Surprise, Nebraska facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Surprise, Nebraska
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Village
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Downtown Surprise: Center Street
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Location of Surprise, Nebraska
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 Surprise, Nebraska
Location in Nebraska
Surprise, Nebraska
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Nebraska |
| County | Butler |
| Township | Read |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.40 sq mi (1.03 km2) |
| • Land | 0.39 sq mi (1.01 km2) |
| • Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,536 ft (468 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 37 |
| • Density | 94.63/sq mi (36.55/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
68667
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| Area code(s) | 402 |
| FIPS code | 31-47850 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2399936 |
Surprise is a small village located in the southwestern part of Butler County, Nebraska, in the United States. It's a really tiny place! In 2010, only 43 people lived there, and by 2020, the population was 37.
Contents
Exploring Surprise: Location and Climate
Surprise is situated right on the Big Blue River. This river was very important in the village's early history.
The village covers a total area of about 0.40 square miles (1.03 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with a very small part being water.
Weather in Surprise: What's it Like?
Surprise has a climate with warm summers and cold winters. Here's a quick look at the weather:
- Warmest Month: July, with average temperatures around 74.8°F (23.8°C).
- Coldest Month: January, with average temperatures around 23.1°F (-4.9°C).
- Record High: The hottest it has ever been was 106°F (41°C) in June and July.
- Record Low: The coldest temperature ever recorded was -34°F (-37°C) in February.
- Rainfall: The village gets about 28.30 inches (719 mm) of rain each year. May is usually the wettest month.
- Snowfall: Surprise gets about 24.3 inches (61.7 cm) of snow annually. January and February are the snowiest months.
| Climate data for Surprise, Nebraska (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1987–present) | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 74 (23) |
79 (26) |
89 (32) |
96 (36) |
101 (38) |
106 (41) |
106 (41) |
101 (38) |
103 (39) |
95 (35) |
84 (29) |
71 (22) |
106 (41) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 34.1 (1.2) |
38.8 (3.8) |
50.7 (10.4) |
62.2 (16.8) |
72.5 (22.5) |
82.0 (27.8) |
86.0 (30.0) |
84.2 (29.0) |
78.2 (25.7) |
65.4 (18.6) |
50.6 (10.3) |
38.0 (3.3) |
61.9 (16.6) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 23.1 (−4.9) |
27.2 (−2.7) |
38.4 (3.6) |
49.0 (9.4) |
60.5 (15.8) |
70.6 (21.4) |
74.8 (23.8) |
72.5 (22.5) |
64.4 (18.0) |
51.7 (10.9) |
38.0 (3.3) |
27.0 (−2.8) |
49.8 (9.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 12.1 (−11.1) |
15.7 (−9.1) |
26.0 (−3.3) |
35.8 (2.1) |
48.4 (9.1) |
59.3 (15.2) |
63.6 (17.6) |
60.9 (16.1) |
50.6 (10.3) |
37.9 (3.3) |
25.3 (−3.7) |
16.0 (−8.9) |
37.6 (3.1) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −24 (−31) |
−34 (−37) |
−13 (−25) |
6 (−14) |
27 (−3) |
41 (5) |
44 (7) |
41 (5) |
27 (−3) |
6 (−14) |
−11 (−24) |
−27 (−33) |
−34 (−37) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.58 (15) |
0.69 (18) |
1.45 (37) |
2.85 (72) |
4.87 (124) |
4.36 (111) |
3.25 (83) |
3.38 (86) |
2.55 (65) |
2.07 (53) |
1.34 (34) |
0.91 (23) |
28.30 (719) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 5.8 (15) |
6.4 (16) |
3.6 (9.1) |
1.5 (3.8) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.6 (1.5) |
1.5 (3.8) |
4.9 (12) |
24.3 (62) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 3.6 | 3.7 | 5.4 | 7.2 | 10.4 | 8.5 | 7.4 | 6.9 | 6.3 | 5.2 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 71.9 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 2.9 | 2.9 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 2.4 | 11.8 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
The History of Surprise
Surprise was first settled by white people around 1866. The village got its unique name from a man named George Miller.
How Surprise Got Its Name
In 1881, George Miller built a gristmill on the Big Blue River. A gristmill is a place where grain is ground into flour. He was very surprised to find so much water power available there, even though it was close to where the river started. Because of this pleasant surprise, he named his mill "Surprise."
Soon, businesses and homes started to appear near the mill. In 1883, a post office opened, also called "Surprise." The town was officially registered in 1884. In 1887, a train station was built by the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad. This helped the local businesses grow even more.
Community Life and Entertainment
In 1913, special events called chautauquas began at Chautauqua Park by the river. Chautauquas were popular educational and entertainment gatherings. In the same year, the Surprise Opera House was built. This building hosted many local events, including lectures, music shows, and even early movies.
However, after about 1917, fewer people went to the opera house. More people owned cars, making it easier to travel to bigger towns like David City, Seward, and Osceola for entertainment. Chautauquas continued until the early 1930s. During their peak, the population of Surprise would grow to 1,500 people for the week-long Chautauqua Show! The last show at the opera house was in 1954. Today, the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Growth and Changes Over Time
The population of Surprise was largest in the early 1920s, with about 350 residents. At that time, the village had a brick factory and two grain elevators. It was an important place for shipping livestock. In winter, they even exported ice cut from the millpond!
In 1924, the school in Surprise expanded to teach students from kindergarten all the way through 12th grade. This continued until 1953, when Surprise and four other school districts combined their high schools. The Surprise school eventually closed down around the year 2000.
The railroad line that ran through Surprise was no longer used after 1942. The Surprise post office also closed in 1988.
Population of Surprise
The population of Surprise has changed a lot over the years. Here's how it has grown and shrunk:
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1910 | 323 | — | |
| 1920 | 279 | −13.6% | |
| 1930 | 257 | −7.9% | |
| 1940 | 228 | −11.3% | |
| 1950 | 120 | −47.4% | |
| 1960 | 79 | −34.2% | |
| 1970 | 77 | −2.5% | |
| 1980 | 60 | −22.1% | |
| 1990 | 55 | −8.3% | |
| 2000 | 44 | −20.0% | |
| 2010 | 43 | −2.3% | |
| 2020 | 37 | −14.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
As of the 2010 census, there were 43 people living in Surprise. These people lived in 17 households, and 11 of these were families. The village had 22 housing units. Everyone living in the village at that time was White.
About 23.5% of households had children under 18. Most households (58.8%) were married couples living together. The average household had 2.53 people, and the average family had 3.27 people.
The average age of people in Surprise was 44.5 years old. About 23.3% of residents were under 18, and 34.9% were 65 or older. The population was almost evenly split between males (51.2%) and females (48.8%).
Notable People from Surprise
- Eva Greenslit Anderson (1889–1972) was an educator, author, and politician who was born in Surprise.
See also
In Spanish: Surprise (Nebraska) para niños
