Kearney County, Nebraska

County in Nebraska, United States

Not to be confused with Kearney, Nebraska.

U.S. county in Nebraska

Kearney County

U.S. county

Kearney County Courthouse in Minden

Kearney County Courthouse in Minden

Map of Nebraska highlighting Kearney County

Location within the U.S. state of Nebraska

Nebraska's location within the U.S.

Country|  United States
State|  Nebraska
Founded| 1860
Named for| Fort Kearny
Seat| Minden
Largest city| Minden
Area

• Total| 516 sq mi (1,340 km2)
• Land| 516 sq mi (1,340 km2)
• Water| 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2)  0.02%%
Population

• Estimate

(2018)

| 6,544
• Density| 12.7/sq mi (4.9/km2)
Time zone| UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district| 3rd
Website| www.kearneycounty.ne.gov

Kearney County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 6,489.[1] Its county seat is Minden.[2] The county was formed in 1860. It was named for Fort Kearny, which in turn was named for Brigade General Stephen W. Kearny.

Kearney County is part of the Kearney Micropolitan Statistical Area.

In the Nebraska license plate system, Kearney County is represented by the prefix 52 (it had the 52nd-largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922).

## Contents

* 1 Geography
* 1.1 Major highways
* 1.2 Adjacent counties
* 1.3 Protected areas
* 2 Demographics
* 3 Communities
* 3.1 City
* 3.2 Villages
* 3.3 Unincorporated communities
* 3.4 Ghost town
* 3.5 Townships
* 4 Notable people
* 5 Politics
* 6 See also
* 7 References
* 8 External links

## Geography

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The terrain of Kearney County consists of gently rolling low hills, mostly devoted to agriculture. The Platte River flows eastward along the north county boundary. The county has a total area of 516 square miles (1,340 km2), of which 516 square miles (1,340 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (0.2%) is water.[3]

### Major highways

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* U.S. Highway 6
* U.S. Highway 34
* Nebraska Highway 10
* Nebraska Highway 44
* Nebraska Highway 74

### Adjacent counties

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* Buffalo County \- north
* Adams County \- east
* Webster County \- southeast
* Franklin County \- south
* Harlan County \- southwest
* Phelps County \- west

### Protected areas

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* Clark Federal Waterfowl Production Area[4]
* Fort Kearny State Historical Park[5]
* Fort Kearny State Recreation Area (partial)[6]
* Jensen Lagoon National Wildlife Management Area[7]
* Prairie Dog Federal Waterfowl Production Area[8]
* Youngson Lagoon Natural Wildlife Production Area[9]

## Demographics

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Historical population

Census | Pop. |  | %±
1860| 474| | —
1870| 58| | −87.8%
1880| 4,072| | 6,920.7%
1890| 9,061| | 122.5%
1900| 9,866| | 8.9%
1910| 9,106| | −7.7%
1920| 8,583| | −5.7%
1930| 8,094| | −5.7%
1940| 6,854| | −15.3%
1950| 6,409| | −6.5%
1960| 6,580| | 2.7%
1970| 6,707| | 1.9%
1980| 7,053| | 5.2%
1990| 6,629| | −6.0%
2000| 6,882| | 3.8%
2010| 6,489| | −5.7%
2018 (est.)| 6,544| [10]| 0.8%
US Decennial Census[11]
1790-1960[12] 1900-1990[13]
1990-2000[14] 2010-2013[1]

As of the 2000 United States Census[15] there were 6,882 people, 2,643 households, and 1,902 families in the county. The population density was 13 people per square mile (5/km2). There were 2,846 housing units at an average density of 6 per square mile (2/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.82% White, 0.16% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.99% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. 2.34% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,643 households, out of which 34.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.90% were married couples living together, 6.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.00% were non-families. 24.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.98.

The county population contained 80% under the age of 18, 6.40% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 16.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $39,247, and the median income for a family was $44,877. Males had a median income of $29,987 versus $20,081 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,118. About 5.50% of families and 8.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.00% of those under age 18 and 6.80% of those age 65 or over.

