Cherry County, Nebraska

Cherry County
County
Cherry County Courthouse in Valentine
Location within the U.S. state of Nebraska
Nebraska's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 42°32′N101°07′W / 42.54°N 101.12°W / 42.54; -101.12
Country	United States
State	Nebraska
Founded	1883
Named for	Samuel A. Cherry
Seat	Valentine
Largest city	Valentine
Area
• Total	6,009 sq mi (15,560 km2)
• Land	5,960 sq mi (15,400 km2)
• Water	49 sq mi (130 km2)  0.8%
Population  (2020)
• Total	5,455
• Density	0.91/sq mi (0.35/km2)
Time zones
Eastern part of county	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Western part of county	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	3rd
Website	www.co.cherry.ne.us

Map of 1885, with subdivision into:
*Boiling Springs
*Sharp's Ranch
*Valentine
*Seven Creeks

Map of 1919, with subdivision into precincts

precincts of 2010 (Cherry County in upper part of map)

Cherry County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 5,455. ^[1] Its county seat is Valentine. ^[2] The county was named for Lt. Samuel A. Cherry, an Army officer who was stationed at Fort Niobrara and was killed in South Dakota in 1881. ^[3] Cherry County is in the Nebraska Sandhills. It is the state's largest county, at nearly 6,000 square miles (16,000 km²), larger than the state of Connecticut.

In the Nebraska license plate system, Cherry County is represented by the prefix 66 (it had the 66th-most vehicles registered in the state when the system was established in 1922).

Geography

Cherry County lies on the north side of Nebraska. Its north boundary line abuts the south boundary line of South Dakota. According to the US Census Bureau, the county has an area of 6,009 square miles (15,560 km²), of which 5,960 square miles (15,400 km²) is land and 49 square miles (130 km²) (0.8%) is water. ^[4] It is by far Nebraska's largest county in land area and larger than the state of Connecticut, or the states of Delaware and Rhode Island combined. ^[5] The county is in Nebraska's Sandhills region; the dunes that give the region its name are a result of the most recent glacial period, the Pinedale glaciation. During the Holocene glacial retreat, the dunes, which had been deposited by the vast continental glaciers, were exposed, and grasses eventually took over.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 20
• U.S. Highway 83
• Nebraska Highway 12
• Nebraska Highway 61
• Nebraska Highway 97

National protected areas

• Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge
  • Fort Niobrara Wilderness
• Niobrara National Scenic River (part)
• Samuel R. McKelvie National Forest
• Valentine National Wildlife Refuge

State protected areas

• Bowring Ranch State Historical Park
• Cottonwood Lake State Recreation Area
• Merritt Reservoir State Recreation Area
• Smith Falls State Park

Adjacent counties

Nebraska's largest county by area, Cherry County borders 11 counties, more than any other county in Nebraska. Seven of them are in Nebraska and four in South Dakota. The adjacent counties are:

• Bennett County, South Dakota – north
• Todd County, South Dakota – north
• Tripp County, South Dakota – northeast
• Brown County – east
• Keya Paha County – east
• Blaine County – southeast
• Grant County – south
• Thomas County – south
• Hooker County – south
• Sheridan County – west
• Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota – northwest

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1890	6,428		—
1900	6,541		1.8%
1910	10,414		59.2%
1920	11,753		12.9%
1930	10,898		−7.3%
1940	9,637		−11.6%
1950	8,397		−12.9%
1960	8,218		−2.1%
1970	6,846		−16.7%
1980	6,758		−1.3%
1990	6,307		−6.7%
2000	6,148		−2.5%
2010	5,713		−7.1%
2020	5,455		−4.5%
2023 (est.)	5,492		0.7%
US Decennial Census [6] 1790-1960 [7] 1900-1990 [8] 1990-2000 [9] 2010-2013 [1] [10] 2020-2023 [1]

As of the 2000 United States Census, ^[11] there were 6,148 people, 2,508 households, and 1,710 families in the county. The population density was 1.02 people per square mile (0.39 people/km²). There were 3,220 housing units at an average density of 0 units per square mile (0/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.19% White, 0.07% Black or African American, 3.25% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.33% from other races, and 1.72% from two or more races. 0.93% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 38.5% were of German, 12.6% English, 11.1% Irish and 7.3% American ancestry.

There were 2,508 households, out of which 31.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.90% were married couples living together, 6.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.80% were non-families. 28.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.98.

