| Tamora | |
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| — Unincorporated community — | |
| View of Tamora from the northeast | |
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Tamora
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| Coordinates: [1] | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Nebraska |
| County | Seward |
| First settled | 1879 |
| Elevation[1] | 1,555 ft (474 m) |
| Population (1990)[2] | |
| • Total | 51 |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 68434 |
| Area code(s) | 402 |
Tamora ( /təˈmɔrə/ tə-mor-ə) is an unincorporated community in Seward County, in the southeastern part of the state of Nebraska in the United States. The town presently consists of a large grain elevator complex and a small residential district, with a population of about 70.
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In 1877, the Burlington Railroad extended its tracks westward from Seward, Nebraska. In 1879, four men each donated 10 acres (4.0 ha) of land for a townsite,in order to persuade the railroad to build a siding and station there.[3] A dispute arose over the name of the new town, since each of the four wanted it to bear his name. The name eventually chosen was a frontier pronunciation of "tomorrow", apparently because the selection of the name had to be deferred until later.[4]
Within three years of the town's founding, three grain elevators had been constructed.[3] In 1884, the population was estimated at 53; the town was incorporated in 1888.[5] Eventually, Tamora's commercial district consisted of over thirty businesses, including two banks and the Tamora Times newspaper.[3]
In 1892, an abortive attempt was made to bring the Seward County seat to Tamora. A group of local promoters purchased a quarter-block and began construction of a building that they hoped would become the courthouse. However, support for the idea failed to materialize, and the building project was abandoned. A few years later, an attempt was made to build an opera house on the unfinished foundation. This, too, failed; and the basement was eventually filled in.[5]
By 1920, Tamora had a population of over 200.[5] However, it lacked a fire department. Many of its commercial buildings were destroyed by fire and not replaced.[3] The population steadily declined, to a low of 50 in 1980.[6] The post office was closed in 1970.[7]
Even as the retail sector and the population declined, the grain storage and loading facilities were expanded. In 1962, the local farmers' cooperative built a concrete grain elevator; in 1964, they replaced a feed mill that had burned down. In 1978, they built one of the largest grain elevators in Nebraska.[5]
Disharmony on the village board led to a number of recall attempts and, eventually, a petition to unincorporate the town, which was rejected by the voters in a 1990 election.[5] Feuding on the board continued; and in 1997, Tamora's electors voted 30-6 in favor of unincorporation.[8]
In 1990, the last decennial census before its unincorporation, the population of Tamora was reported as 51.[2] In 2007, the population was estimated at 70.[3]
Tamora lies 6 miles (10 km) west of the county seat of Seward,[5] about halfway between Seward and Utica. It is about half a mile (0.8 km) south of U.S. Highway 34,[9] on the BNSF Railway.[5]
Tamora has no commercial district. Its principal business is the grain elevator operated by United Farmers Cooperative. The elevator has unit train capability.[5] It has a capacity of 2,318,000 U.S. bushels (81,700 m3), and its siding has space for 110 railroad cars.[10]
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