PLATTSMOUTH, Nebraska — Paul Lambert has long felt he lived in the sweet spot: not too far a drive from the cultural highlights of the state’s largest city, yet far enough away to savor the smaller town lifestyle.

But this Cass County seat where he serves as Plattsmouth mayor had not seen population growth during the 2010-2020 decade nearly as swift as bedroom communities situated closer to major cities of Omaha and Lincoln.

Now a newly released U.S. Census report is signaling a shift in where people are moving, said Josie Schafer, who heads the Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, which is the State Data Center and liaison to the Census Bureau.

According to the annual estimates for mid-2022 to mid-2023, population counts stalled or backtracked a bit in some key suburban cities that had been among Nebraska’s fastest growing places last decade.

Meanwhile, the pace picked up in other smaller communities, including Plattsmouth, that are located farther out on the fringes of a metro area.

Demographers call those outer-ring areas exurbs — “farther out than a suburb but still in or close to a metropolitan area,” says Schafer.

She says the recent population bumps in Omaha and Lincoln metro area exurbs such as Plattsmouth, Wahoo and Ashland likely were fueled by post-pandemic remote work opportunities and families seeking housing either more affordable or more reclusive than what is available closer to the cores of central cities.

While their gains may be small in actual numbers, Schafer said the shift stands out in contrast to traditional fast-growing suburban towns such as Papillion, Gretna and Bennington, whose populations declined or stalled according to the census update.

“Those suburbs have been growing fast, and that’s put pressure on house prices to go up,” said Schafer. “Now when folks are looking for somewhere to go, moving father out might mean a little bit cheaper housing.”

A pattern of quicker exurban growth appears to be playing out nationally as well, according to an analysis on the official Census Bureau website. Fewer of the fastest-growing places between 2022 and 2023 reportedly were inner suburbs than in 2019, before the pandemic, and more were on the outskirts of metro areas, up to and sometimes farther than 60 miles from the largest city’s downtown.

Census demographers Lindsay Spell and Marc Perry said it was too soon to know whether “exurban boomtowns” in such areas as the Phoenix metro will be temporary or enduring.

In Nebraska, the new census data show that as a whole, the Husker state expanded its population by about 0.5% from mid-2022 to mid-2023, a stride greater in that year than in either of the two previous years. With the addition of roughly 10,000 residents, Nebraska moved closer to the 2 million population mark, with the latest estimated count of 1,978,379.

Likewise, population increased in each of the state’s three largest counties during the same time frame: Douglas was up about 0.6%, Lancaster, 0.7% and Sarpy, about 1.8%.

The City of Lincoln grew 0.8% to nearly 295,000 people.

But the City of Omaha continued a three-year population decline, according to the estimates, with a 0.4% dip last year to 483,335 residents.

Said Schafer: “We can conclude that folks are moving out of the city limits of Omaha but are still staying and growing the region.”

Lambert, the Plattsmouth mayor who is also a former city councilman and state lawmaker, has witnessed an influx of people into the “old railroad town” founded in 1854 during the heyday of steamboating on the Missouri River.

Plattsmouth’s population (now at 6,808) had been essentially stagnant in the last decade before rising an estimated 3.2% between mid-2020 and mid-2023 — 1.6% in the last of those years.

That doesn’t count growth of unincorporated residential neighborhoods just outside the official city limits (called sanitary improvement districts) that also have been filling up in the past few years, Lambert said.

“I think it’s the lifestyle,” he said of the draw. “People can have a career in Omaha and get small-town living here. It’s a wonderful place to raise a family and have a relaxed place to live away from work.”

When Lambert moved to town some 40 years ago, he came from a small farm in Murray, Nebraska. He said he worked in Omaha at the time but found he could get more value from a house in Plattsmouth. He figures that’s still the case today.

A 192-unit apartment complex called the Brink is among projects under construction to help accommodate newcomers attracted to area businesses that plan to expand or have done so in recent years, Lambert said.

Twenty-five dwellings in a newly renovated historic schoolhouse leased up within a month of opening this year. The 18 newly built units next door also are full, Lambert said.

In the far western Douglas County city of Valley — which features newer lakefront neighborhoods — the latest population gain likely is due more to newcomers wanting an escape than affordable housing, said Mayor Cindy Grove.

She said the COVID-19 pandemic and related travel restrictions seemed to bolster the area’s popularity.

“More people were like, ‘Let’s go live on a lake.… We can always be on vacation.”

While Valley, population 3,236, was a top fast-growing city last decade, the pace picked up even more as this decade progressed.

Among other Nebraska cities that last year showed a population uptick: Hickman in Lancaster County, Fremont in Dodge County, Aurora in Hamilton County, Lexington in Dawson County and Bellevue in Sarpy County.

Among those that lost or essentially held steady in population growth: Waverly in Lancaster County, Bennington in Douglas County and Sarpy County’s Gretna, La Vista and Papillion.

The City of Ashland at the southwest corner of Saunders County has seen one of the more remarkable influxes.

Caleb Fjone was hired a few years ago to head economic development efforts for the community that hit an estimated 3,367 residents, up from 3,193 two years earlier.

Ashland’s allure, he said, has a lot to do with being situated between the state’s two largest cities.

“A lot of people are expressing that ‘city life isn’t for me’ — but it’s hard to live without the city. We can say we literally have the middle ground,” said Fjone.

On top of that, the town increasingly is becoming known for its creative and artisan flair, and is home to the state’s first certified Creative District. The designation allowed under legislation passed by state lawmakers in 2020 opens the door to funding.

Within the past few years Ashland has developed its first town flag, is progressing on its Tower of History downtown art installation and is welcoming new boutiques, a steakhouse, and, soon, a brew business.

Attractions such as Mahoney State Park and Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum enhance the pull.

In addition to its own residents, about 1 million visitors pass through town annually, Fjone said, citing findings of software that tracks tourism.

“Our goal is to be a wonderful recreational corridor,” he said, that converts some of those visitors into becoming permanent members of the town.

Fjone and others say they’re aware of potential pitfalls and are trying to manage growth.

Plattsmouth, for example, is replacing water treatment and wastewater systems that have caused disruption, said Lambert. He says $130 million in changes, to be paid mostly with federal funds but also state and city investment, should encourage more building.

“We’re starting to feel the wave of people moving here,” Lambert said. “I want it to be orderly and for us to be prepared.”

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