Pros and Cons of Living in Crete

Crete's honest tradeoff is a genuinely stable, diversified job base and modest growth, set against a real, disclosed elevated violent-crime figure and documented flood history.

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Real advantages

Crete offers a real, genuinely major food-processing employment base (Smithfield Foods, Nestle Purina), Doane University as a stable, historic anchor employer, modest real population growth (~0.41% annually), and favorable overall/property crime figures.

Real tradeoffs

Crete's violent crime rate ran cited 106% above the national average, its housing and rent figures carry real, wide cross-source spreads, its own cited property tax rate runs above the Nebraska statewide median, and it carries a real, documented Big Blue River flood history.

The net read

For movers connected to food-processing/manufacturing employment or Doane University, the advantages are real. For buyers highly sensitive to violent-crime statistics or flood exposure, the disclosed complications here carry real weight.

Key takeaways

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Last reviewed: 2026-08-28. Independent research; not financial, tax, or legal advice -- confirm current figures with a local professional before making a decision.