Holdrege Ranked as Second Best Place to Retire in Nebraska

Holdrege was recently ranked as the happiest place to live in Nebraska, and prior to that, the town was ranked as the best place to raise a family in Nebraska.

Now, a new study has ranked Holdrege as the second best place in Nebraska to retire by SmartAsset, a company that offers online tools for financial decision making.

According to SmartAsset, “Retirement is an opportunity for meeting new people and experiencing new things, and according to a new study Holdrege is among the best places to do it in Nebraska.”

Karen Stute worked for Holdrege’s largest employer (BD) for more than 40 years and is now enjoying retirement in Holdrege with her husband, Ken.

She and Ken travel frequently. But, when she’s in Holdrege, she spends her time serving the community and enjoying the many amenities here.

Stute is on the board of directors of the Don Sjogren YMCA, the Holdrege Memorial Homes and the Holdrege Area Chamber of Commerce. She also serves on the Rotary’s membership committee and the Holdrege City Tree Board and is active in her church.

“We just love Holdrege,” Stute said. “I wish we could do more. Just getting involved in all the service groups has been amazing.”

Karen also serves on the chamber’s downtown revitalization committee and has enjoyed helping lead the charge to Holdrege’s recent improvement project.

“It’s been fun to see the downtown revitalization grant be put into place,” she said.

When she’s not serving, Stute enjoys Holdrege’s many amenities, such as daily exercise at the YMCA and shows and concerts at The Tassel performing arts center.

“It’s just a good place to live,” Stute said of Holdrege. “We have great neighbors, and it’s just a nice place.”

Beatrice ranked No. 1 on the list of best places to retire in Nebraska with Holdrege coming in a close second. Finishing out the top 10 were Nebraska City, Scottsbluff, York, Plattsmouth, Seward, Alliance, Gering and North Platte.

The criteria used included the number of recreation centers, retirement centers, doctors’ offices, taxes and the number of seniors per thousand population.

Click here to view a copy of the study.