Buffalo County, Nebraska

Buffalo County
County
Buffalo County Courthouse in Kearney
Location within the U.S. state of Nebraska
Nebraska's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 40°52′N99°04′W / 40.86°N 99.07°W / 40.86; -99.07
Country	United States
State	Nebraska
Founded	1855 (authorized) 1870 (organized)
Named for	American bison
Seat	Kearney
Largest city	Kearney
Area
• Total	975 sq mi (2,530 km2)
• Land	968 sq mi (2,510 km2)
• Water	7.3 sq mi (19 km2)  0.7%
Population  (2020)
• Total	50,084
• Density	51/sq mi (20/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	3rd
Website	www.buffalogov.org

Buffalo County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 50,084, ^[1] making it Nebraska's fifth-most populous county. Its county seat is Kearney. ^[2] The county was created in 1855 ^[3] and was organized in 1870. ^{[4] [5]} It was named after the once-prevalent bison herds of the Great Plains. ^[6]

Buffalo County is part of the Kearney Micropolitan Statistical Area.

In the Nebraska license plate system, Buffalo County is represented by the prefix 9; when the license plate system was established in 1922, the county ranked ninth in number of registered vehicles.

History

The Union Pacific Railroad came to the area in 1866; ^[7] with additional settlers, the need to establish government was realized. Patrick Walsh, Martin Slattery, and a Sergeant Cody petitioned the governor to organize Buffalo County in 1869. ^[7] Wood River Centre (Shelton) was selected through election as county seat. Within a year, the seat was moved to Gibbon. ^[8] In 1874, voters selected Kearney as the seat. ^[9]

During the late 19th century and early 20th century, the Watson Ranch, existed in the county. The 8,000 acre ranch extended from the Platte River Valley on the south, to Nebraska's rolling hills on the north, to a point five miles west of downtown Kearney. ^{[10] [11]}

Geography

According to the US Census Bureau, the county has an area of 975 square miles (2,530 km²), of which 968 square miles (2,510 km²) is land and 7.3 square miles (19 km²) (0.7%) is water. ^[12]

Major highways

• Interstate 80
• U.S. Highway 30
• U.S. Highway 183
• Nebraska Highway 2
• Nebraska Highway 10
• Nebraska Highway 40
• Nebraska Highway 44
• Nebraska Highway 68

Transit

• Burlington Trailways
• Express Arrow

Protected area

• Fort Kearny State Historical Park

Adjacent counties

• Hall County – east
• Adams County – southeast
• Kearney County – south
• Phelps County – southwest
• Dawson County – west
• Custer County – northwest
• Sherman County –north
• Howard County – northeast

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	114		—
1870	193		69.3%
1880	7,531		3,802.1%
1890	22,162		194.3%
1900	20,254		−8.6%
1910	21,907		8.2%
1920	23,787		8.6%
1930	24,338		2.3%
1940	23,655		−2.8%
1950	25,134		6.3%
1960	26,236		4.4%
1970	31,222		19.0%
1980	34,797		11.5%
1990	37,447		7.6%
2000	42,259		12.9%
2010	46,102		9.1%
2020	50,084		8.6%
2023 (est.)	50,697		1.2%
US Decennial Census [13] 1790-1960 [14] 1900-1990 [15] 1990-2000 [16] 2010 [17]

2020 Census

As of the 2020 United States Census, ^[18] there were 50,084 people in the county. The population density was 51 inhabitants per square mile (20/km²) . The racial makeup of the county was 85.5% White, 1.3% Black or African American, 0.8% Native American, 1.5% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, and 1.7% from two or more races. 10.1% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race

2000 Census

As of the 2000 United States Census, ^[18] there were 42,259 people, 15,930 households, and 10,227 families in the county. The population density was 44 inhabitants per square mile (17/km²). There were 16,830 housing units at an average density of 17 units per square mile (6.6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.18% White, 0.55% Black or African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.68% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 2.20% from other races, and 1.03% from two or more races. 4.66% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 42.5% were of German, 8.1% Irish, 7.8% English, 6.8% American and 5.3% Swedish ancestry.

There were 15,930 households, out of which 32.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.90% were married couples living together, 8.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.80% were non-families. 26.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.02.

The county population contained 25.00% under the age of 18, 17.80% from 18 to 24, 26.60% from 25 to 44, 19.00% from 45 to 64, and 11.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,782, and the median income for a family was $46,247. Males had a median income of $30,182 versus $21,977 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,510. About 6.30% of families and 11.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.50% of those under age 18 and 8.50% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Map of Buffalo County

Cities

• Gibbon
• Kearney (county seat)
• Ravenna

Villages

• Amherst
• Elm Creek
• Miller
• Pleasanton
• Riverdale
• Shelton

Census-designated places

• Glenwood
• Odessa
• Poole

Unincorporated communities

• Buda
• Denman
• Prairie Center
• Saint Michael
• Sartoria
• Sweetwater

Townships

• Armada
• Beaver
• Cedar
• Center
• Cherry Creek
• Collins
• Divide
• Elm Creek
• Gardner
• Garfield
• Gibbon
• Grant
• Harrison
• Logan
• Loup
• Odessa
• Platte
• Riverdale
• Rusco
• Sartoria
• Schneider
• Scott
• Sharon
• Shelton
• Thornton
• Valley

Politics

Buffalo County voters have been strongly Republican for decades. Only seven Democratic Party presidential candidates have won the county from 1880 to the present day, the most recent of which being Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.

