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The agriculture, manufacturing, and services center of the Elkhorn River Valley, Norfolk is a progressive community of 25,000 plus serving a market area of over 100,000. Norfolk is a vibrant and diverse community offering many cultural, recreational, and educational opportunities, yet still maintains a small town feel. A dozen Fortune 500 companies have found the well-educated productive workforce in the Norfolk area to be an important asset in today’s competitive world economy. Major employers are Nucor Steel, Affiliated Foods, Goodyear, Faith Regional Health Services, Wis-Pak of Norfolk, Tyco and Vulcraft.
Norfolk was founded in 1866, when 44 German families from Wisconsin were attracted to the rich land open for settlement. A water-powered gristmill gave the area an economic base that soon encouraged other merchant ventures. By 1881, citizens organized the village of Norfolk a compounding of the name of the nearby North Fork River. Legend has it that Post Office authorities assuming the name was misspelled changed it to Norfolk. To this day natives of the area have not given up the original name and still pronounce it “Norfork”.
Norfolk is the boyhood home of the famous late night entertainer Johnny Carson and Thurl Ravenscroft (the voice of Tony the Tiger). Memorabilia and memorable shows from Carson’s legendary television career are displayed at the Elkhorn Valley Museum and Research Center.
Recreational activities abound in and around Norfolk. Amenities include golf courses, the YMCA, city and county parks, swimming pools, campgrounds, horseshoes and sand volleyball courts. Norfolk is also the beginning of the Cowboy Recreation and Nature Trail from Norfolk to O’Neill, Nebraska. There is also great hunting around the area thanks to Wildlife Management Areas in the region and private hunting preserves. Some of the many annual events you can enjoy throughout the year are the Ethnic Festival, Big Bang Boom 4th of July, area county fairs and rodeos, LaVitsef Festival, Miss Nebraska USA and concerts and community theater productions.
Norfolk offers many education options, public and private (religious based) K-12 schools along with Northeast Community College.
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