## Communities

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### City

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* Minden (county seat)

### Villages

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* Axtell
* Heartwell
* Norman
* Wilcox

### Unincorporated communities

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* Keene
* Lowell
* Newark

### Ghost town

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* Dobytown

### Townships

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* Blaine
* Cosmo
* Eaton
* Grant
* Hayes
* Liberty
* Lincoln
* Logan
* Lowell
* May
* Mirage
* Newark
* Oneida
* Sherman

## Notable people

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* Carl Curtis, Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate[16]

## Politics

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Kearney County voters are strongly Republican. In only one national election since 1936 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate.

United States presidential election results for Kearney County, Nebraska[17] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party

|
|
|

No. | % | No. | % | No. | %
2020 | 2,822  | 78.02% | 701  | 19.38%  | 94  | 2.60%
2016 | 2,531  | 76.79% | 550  | 16.69%  | 215  | 6.52%
2012 | 2,349  | 73.87% | 773  | 24.31%  | 58  | 1.82%
2008 | 2,224  | 70.60% | 876  | 27.81%  | 50  | 1.59%
2004 | 2,621  | 77.57% | 707  | 20.92%  | 51  | 1.51%
2000 | 2,333  | 74.73% | 680  | 21.78%  | 109  | 3.49%
1996 | 1,953  | 64.07% | 782  | 25.66%  | 313  | 10.27%
1992 | 1,756  | 53.72% | 645  | 19.73%  | 868  | 26.55%
1988 | 2,121  | 65.99% | 1,056  | 32.86%  | 37  | 1.15%
1984 | 2,508  | 76.89% | 726  | 22.26%  | 28  | 0.86%
1980 | 2,512  | 71.16% | 726  | 20.57%  | 292  | 8.27%
1976 | 1,830  | 58.58% | 1,219  | 39.02%  | 75  | 2.40%
1972 | 2,203  | 74.38% | 759  | 25.62%  | 0  | 0.00%
1968 | 1,806  | 64.00% | 825  | 29.23%  | 191  | 6.77%
1964 | 1,352  | 43.35%  | 1,767  | 56.65% | 0  | 0.00%
1960 | 2,065  | 62.05% | 1,263  | 37.95%  | 0  | 0.00%
1956 | 2,158  | 64.80% | 1,172  | 35.20%  | 0  | 0.00%
1952 | 2,422  | 72.26% | 930  | 27.74%  | 0  | 0.00%
1948 | 1,440  | 50.70% | 1,400  | 49.30%  | 0  | 0.00%
1944 | 1,782  | 58.45% | 1,267  | 41.55%  | 0  | 0.00%
1940 | 1,792  | 53.44% | 1,561  | 46.56%  | 0  | 0.00%
1936 | 1,214  | 32.71%  | 2,445  | 65.89% | 52  | 1.40%
1932 | 1,129  | 31.63%  | 2,367  | 66.32% | 73  | 2.05%
1928 | 2,426  | 68.28% | 1,093  | 30.76%  | 34  | 0.96%
1924 | 1,453  | 45.04% | 1,243  | 38.53%  | 530  | 16.43%
1920 | 1,683  | 55.31% | 1,273  | 41.83%  | 87  | 2.86%
1916 | 760  | 34.20%  | 1,396  | 62.83% | 66  | 2.97%
1912 | 336  | 16.15%  | 1,012  | 48.65% | 732  | 35.19%
1908 | 993  | 42.88%  | 1,174  | 50.69% | 149  | 6.43%
1904 | 1,235  | 57.98% | 396  | 18.59%  | 499  | 23.43%
1900 | 1,055  | 47.20%  | 1,109  | 49.62% | 71  | 3.18%

## See also

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* National Register of Historic Places listings in Kearney County, Nebraska

