Hitchcock County, Nebraska

Hitchcock County
County
Hitchcock County courthouse in Trenton
Location within the U.S. state of Nebraska
Nebraska's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 40°11′N101°02′W / 40.18°N 101.04°W / 40.18; -101.04
Country	United States
State	Nebraska
Founded	1873
Named for	Phineas Hitchcock
Seat	Trenton
Largest village	Culbertson
Area
• Total	718 sq mi (1,860 km2)
• Land	710 sq mi (1,800 km2)
• Water	8.5 sq mi (22 km2)  1.2%
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,616
• Density	4.0/sq mi (1.5/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	3rd
Website	www.hitchcockcounty.ne.gov

Hitchcock County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 2,616. ^[1] Its county seat is Trenton. ^[2]

In the Nebraska license plate system, Hitchcock County is represented by the prefix 67 (it had the sixty-seventh-largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922).

History

Hitchcock County was formed in 1873. ^[3] It was named for US Senator Phineas Warren Hitchcock. ^[4]

The Massacre Canyon battle between Sioux and Pawnee took place on August 5, 1873, at a spot three miles east of Trenton.

Geography

The terrain of Hitchcock County consists of rolling low hills. The flattened hilltops are used for agriculture; mostly dry farming with some center pivot irrigation. The Republican River flows eastward through the central part of the county. The county has a total area of 718 square miles (1,860 km²), of which 710 square miles (1,800 km²) is land and 8.5 square miles (22 km²) (1.2%) is water. ^[5]

The eastern two-thirds of the state of Nebraska observes Central Time; the western portion of the state observes Mountain Time. Hitchcock County is the westernmost county to observe Central Time. ^[6]

Lakes

• Swanson Lake: formed by a dam on the Republican River, between Stratton and Trenton.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 6
• U.S. Highway 34
• Nebraska Highway 17
• Nebraska Highway 25
• Nebraska Highway 25A

Adjacent counties

• Red Willow County – east
• Rawlins County, Kansas – south
• Dundy County – west (Mountain Time border)
• Hayes County – north
• Frontier County –northeast

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	1,012		—
1890	5,799		473.0%
1900	4,409		−24.0%
1910	5,415		22.8%
1920	6,045		11.6%
1930	7,269		20.2%
1940	6,404		−11.9%
1950	5,867		−8.4%
1960	4,829		−17.7%
1970	4,051		−16.1%
1980	4,079		0.7%
1990	3,750		−8.1%
2000	3,111		−17.0%
2010	2,908		−6.5%
2020	2,616		−10.0%
2021 (est.)	2,586	[7]	−1.1%
US Decennial Census [8] 1790-1960 [9] 1900-1990 [10] 1990-2000 [11] 2010-2013 [1]

As of the 2000 United States Census, ^[12] there were 3,111 people, 1,287 households, and 899 families in the county. The population density was 4 people per square mile (1.5 people/km²). There were 1,675 housing units at an average density of 2 units per square mile (0.77/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.36% White, 0.10% Black or African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.29% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. 1.41% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,287 households, out of which 28.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.10% were married couples living together, 6.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.10% were non-families. 27.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.89.

The county population contained 23.80% under the age of 18, 5.90% from 18 to 24, 22.60% from 25 to 44, 25.40% from 45 to 64, and 22.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 95.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,287, and the median income for a family was $34,490. Males had a median income of $25,833 versus $18,879 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,804. About 10.90% of families and 14.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.90% of those under age 18 and 8.40% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Villages

• Culbertson
• Palisade (partial)
• Stratton
• Trenton (county seat)

Former communities

• Beverly
• Blackwood
• Cornell ^{[13] [14]}
• Dike
• Driftwood
• Meeker
• Poe
• Rill
• Rupert

Politics

Hitchcock County is strongly Republican in presidential elections. Since 1900, the county has failed to back the Republican candidate in only five presidential elections, most recently in 1936 in the midst of Franklin D. Roosevelt's national landslide victory. Republicans also hold a voter registration advantage of 1,326 registered Republicans compared with just 262 registered Democrats in Hitchcock County as of 2021. ^[15]

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

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	1,269	88.19%	152	10.56%	18	1.25%
2020	1,264	85.99%	175	11.90%	31	2.11%
2016	1,232	83.92%	161	10.97%	75	5.11%
2012	1,178	78.80%	274	18.33%	43	2.88%
2008	1,001	72.59%	346	25.09%	32	2.32%
2004	1,171	78.80%	296	19.92%	19	1.28%
2000	1,126	76.08%	312	21.08%	42	2.84%
1996	977	62.27%	409	26.07%	183	11.66%
1992	824	47.60%	359	20.74%	548	31.66%
1988	1,132	69.45%	480	29.45%	18	1.10%
1984	1,391	79.99%	341	19.61%	7	0.40%
1980	1,474	75.09%	329	16.76%	160	8.15%
1976	898	51.85%	786	45.38%	48	2.77%
1972	1,339	78.63%	364	21.37%	0	0.00%
1968	1,173	66.91%	387	22.08%	193	11.01%
1964	1,149	54.84%	946	45.16%	0	0.00%
1960	1,634	70.67%	678	29.33%	0	0.00%
1956	1,570	67.94%	741	32.06%	0	0.00%
1952	2,008	75.01%	669	24.99%	0	0.00%
1948	1,208	56.69%	923	43.31%	0	0.00%
1944	1,556	63.95%	877	36.05%	0	0.00%
1940	1,663	58.33%	1,188	41.67%	0	0.00%
1936	1,285	42.20%	1,738	57.08%	22	0.72%
1932	1,168	39.16%	1,772	59.40%	43	1.44%
1928	2,022	73.71%	698	25.45%	23	0.84%
1924	987	45.80%	633	29.37%	535	24.83%
1920	1,127	61.58%	615	33.61%	88	4.81%
1916	435	36.16%	733	60.93%	35	2.91%
1912	128	12.11%	471	44.56%	458	43.33%
1908	633	48.84%	632	48.77%	31	2.39%
1904	598	61.08%	166	16.96%	215	21.96%
1900	450	45.36%	528	53.23%	14	1.41%

See also

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

References

1. "US Census Bureau". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. Burr, George L. (1921). History of Hamilton and Clay Counties, Nebraska, Vol. 1. S.J. Clarke Pub. Co. p. 118.
4. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p.  157.
5. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". US Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
6. "Map of Central/Mountain Time Zone Division Line" . Retrieved January 22, 2019.
7. "County Population Totals: 2020-2021". Census.gov. US Census Bureau. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
8. "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
9. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
10. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
11. "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 8, 2014.
12. "U.S. Census website". US Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
13. Cornell (Hitchcock County) NE
14. Cornell Church Google Maps (accessed 22 January 2019)
15. "2021 Eligible Voter Statistics". Nebraska Secretary of State. January 8, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
16. Election Results

External links

Official website

40°11′N101°02′W / 40.18°N 101.04°W / 40.18; -101.04