United States presidential election results for Buffalo County, Nebraska ^[19]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	17,064	71.47%	6,386	26.75%	427	1.79%
2020	16,640	70.18%	6,350	26.78%	721	3.04%
2016	14,569	68.95%	4,763	22.54%	1,797	8.50%
2012	13,570	69.76%	5,365	27.58%	518	2.66%
2008	13,097	67.88%	5,867	30.41%	329	1.71%
2004	14,222	76.43%	4,100	22.03%	286	1.54%
2000	11,931	72.48%	3,927	23.86%	603	3.66%
1996	10,004	63.09%	4,277	26.97%	1,575	9.93%
1992	9,726	55.11%	3,747	21.23%	4,176	23.66%
1988	9,981	67.31%	4,702	31.71%	145	0.98%
1984	11,365	78.11%	3,086	21.21%	99	0.68%
1980	9,769	68.59%	3,167	22.24%	1,307	9.18%
1976	8,095	63.36%	4,308	33.72%	374	2.93%
1972	8,587	74.19%	2,988	25.81%	0	0.00%
1968	6,786	65.29%	2,875	27.66%	733	7.05%
1964	5,425	49.95%	5,436	50.05%	0	0.00%
1960	7,595	66.12%	3,891	33.88%	0	0.00%
1956	7,342	70.31%	3,100	29.69%	0	0.00%
1952	8,467	77.20%	2,501	22.80%	0	0.00%
1948	4,862	56.68%	3,716	43.32%	0	0.00%
1944	6,073	61.19%	3,852	38.81%	0	0.00%
1940	6,387	61.14%	4,060	38.86%	0	0.00%
1936	4,595	41.88%	6,002	54.70%	375	3.42%
1932	3,773	38.02%	5,872	59.18%	278	2.80%
1928	7,460	72.22%	2,801	27.12%	68	0.66%
1924	4,746	54.11%	2,337	26.64%	1,688	19.25%
1920	4,954	65.56%	2,258	29.88%	345	4.57%
1916	2,216	41.79%	2,877	54.25%	210	3.96%
1912	1,081	22.93%	2,061	43.72%	1,572	33.35%
1908	2,526	48.60%	2,520	48.49%	151	2.91%
1904	2,554	62.07%	731	17.76%	830	20.17%
1900	1,916	46.45%	2,056	49.84%	153	3.71%

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Buffalo County, Nebraska

References

1. "Buffalo County, Nebraska". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved June 16, 2023.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. (March 10, 2009) Buffalo County says 1855 was the date, Kearney Hub , Retrieved November 10, 2010
4. Andreas, A. T. (1882). "Andreas' History of the State of Nebraska". The Kansas Collection. Archived from the original on April 14, 2003. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
5. "Buffalo County Nebraska Historic Buildings Survey" (PDF). Nebraska State Historical Society. August 1, 1993. Archived from the original on November 16, 2006. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
6. Fitzpatrick, Lillian L. (1960). Nebraska Place-Names. University of Nebraska Press. p. 24. ISBN   0803250606.
7. Bassett, Samuel Clay (1916). Buffalo County, Nebraska, and its people: a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Vol. 1. Chicago: S. J. Clarke Pub. Co. pp. 145–161. OCLC   3358457.
8. Duncan, Douglas. "Shelton - Buffalo County". Virtual Nebraska. Consortium for the Application of Space Data to Education (CASDE). Retrieved November 9, 2012.
9. Bowman, J. R. (1882). Shearer, Frederick E. (ed.). The Pacific tourist. J.R. Bowman's illustrated transcontinental guide of travel from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. New York: J.R. Bowman. p. 33. OCLC   752667534 . Retrieved May 13, 2018.
10. Holmgren, Philip S. (October 1979). "THE WATSON RANCH - Part I". Buffalo County Historical Society. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
11. "Watson, H. D., and the Watson Ranch". History Nebraska. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
12. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". US Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
13. "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
14. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
15. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
16. "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.
17. "State & County QuickFacts". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
18. "U.S. Census website". US Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
19. Election Results

External links

• "Buffalo. II. A S. W. county of Nebraska"  . The American Cyclopædia . 1879.

40°52′N99°04′W / 40.86°N 99.07°W / 40.86; -99.07