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Brainard Nebraska Map

Explore Brainard, Nebraska, with this interactive street and satellite map.

This page also offers TOPO MAPS — the official USGS topographic sheets — plus USGS aerial imagery, a labelled USNG grid overlay, a distance and bearing tool, and a GPS grid-reference readout. See How to Use This Map below.

Interactive Map of Brainard, Nebraska

How to Use This Brainard, Nebraska Map

This interactive map shows the street layout and satellite imagery for Brainard, Nebraska. Use the Map and Satellite buttons above to switch between street map and aerial imagery views. Use the + and − buttons to zoom in or out, or scroll your mouse wheel while holding the Control key to zoom. On a touchscreen, use a two-finger pinch gesture. Drag the map to pan to any area of Nebraska or beyond.

Click ⛶ Fullscreen to expand the map to fill your screen. To return to the normal page view, press the Escape key, click the ✕ Exit Fullscreen button that appears above the map, or on a mobile device tap the back button (Android) or the close icon (iOS).

TOPO MAPS — NEW. Click the green 🔍 Search Maps button below the map to open a second map with a Base map row offering three choices. OSM is the standard OpenStreetMap street map. Topo shows the official USGS topographic maps from The National Map — contours, hydrography, land cover and shaded relief, the same mapping used for hiking, hunting and back-country navigation in the Adirondacks, the Catskills and the Finger Lakes. Imagery shows USGS aerial photography, mostly 1-metre NAIP. The search box finds any US town, county or landmark by name, so you are not limited to Brainard.

Reading the map like a paper quad. Click Grid to overlay the U.S. National Grid (USNG), labelled along the edges exactly as a printed topographic sheet is — at normal zoom the squares are one kilometre across, so you can read a six-figure grid reference by eye and judge distance directly off the map. Click Measure, then tap two points, to get the distance between them together with the grid bearing in degrees and mils, the true bearing, and the magnetic bearing to set on a compass.

Click 📍 My position to take a single GPS reading from your device. It marks where you are and reports your position as a USNG grid reference as well as plain latitude and longitude — USNG being the format FEMA and US search and rescue teams work from — with a Copy position button so you can paste it straight into a text message. It takes one reading and stops, rather than tracking continuously, to conserve your battery. Note that map tiles need cell coverage, but a GPS reading does not — your coordinates stay correct even where the map itself cannot load.

City	Brainard
State	Nebraska (NE)
County	Butler County
Country	United States of America
Timezone	Central Time (America/Chicago)

Latitude	41.1839
Longitude	-97.00392
Population	336
Density	418.5 /km²
Incorporated	Yes
ZIP Code	68626
Area Code	402
County Seat	David City
School District	East Butler Public Schools

🌦 Goto Brainard Weather Page: Brainard, Nebraska — Weather Warnings, Forecast, Radar, Satellite & Current Conditions

About Brainard, Nebraska

Brainard is a locality in Butler County, Nebraska, United States. It is a small community with a population of 336. The population density is 418.5 people per km². Brainard is located at 41.1839°N, 97.0039°W. It observes the Central Time (America/Chicago) timezone. Brainard is an incorporated locality. ZIP code: 68626.

Brainard occupies a quiet expanse of the Nebraska plains where the horizon exerts a gravitational pull on the eye, demanding attention from any traveler who crosses its grid. It lies 25.4 miles southeast of Columbus, NE (from Columbus, NE: bearing 132°T), and is situated 8.1 miles southeast of David City. Plum Creek marks the western edge of the local topography, its low-slung bed carving a subtle path through the earth that feeds the surrounding grasses. To the north, the waters of North Oak Creek Reservoir 6-B hold the reflection of the vast, shifting sky, providing a mirror for the clouds that drift over the flat fields. The air here carries the scent of dry soil and cultivated stalks, moving with a steady, unyielding pressure that characterizes the open prairie. In the distance, the faint silhouette of Indian Hill breaks the relentless linearity of the landscape, a solitary reminder of the elevation changes that exist far beyond the immediate reach of the fields.

Brainard reflects the deep-rooted agricultural patterns of the region, where the economy remains bound to the cycles of harvest and the persistence of the local soil. The history of the area is written in the geometry of the surrounding farms, where generations have worked the land to extract a living from the stubborn, fertile earth. Residents often look toward the nearby Skull Creek #1 Wildlife Management Area for a sense of the land as it appeared before the plow, noting how the native vegetation holds fast against the prevailing winds. Life in Brainard proceeds at a deliberate pace, governed by the transit of the sun across a sky that feels larger and more significant than the modest structures below. Even as the modern world encroaches, the daily routine remains anchored to the quiet rhythm of the seasons and the enduring presence of the plains.

Nearby Outdoor Places

Skull Creek #1 Wildlife Management Area (State Conservation Area) — 3.1 mi, 013° N
Redtail Wildlife Management Area (State Conservation Area) — 6.0 mi, 180° S
David City Park (Local Park) — 7.5 mi, 304° NW
Unknown Park (Local Park) — 8.2 mi, 311° NW
Butler County Historical Society Museum (Museum) — 8.2 mi, 306° NW
Unknown Ball Park (Local Recreation) — 8.4 mi, 307° NW
Branched Oak Recreation Area (Recreation Area) — 11.8 mi, 161° S
Branched Oak Lake (Recreation Area) — 14.1 mi, 156° SE
Branched Oak State Recreation Area (State Recreation Area) — 14.7 mi, 157° SE
Schuyler/Colfax County Museum (Museum) — 18.4 mi, 351° N
The Light Sculpture (Public Artwork) — 19.1 mi, 194° S
Heartfelt Memorial (Monument) — 19.1 mi, 194° S
Bartels Museum of Rocks and Minerals (Museum) — 19.1 mi, 194° S
Saunders County Historical Museum (Museum) — 19.9 mi, 085° E
Saunders County Veterans Memorial (Monument) — 19.9 mi, 085° E
Veterans Memorial Club (Monument) — 20.1 mi, 084° E
Lake Wanahoo State Recreation Area (State Recreation Area) — 20.2 mi, 080° E
Legendary Josh Battlefield (Registered Battlefield) — 24.6 mi, 152° SE
Platte County Historical Museum (Museum) — 25.4 mi, 313° NW
Pahuk (Historic Ruins) — 27.2 mi, 051° NE
Pohawk Point (Viewpoint) — 27.9 mi, 052° NE
Fine Arts Center (Arts Centre) — 28.1 mi, 316° NW
Detroit-Lincoln-Denver Highway Marker (Attraction) — 29.5 mi, 150° SE
The Haymarket Theatre (Theatre) — 29.7 mi, 149° SE
Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center (Cinema) — 29.8 mi, 148° SE
Hilltop Prairie (Nature Reserve) — 30.6 mi, 157° SE
Hands-On Prairie (Nature Reserve) — 30.6 mi, 157° SE
Eugene T. Mahoney State Park (State Park) — 37.0 mi, 106° E
Desoto National Wildlife Refuge (National Wildlife Refuge) — 54.1 mi, 065° NE · 16k acres
Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge (National Wildlife Refuge) — 55.2 mi, 070° E · 7,936 acres

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