## References

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1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved September 21, 2013.
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". US Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
4. ^ Clark Federal Waterfowl Production Area, Axtell NE Google Maps (accessed 23 January 2019)
5. ^ Fort Kearny State Historical Park Google Maps (accessed 23 January 2019)
6. ^ Fort Kearny State Recreation Area, Gibbon NE Google Maps (accessed 23 January 2019)
7. ^ Jensen Lagoon National Wildlife Mgt Area, Minden NE Google Maps (accessed 23 January 2019)
8. ^ Prairie Dog Federal Waterfowl Production Area, Axtell NE Google Maps (accessed 23 January 2019)
9. ^ Youngson Lagoon Nat Wildlife Mgt Area, Minden NE Google Maps (accessed 23 January 2019)
10. ^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved December 30, 2019.
11. ^ "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
12. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
13. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
14. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
15. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
16. ^ "CURTIS, Carl Thomas, (1905 - 2000)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
17. ^ Election Results

## External links

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* "Kearney" . The American Cyclopædia. 1879.

Places adjacent to Kearney County, Nebraska

|  | Buffalo County |

|
|

|  |
Phelps County |

Kearney County, Nebraska

| Adams County
|  |
Harlan County | Franklin County | Webster County

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Kearney County, Nebraska, United States

County seat: Minden

City|

* Minden

File:Map of Nebraska highlighting Kearney County.svgMap of Nebraska highlighting Kearney County

Villages|

* Axtell
* Heartwell
* Norman
* Wilcox

Townships|

* Blaine
* Cosmo
* Eaton
* Grant
* Hayes
* Liberty
* Lincoln
* Logan
* Lowell
* May
* Mirage
* Newark
* Oneida
* Sherman

Unincorporated
communities|

* Keene
* Lowell
* Newark

Ghost town|

* Dobytown

* United States portal

* v
* t
* e

State of Nebraska

Lincoln (capital)

Topics|

* Index
* Geography
* Government
* Governors
* Lt. Governors
* Legislature
* Speakers of the Legislature
* State Senators
* Congressional districts maps
* History
* People
* Symbols
* Tourist attractions

Society|

* Crime
* Culture
* Demographics
* Economy
* Education
* Elections
* Politics

Regions|

* Dissected Till Plains
* Grand Island metropolitan area
* Kearney Micropolitan Statistical Area
* Lincoln metropolitan area
* Omaha metropolitan area
* Panhandle
* Pine Ridge
* Rainwater Basin
* Sandhills
* Siouxland
* Wildcat Hills

Largest cities|

* Alliance
* Beatrice
* Bellevue
* Columbus
* Fremont
* Gering
* Grand Island
* Hastings
* Kearney
* La Vista
* Lexington
* Lincoln
* McCook
* Norfolk
* North Platte
* Omaha
* Papillion
* Scottsbluff
* South Sioux City
* York

Counties|

* Adams
* Antelope
* Arthur
* Banner
* Blaine
* Boone
* Box Butte
* Boyd
* Brown
* Buffalo
* Burt
* Butler
* Cass
* Cedar
* Chase
* Cherry
* Cheyenne
* Clay
* Colfax
* Cuming
* Custer
* Dakota
* Dawes
* Dawson
* Deuel
* Dixon
* Dodge
* Douglas
* Dundy
* Fillmore
* Franklin
* Frontier
* Furnas
* Gage
* Garden
* Garfield
* Gosper
* Grant
* Greeley
* Hall
* Hamilton
* Harlan
* Hayes
* Hitchcock
* Holt
* Hooker
* Howard
* Jefferson
* Johnson
* Kearney
* Keith
* Keya Paha
* Kimball
* Knox
* Lancaster
* Lincoln
* Logan
* Loup
* Madison
* McPherson
* Merrick
* Morrill
* Nance
* Nemaha
* Nuckolls
* Otoe
* Pawnee
* Perkins
* Phelps
* Pierce
* Platte
* Polk
* Red Willow
* Richardson
* Rock
* Saline
* Sarpy
* Saunders
* Scotts Bluff
* Seward
* Sheridan
* Sherman
* Sioux
* Stanton
* Thayer
* Thomas
* Thurston
* Valley
* Washington
* Wayne
* Webster
* Wheeler
* York

Coordinates: 40°31′N 98°57′W﻿ / ﻿40.51°N 98.95°W﻿ / 40.51; -98.95
*[Pop.]: Population
*[%±]: Percent change
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