The county population contained 27.00% under the age of 18, 6.20% from 18 to 24, 25.50% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 17.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 98.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,268, and the median income for a family was $36,500. Males had a median income of $23,705 versus $17,277 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,943. About 9.60% of families and 12.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.40% of those under age 18 and 14.20% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

• Valentine (county seat)

Villages

• Cody
• Crookston
• Kilgore
• Merriman
• Nenzel
• Wood Lake

Census-designated place

• Brownlee

Other unincorporated communities

• DeWitty
• Elsmere
• Sparks
• Thatcher ^[12]
• Barley

Notable ranches

• Abbott Ranch ^[13]
• Bowring Ranch
• Spade Ranch
• Sunny Slope Ranch

Time zones

Further information: Time in Nebraska

Cherry County residents observe two time zones, Central and Mountain. The eastern third of the county, including county seat Valentine, is in the Central Time Zone, while the western two thirds, including Merriman, are in the Mountain Time Zone. ^[14]

Politics

Cherry County voters are reliably Republican. The county has not voted for a Democrat in a presidential election since Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1936 landslide, and even then, the county was decided by less than four points. Republicans have carried the county by a double-digit margin in every presidential election since, and no Democratic nominee since Harry S. Truman in 1948 has even mustered 40% of the vote. Republicans also hold a massive advantage in voter registration in Cherry County, with 2,947, as opposed to 325 registered Democrats. ^[15]

United States presidential election results for Cherry County, Nebraska ^[16]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	2,687	87.30%	349	11.34%	42	1.36%
2020	2,844	87.00%	373	11.41%	52	1.59%
2016	2,623	84.12%	317	10.17%	178	5.71%
2012	2,557	83.45%	436	14.23%	71	2.32%
2008	2,360	77.15%	599	19.58%	100	3.27%
2004	2,509	82.48%	483	15.88%	50	1.64%
2000	2,322	81.56%	446	15.67%	79	2.77%
1996	1,905	68.04%	551	19.68%	344	12.29%
1992	1,707	56.75%	563	18.72%	738	24.53%
1988	2,240	77.35%	642	22.17%	14	0.48%
1984	2,720	85.05%	463	14.48%	15	0.47%
1980	2,517	79.78%	489	15.50%	149	4.72%
1976	2,197	68.83%	906	28.38%	89	2.79%
1972	2,610	84.93%	463	15.07%	0	0.00%
1968	2,199	73.23%	582	19.38%	222	7.39%
1964	2,244	61.11%	1,428	38.89%	0	0.00%
1960	2,695	72.08%	1,044	27.92%	0	0.00%
1956	2,414	73.20%	884	26.80%	0	0.00%
1952	3,148	76.63%	960	23.37%	0	0.00%
1948	2,141	58.93%	1,492	41.07%	0	0.00%
1944	2,314	62.80%	1,371	37.20%	0	0.00%
1940	2,705	60.30%	1,781	39.70%	0	0.00%
1936	1,874	47.58%	2,010	51.03%	55	1.40%
1932	1,754	37.30%	2,912	61.92%	37	0.79%
1928	2,905	69.04%	1,285	30.54%	18	0.43%
1924	1,663	43.69%	1,169	30.71%	974	25.59%
1920	1,636	66.37%	711	28.84%	118	4.79%
1916	1,091	36.44%	1,734	57.92%	169	5.64%
1912	679	25.90%	1,047	39.93%	896	34.17%
1908	1,048	48.34%	1,021	47.09%	99	4.57%
1904	978	66.94%	325	22.25%	158	10.81%
1900	922	55.24%	698	41.82%	49	2.94%

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Cherry County, Nebraska
• Lt. Samuel A. Cherry

References

1. "Cherry County, Nebraska Profile". US Census Bureau. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 3, 2015. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. Cherry County Archived March 8, 2008, at the Wayback Machine , Nebraska Association of County Officials, 2004. Accessed April 30, 2008.
4. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". US Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
5. Federal Writers Project (1939). Nebraska, a Guide to the Cornhusker State. WPA. p. 313. ISBN   9781623760267.
6. "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
7. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on August 11, 2012. 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 Bureau QuickFacts: Cherry County, Nebraska".
11. "U.S. Census website". US Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
12. Thatcher NE Google Maps (accessed 17 January 2019)
13. Abbott Ranch NE Google Maps (accessed 17 January 2019)
14. "Nebraska Time Zone". www.timetemperature.com. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
15. "VR Statistics Count Report" (PDF). Nebraska Secretary of State. August 1, 2023.
16. Election Results

External links

• County website

42°32′N101°07′W / 42.54°N 101.12°W / 42.54; -101.12