cattle at the Arthur Bowling Ranch. They can also visit the Valentine Wildlife Refuge to hunt, fish, camp, hike, or just enjoy being out in nature. A must-visit site is the historic cantilevered Bryan Bridge over the Niobrara River. One of the tallest railroad bridges in the country, Bryan Bridge presents great photo opportunities for any tourist who's a bit trigger-happy with the Polaroid.

Every Valentine's Day, Valentine processes thousands of pieces of mail in the local United States Post Office and re-mails them with a custom postmark and verse.

The Nebraska personal injury attorneys at Cullan & Cullan LLC hope everyone has a happy and eventful Valentine's Day.

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