David City, Nebraska

For other uses, see City of David.

David City, Nebraska
City
Downtown David City: E Street
Location of David City, Nebraska
David City Location within Nebraska Show map of Nebraska David City Location within the United States Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 41°15′16″N97°07′35″W / 41.25444°N 97.12639°W / 41.25444; -97.12639
Country	United States
State	Nebraska
County	Butler
Township	Franklin
Founded	1873
Named for	Possibly David Butler or Phoebe Davids Miles
Area [1]
• Total	2.03 sq mi (5.27 km2)
• Land	2.02 sq mi (5.22 km2)
• Water	0.02 sq mi (0.05 km2)
Elevation [2]	1,624 ft (495 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,995
• Density	1,486.35/sq mi (573.83/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	68632
Area code	402
FIPS code	31-12315
GNIS feature ID	837956 [2]
Website	davidcityne.com

David City is a city in Butler County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 2,995 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Butler County. ^[3] David City was founded in 1873 to serve as the county seat when county residents desired a more centrally located county seat than Savannah. ^[4]

Name

The origin of the name of David City is disputed. ^[5] One source claims that David City was named after the first Governor of Nebraska, David Butler. ^{[6] [5]} Another source says that David City was named in honor of Phoebe Miles, whose maiden name was either "David" or "Davids," because she had deeded a large tract of land for the townsite on which the courthouse now sits. ^{[7] [5] [8]} A third source indicates that David City may have been named for a "Mr. Davids," a relative of William Miles, who was part owner of the townsite, and that the "s" at the end of "Davids" was dropped for convenience. ^[5] Because details are unclear, this third explanation may be just another version of the second explanation. On its official website, David City claims the second of these explanations as the official explanation of its name. ^[8]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.07 square miles (5.36 km²), of which 2.06 square miles (5.34 km²) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km²) is water. ^[9]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	1,000		—
1890	2,028		102.8%
1900	1,845		−9.0%
1910	2,177		18.0%
1920	2,216		1.8%
1930	2,333		5.3%
1940	2,272		−2.6%
1950	2,321		2.2%
1960	2,304		−0.7%
1970	2,380		3.3%
1980	2,514		5.6%
1990	2,522		0.3%
2000	2,597		3.0%
2010	2,906		11.9%
2020	2,995		3.1%
U.S. Decennial Census [10] 2012 Estimate [11]

2010 census

As of the census ^[12] of 2010, there were 2,906 people, 1,153 households, and 706 families living in the city. The population density was 1,410.7 inhabitants per square mile (544.7/km²). There were 1,274 housing units at an average density of 618.4 per square mile (238.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.1% White, 0.6% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 1.8% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.5% of the population.

There were 1,153 households, of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.8% were non-families. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.1% 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 3.05.

The median age in the city was 42.1 years. 25.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.2% were from 25 to 44; 24.8% were from 45 to 64; and 21.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.5% male and 52.5% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,597 people, 1,082 households, and 641 families living in the city. The population density was 1,724.6 inhabitants per square mile (665.9/km²). There were 1,203 housing units at an average density of 798.9 per square mile (308.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.58% White, 0.15% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 0.50% from other races, and 0.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.00% of the population.

There were 1,082 households, out of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.7% were non-families. 37.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.2% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 24.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.

As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $34,583, and the median income for a family was $48,098. Males had a median income of $28,185 versus $21,179 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,550. About 3.1% of families and 8.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.0% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

High schools

David City has two high schools. The largest is David City Secondary School. Its athletic teams are the Scouts. ^[13] The second is Aquinas High School. The Catholic school is named after Thomas Aquinas. Its teams are the Monarchs.

David City Public Schools

David City Public Schools operates a secondary school and two elementary schools: Bellwood and David City. ^[13]

Media

David City has one newspaper, The Banner-Press. The newspaper is published once a week. ^[14]

Notable people

• Ruth Etting – Singer of the 1930s, subject of Love Me or Leave Me
• Joyce Hall – Founder of Hallmark Cards
• Shon Hopwood – Bank robber turned lawyer and law professor
• Roman Hruska – Republican U.S. Senator, 1954–1976
• John Kirby – Professional football player
• Bob Martin – Football player
• Dale Nichols – Artist
• Hugo Otopalik – Iowa State wrestling and golf coach
• Kenneth Steiner – Roman Catholic bishop

References

1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: David City, Nebraska
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
4. "David City, Butler County". Center for Advanced Land Management Information Technologies. University of Nebraska. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
5. Elton A. Perkey (2003). Perkey's Nebraska Place Names (4th ed.). Nebraska State Historical Society. p. 22.
6. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp.  100.
7. Fitzpatrick, Lilian L. (1960). Nebraska Place-Names. University of Nebraska Press. p. 28. ISBN   0803250606 . Retrieved December 13, 2014.
8. "History", David City, Nebraska, The courthouse site was owned by Mrs. Phoebe Davids Miles, who donated the land for the structure. The town was named in honor of her late father, William Davids of Marion, Ohio. The "s" in the name was dropped and the town became David City, the only town in the world with this name.
9. "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on January 12, 2012. Retrieved June 24, 2012.
10. United States Census Bureau. "Census of Population and Housing" . Retrieved October 19, 2013.
11. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012". Archived from the original on October 19, 2013. Retrieved October 19, 2013.
12. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved June 24, 2012.
13. "David City Public Schools". www.davidcitypublicschools.org. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
14. Telegram, Columbus. "Banner-press". Columbus Telegram. Retrieved January 26, 2019.

External links

• David City website