Broken Bow, Nebraska
Broken Bow, Nebraska | |
---|---|
Broken Bow Commercial Square Historic District, centered on the public square, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.[1] | |
![]() Location within Custer County (left) and Nebraska (right) | |
Coordinates: 41°24′17″N 99°38′29″W / 41.40472°N 99.64139°WCoordinates: 41°24′17″N 99°38′29″W / 41.40472°N 99.64139°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Nebraska |
County | Custer |
Area | |
• Total | 1.95 sq mi (5.06 km2) |
• Land | 1.95 sq mi (5.06 km2) |
• Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
Elevation | 2,477 ft (755 m) |
Population | |
• Total | 3,559 |
• Estimate (2019)[4] | 3,497 |
• Density | 1,790.58/sq mi (691.40/km2) |
Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
ZIP code | 68822 |
Area code(s) | 308 |
FIPS code | 31-06610 |
GNIS feature ID | 0827664 [5] |
Website | cityofbrokenbow.org |
Broken Bow is a city in Custer County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 3,559 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Custer County.[6]
History[]
Broken Bow was platted in 1882.[7] Its name, likely suggested by a settler who found a broken bow in a field at the site of a former Indian camping ground, was submitted by homesteader Wilson Hewitt to the U.S. Post Office Department.[8] The railroad was built through Broken Bow in 1884, and the town was incorporated as a village that same year.[7] Broken Bow was incorporated as a city of the second class in 1888.[9]
Geography[]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.90 square miles (4.92 km2), all land.[10]
The geographic center of Nebraska lies approximately 10 miles northwest of Broken Bow.
Demographics[]
Historical population | |||
---|---|---|---|
Census | Pop. | %± | |
1890 | 1,647 | — | |
1900 | 1,375 | −16.5% | |
1910 | 2,260 | 64.4% | |
1920 | 2,567 | 13.6% | |
1930 | 2,715 | 5.8% | |
1940 | 2,968 | 9.3% | |
1950 | 3,396 | 14.4% | |
1960 | 3,482 | 2.5% | |
1970 | 3,734 | 7.2% | |
1980 | 3,979 | 6.6% | |
1990 | 3,778 | −5.1% | |
2000 | 3,491 | −7.6% | |
2010 | 3,559 | 1.9% | |
2019 (est.) | 3,497 | [4] | −1.7% |
U.S. Decennial Census[11] 2012 Estimate[12] |
2010 census[]
As of the census[3] of 2010, there were 3,559 people, 1,575 households, and 909 families living in the city. The population density was 1,873.2 inhabitants per square mile (723.2/km2). There were 1,730 housing units at an average density of 910.5 per square mile (351.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 95.7% White, 0.4% African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 1.3% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.8% of the population.
There were 1,575 households, of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.3% were non-families. 38.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.90.
The median age in the city was 41.9 years. 24.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.4% were from 25 to 44; 24.1% were from 45 to 64; and 22.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.1% male and 52.9% female.
2000 census[]
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,491 people, 1,509 households, and 917 families living in the city. The population density was 2,148.8 people per square mile (832.0/km2). There were 1,721 housing units at an average density of 1,059.3 per square mile (410.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 98.22% White, 0.17% African American, 0.66% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.11% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.80% of the population.
There were 1,509 households, out of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.2% were non-families. 36.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.9% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 24.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.3 males.
As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $29,355, and the median income for a family was $37,750. Males had a median income of $26,552 versus $20,132 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,571. About 9.6% of families and 14.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.8% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.
Economy[]
Nebraska's largest cattle feedlot, the Adams Land and Cattle south lot, with a capacity of 85,000 head, is located 2 miles south of Broken Bow. In the past, some locals have feared the potential of environmental damage from the feedlot, but the state's environmental agency has found the company in compliance with state standards.[13]
A family owned feed store, Evans Feed, opened in 1927. The town also has a grocery and a nursing home.[14]
Notable people[]
- Bettina Bedwell, journalist and fashion designer
- Solomon Butcher, photographer of the homestead era in central Nebraska, lived in Broken Bow from 1915 to 1926.
- Earl Cooper, race car driver in Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
- Augustin Reed Humphrey, Congressman
- Omer Madison Kem, populist Congressman, 1890-1896
- Kent McCloughan, football player for University of Nebraska and Oakland Raiders[15]
In popular culture[]
- The Marty Robbins song "Prairie Fire" takes place in Broken Bow.
References[]
- ^ "Nebraska National Register Sites in Custer County". Nebraska State Historical Society. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
- ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 24, 2012.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Broken Bow, Custer County". Center for Advanced Land Management Information Technologies. University of Nebraska. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
- ^ Gaston, William Levi & Humphrey, A. R. (1919). History of Custer County, Nebraska: A Narrative of the Past. Western Pub. and Engraving Company. p. 192.
- ^ Butcher, Solomon Devore (1901). S.D. Butcher's Pioneer History of Custer County: And Short Sketches of Early Days in Nebraska. Merchants Publishing Company. p. 205. ISBN 9780259742166.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on January 12, 2012. Retrieved June 24, 2012.
- ^ United States Census Bureau. "Census of Population and Housing". Retrieved October 18, 2013.
- ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012". Archived from the original on October 19, 2013. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
- ^ Public Concern Grows with Feedlot Size, Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality, 2000. Accessed October 3, 2008.
- ^ Saslow, Eli (December 21, 2019). "Traveling the loneliest road". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 22, 2019. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
- ^ "Kent McCloughan". Archived from the original on February 4, 2016. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Broken Bow, Nebraska. |
- Cities in Nebraska
- Cities in Custer County, Nebraska
- County seats in Nebraska
- Populated places established in 1882