--- title: City of Kearney Recognized as Community of the Year description: Kearney has been selected by the Nebraska Diplomats as the 2025 Community of the Year! This award recognizes significant achievements and economic momentum --- [Skip to content](https://blog.growbuffalocounty.com/development-council-for-buffalo-county-blog/news-center/p/item/64121/city-of-kearney-recognized-as-community-of-the-year#main-content) [![Development Council for Buffalo County logo](https://blog.growbuffalocounty.com/hubfs/Development%20Council%20Logo_1-23-23_V1.png)](https://growbuffalocounty.com) - About Buffalo County - [Communities](https://growbuffalocounty.com/communities) - [Livability](https://growbuffalocounty.com/live) - [Labor](https://growbuffalocounty.com/work) - Site Selectors - [Sites & Buildings](https://growbuffalocounty.com/sites-buildings) - [Target Industries](https://growbuffalocounty.com/target-industries) - [Regional Data](https://growbuffalocounty.com/regional-data) - [Location Advantages](https://growbuffalocounty.com/location-advantages) - Strategic Initiatives - [Build Buffalo County](https://growbuffalocounty.com/build-buffalo-county) - Business Support - [Incentives](https://growbuffalocounty.com/incentives) - [Resources](https://growbuffalocounty.com/resources) - [Entrepreneurs](https://growbuffalocounty.com/big-idea-buffalo-county) - About DCBC - [Services](https://growbuffalocounty.com/services-1) - [Staff](https://growbuffalocounty.com/staff) - [Board](https://growbuffalocounty.com/board) - [Investors](https://growbuffalocounty.com/membership) - [News](https://growbuffalocounty.com/news) - [Contact Us](https://growbuffalocounty.com/contact-us) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. # City of Kearney Recognized as Community of the Year [Admin](https://blog.growbuffalocounty.com/development-council-for-buffalo-county-blog/author/admin) Published Aug 14, 2025 Reading Time 2 min read ![community of the year diplomats](https://blog.growbuffalocounty.com/hs-fs/hubfs/community%20of%20the%20year%20diplomats.png?width=1440&height=980&name=community%20of%20the%20year%20diplomats.png)   Kearney has been selected by the [Nebraska Diplomats](https://neded.org/nebraska-diplomats-home)as the 2025 Community of the Year! This award recognizes significant achievements and economic momentum within communities.  In recent years, Kearney has undertaken several major initiatives to grow its economy, attract tourism, and enhance local quality of life, including: - Cultural and recreational attractions, such as the renovation and expansion of the Museum of Nebraska Art, the construction of Kearney SportsPlex, and the creation of Yanney Park Pavilion and Gardens. - Community development achievements such as construction of the new Kearney Partnership Building and Welcome Center, creation of University Village at the University of Nebraska-Kearney, and expansion of the Kearney Regional Airport. - Healthcare and education projects, including the Doug Kristensen Rural Health Education Complex, Kearney Catholic Activities Complex, and the Kearney High School-Central Community College Mechatronics Program. - Housing initiatives, such as Millennial Estates, the Meadows, Taylor Villas, Kearney Community Sustainable Housing, and Element 30. - Business development and assistance projects such as the Younes Landing Development, the Hilltop Mall, and the revitalization of Downtown Kearney. The total investment of these projects alone in the last five years equals nearly $380 million. The Development Council for Buffalo County and the City of Kearney have also collaborated to procure nearly $8 million in Site and Building Development Funds, Prototype Grants, Community Development Block Grant loans, and U.S. Dept. of Commerce grants to support economic development. Kearney has also made significant investments in broadband infrastructure, fostered youth leadership and workforce readiness, and aggressively marketed the city.  These many activities and achievements have distinguished Kearney as a standout in the field of economic development.  City Manager Brenda Jensen stated, “It is a true honor to lead a city with such a rich legacy of collaboration and forward-thinking growth. This recognition from the Nebraska Diplomats is a testament to the dedication and vision of countless community leaders who have consistently prioritized whats best for Kearneys future. The momentum were experiencing today is built on years of hard work by many groups, and Im confident that even greater achievements lie ahead. This acknowledgment shines a spotlight on the incredible efforts that continue to shape our community.” [Admin](https://blog.growbuffalocounty.com/development-council-for-buffalo-county-blog/author/admin) Share #### Let's Connect We’d love to hear from you—reach out anytime and let’s start the conversation. ## Related Posts [Nebraska Medicine plans to expand cancer care to Kearney, University Village development at UNK OMAHA – Nebraska Medicine is making plans to expand cancer services to Kearney with the construction...](https://blog.growbuffalocounty.com/development-council-for-buffalo-county-blog/news-center/p/item/51021/nebraska-medicine-plans-to-expand-cancer-care-to-kearney-university-village-development-at-unk) [Museum of Nebraska Art to top-out its mass timber structure KEARNEY, Neb. (KSNB) - The Museum of Nebraska Art (MONA) announced the upcoming completion of the ma...](https://blog.growbuffalocounty.com/development-council-for-buffalo-county-blog/news-center/p/item/53454/museum-of-nebraska-art-to-topout-its-mass-timber-structure) [Parents are starting to play a bigger role in the college experience at UNK When Kali Herbolsheimer started classes at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, her parents, Jason...](https://blog.growbuffalocounty.com/development-council-for-buffalo-county-blog/news-center/p/item/49039/parents-are-starting-to-play-a-bigger-role-in-the-college-experience-at-unk) ![edcc-logo-1](https://blog.growbuffalocounty.com/hubfs/edcc-logo-1.svg) **Development Council for Buffalo County** 220 11th Avenue Kearney, NE 68845 [(308) 237-9346](tel:+1308-237-9346)[mailto:info@growbuffalocounty.com](mailto:info@growbuffalocounty.com) [info@growbuffalocounty.com](mailto:info@growbuffalocounty.com) - [Buffalo County](https://buffalocounty.ne.gov/) - [City of Kearney](https://cityofkearney.org/) - [Kearney Area Chamber](https://www.kearneycoc.org/) - [Kearney Visitors Bureau](https://visitkearney.org/) - [Contact](https://growbuffalocounty.com/contact-us) - [Site Map](https://242034849.hs-sites-na2.com/sitemap.xml) © 2025 Development Council for Buffalo County. 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