Box Butte County, Nebraska

Box Butte County
County
Box Butte County Courthouse in Alliance
Location within the U.S. state of Nebraska
Nebraska's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 42°13′N103°05′W / 42.21°N 103.08°W / 42.21; -103.08
Country	United States
State	Nebraska
Founded	1886
Seat	Alliance
Largest city	Alliance
Area
• Total	1,078 sq mi (2,790 km2)
• Land	1,075 sq mi (2,780 km2)
• Water	2.5 sq mi (6 km2)  0.2%
Population
• Estimate  (2021)	10,604
• Density	10.1/sq mi (3.9/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	3rd
Website	boxbuttecounty.us

Box Butte County

Box Butte County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 10,842. ^[1] Its county seat is Alliance. ^[2] The county was formed in 1886; it took its name from a large box-shaped butte north of Alliance.

In the Nebraska license plate system, Box Butte County is represented by the prefix 65 (it had the sixty–fifth largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922).

History

Box Butte County was formed as part of a series of partitionings of the Nebraska Panhandle. In 1883, the Nebraska legislature divided the Panhandle into two counties, Sioux and Cheyenne. In 1885 the original Sioux County was divided into three counties: Sioux, Dawes, and Sheridan. Because of the distance to the county seat of Chadron, residents of southern Dawes County asked that it be split off; in 1886, the legislature created Box Butte County. The new county was named after a butte in the northern part of the county; before the county's formation, its name had been used in advertisements by railroad companies seeking to entice settlers to the area. ^{[3] [4]}

In the Nebraska license plate system, Box Butte County is represented by the prefix 65 (it had the 65th-largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922).

Geography

According to the US Census Bureau, the county has an area of 1,078 square miles (2,790 km²) of which 1,075 square miles (2,780 km²) is land and 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²) (11%) is water. ^[5]

Major highways

• US 385
• Nebraska Highway 2
• Nebraska Highway 71
• Nebraska Highway 87

Adjacent counties

• Dawes County - north
• Sheridan County - east
• Morrill County - south
• Scotts Bluff County - southwest
• Sioux County - west

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1890	5,494		—
1900	5,572		1.4%
1910	6,131		10.0%
1920	8,407		37.1%
1930	11,861		41.1%
1940	10,736		−9.5%
1950	12,279		14.4%
1960	11,688		−4.8%
1970	10,094		−13.6%
1980	13,696		35.7%
1990	13,130		−4.1%
2000	12,158		−7.4%
2010	11,308		−7.0%
2020	10,842		−4.1%
2022 (est.)	10,672	[1]	−1.6%
US Decennial Census [6] 1790-1960 [7] 1900-1990 [8] 1990-2000 [9] 2010-2022 [1]

As of the 2000 United States Census, ^[10] there were 12,158 people, 4,780 households, and 3,298 families in the county. The population density was 11 people per square mile (4.2 people/km²). There were 5,488 housing units at an average density of 5 units per square mile (1.9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 90.84% White, 0.37% Black or African American, 2.74% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 3.55% from other races, and 1.96% from two or more races. 7.65% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 36.4% were of German, 8.4% English, 8.1% Irish and 5.3% American ancestry.

There were 4,780 households, out of which 35.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.70% were married couples living together, 8.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.00% were non-families. 27.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.10% 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 3.05.

The county population contained 28.10% under the age of 18, 7.40% from 18 to 24, 26.80% from 25 to 44, 23.10% from 45 to 64, and 14.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 99.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $39,366 and the median income for a family was $46,670. Males had a median income of $36,966 versus $21,762 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,407. About 9.70% of families and 10.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.70% of those under age 18 and 11.00% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

• Alliance (county seat)

Village

• Hemingford

Census-designated place

• Berea

Other unincorporated places

• Letan
• Nonpareil

Politics

Box Butte County voters have been reliably Republican for decades; since 1940, the county has selected the Republican Party presidential candidate in every national election (as of 2024).

United States presidential election results for Box Butte County, Nebraska ^{[11] [12]}

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	3,827	77.52%	1,043	21.13%	67	1.36%
2020	4,002	76.96%	1,051	20.21%	147	2.83%
2016	3,617	73.46%	965	19.60%	342	6.95%
2012	2,869	60.98%	1,692	35.96%	144	3.06%
2008	2,932	58.89%	1,886	37.88%	161	3.23%
2004	3,396	65.92%	1,657	32.16%	99	1.92%
2000	3,208	63.04%	1,614	31.72%	267	5.25%
1996	2,458	49.41%	1,782	35.82%	735	14.77%
1992	2,203	38.74%	1,942	34.15%	1,542	27.11%
1988	3,253	56.42%	2,468	42.80%	45	0.78%
1984	4,011	72.60%	1,471	26.62%	43	0.78%
1980	3,912	70.72%	1,208	21.84%	412	7.45%
1976	2,956	64.56%	1,516	33.11%	107	2.34%
1972	3,431	78.14%	960	21.86%	0	0.00%
1968	2,728	67.47%	1,052	26.02%	263	6.51%
1964	2,725	58.07%	1,968	41.93%	0	0.00%
1960	3,157	62.60%	1,886	37.40%	0	0.00%
1956	2,991	68.71%	1,362	31.29%	0	0.00%
1952	4,426	78.13%	1,239	21.87%	0	0.00%
1948	2,351	53.75%	2,023	46.25%	0	0.00%
1944	2,994	63.30%	1,736	36.70%	0	0.00%
1940	2,942	57.27%	2,195	42.73%	0	0.00%
1936	1,711	36.69%	2,900	62.19%	52	1.12%
1932	1,772	39.16%	2,688	59.40%	65	1.44%
1928	3,028	70.71%	1,238	28.91%	16	0.37%
1924	1,506	42.48%	814	22.96%	1,225	34.56%
1920	1,630	65.12%	756	30.20%	117	4.67%
1916	591	37.64%	914	58.22%	65	4.14%
1912	227	17.68%	518	40.34%	539	41.98%
1908	600	45.05%	684	51.35%	48	3.60%
1904	668	66.73%	217	21.68%	116	11.59%
1900	707	57.43%	494	40.13%	30	2.44%

Notable people

• Robert Ball Anderson, early homesteader

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Box Butte County, Nebraska

Notes

1. "QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 23, 2023.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. Kooiman and Butterfield (1996), p. 24.
4. Fitzpatrick, Lilian Linder (1925). Nebraska Place-Names, p. 20. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
5. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". US Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
6. "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
7. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
8. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
9. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
10. "U.S. Census website". US Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
11. Election Results
12. The leading "other" candidate, Progressive Theodore Roosevelt, received 423 votes, while Socialist candidate Eugene Debs received 97 votes and Write-in candidate Eugene Chafin received 19 votes.

References

Kooiman, Barbara A., and Elizabeth A. Butterfield (1996). "Nebraska Historic Buildings Survey: Reconnaissance Survey Final Report of Box Butte County, Nebraska" ^[usurped] . Nebraska State Historical Society. ^[usurped] Retrieved December 11, 2017.

External links

• County website

42°13′N103°05′W / 42.21°N 103.08°W / 42.21; -103.08