Exeter is a village in Fillmore County,

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

, United States. The population was 516 at the 2020 census.

History

In 1870, Dr. Horace Greeley Smith and his wife filed a

homestead Homestead may refer to: *Homestead (buildings), a farmhouse and its adjacent outbuildings; by extension, it can mean any small cluster of houses * Homestead (unit), a unit of measurement equal to 160 acres *Homestead principle, a legal concept t ...

claim at the site of present-day Exeter. In an earlier scouting trip, Smith had determined that the site would lie near the line of the

Burlington and Missouri River Railroad The Burlington and Missouri River Railroad (B&MR) or sometimes (B&M) was an American railroad company incorporated in Iowa in 1852, with headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska. It was developed to build a railroad across the state of Iowa and began oper ...

as it extended itself westward. In the fall of 1871, the Burlington and Missouri was completed through Fillmore County. To promote settlement along its line, the railroad established towns at intervals. Towns were named alphabetically as the railroad ran westward from

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

. In eastern Fillmore County, a town was established on land donated by Smith and by James Dolan. One of the families that had settled in the area had come from

Exeter, New Hampshire Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 16,049 at the 2020 census, up from 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood. ...

, and it was proposed that the town be given that name. It was adopted, as being in keeping with the alphabetical sequence:

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...

, Dorchester, Exeter, Fairmont, Grafton, Harvard,

Inland Inland may refer to: Places Sweden * Inland Fräkne Hundred, a hundred of Bohuslän in Sweden * Inland Northern Hundred, a hundred of Bohuslän in Sweden * Inland Southern Hundred, a hundred of Bohuslän in Sweden * Inland Torpe Hundred, a hundred ...

, Juniata, Kenesaw, and Lowell. The railroad advertised the availability of free government land in Nebraska, bringing settlers from the eastern United States, and Czech, German, English, Irish, and Scandinavian immigrants. The town's growth was initially slow, but hastened in the late 1870s. In 1878, two large grain elevators were built and a number of businesses opened; the town's first newspaper, the ''Enterprise'', was established in that year. In 1879, the town was incorporated; by that time, it had sixteen businesses.

Geography

Exeter is located at (40.644684, -97.449229). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the village has a total area of , all land.

Education

Exeter and the neighboring village of Milligan form part of the Exeter-Milligan School District.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2010, there were 591 people, 236 households, and 151 families residing in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was . There were 283 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 98.6%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 0.3% Native American, 0.7% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.3% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 3.6% of the population. There were 236 households, of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.0% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.00. The median age in the village was 44.7 years. 25% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.5% were from 25 to 44; 29% were from 45 to 64; and 20.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 48.1% male and 51.9% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 712 people, 276 households, and 171 families residing in the village. The

was 1,119.0 people per square mile (429.5/km²). There were 297 housing units at an average density of 466.8 per square mile (179.2/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 98.17%

, 0.28% Native American, 0.14% Asian, and 1.40% from two or more races.

of any race were 0.56% of the population. There were 276 households, out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% were married couples living together, 4.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.7% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.5% 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 3.15. In the village, the population was spread out, with 27.0% under the age of 18, 3.8% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 22.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.1 males. As of 2000 the median income for a household in the village was $34,286, and the median income for a family was $45,234. Males had a median income of $30,547 versus $17,019 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the village was $16,438. About 4.3% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 13.7% of those under age 18 and 15.1% of those age 65 or over.

Parks and recreation

Exeter's city park, also known as Gilbert's Park, is located at 110 E. Maplewood Street. The Aquatic Center, built in 2009, is also located in the park. The park has playground equipment, a ball field, volleyball court, horseshoe pits, and picnic facilities. Exeter also has four neighborhood mini parks located throughout the city with tennis and basketball courts at Edgar Recreation Center in the center of the community. Annual events include the Easter Egg hunt in the spring, the Firemen's BBQ and Street Dance in the summer and holiday activities in November and December. Summer recreation abounds with league play in softball and baseball for many age groups. Youth can also participate in 4-H, Boy and Girl Scouts, church schools, day camps, and summer reading programs.

Religion

Exeter has three churches: the United Methodist Church, the United Church of Christ, and St. Stephen's Catholic Church.

Notable people

* Richard A. Dier, United States federal judge * Theodore C. Diers, Wyoming state representative and senator *

Jeff Zeleny Jeffrey Dean Zeleny (born June 10, 1973) is an American journalist and the Chief National Affairs Correspondent for CNN. He previously was Senior Washington Correspondent for ABC News. During his newspaper career, he won a Pulitzer Prize with th ...

, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist,

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

correspondent * Kyle Jensen, three-time state champion, Nebraska class D-2 high school football player of the year; played college football at

Doane University Doane University is a private university in Crete, Nebraska. It has additional campuses in Lincoln and Omaha, as well as online programs. History Doane College was founded on July 11, 1872, by Thomas Doane, chief civil engineer for the Burling ...

Cole’s favorite cousin. *Donald Trauger, nuclear scientist, Worked on

Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was a research and development undertaking during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States with the support of the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the project w ...

, Former director of

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is a U.S. multiprogram science and technology national laboratory sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and administered, managed, and operated by UT–Battelle as a federally funded research an ...

, Author of Horse Power to Nuclear Power

References

Misa, Thomas J.
"Building Transcontinental Railroads".
I

Retrieved 2011-11-03.
Retrieved 2011-11-03.
Retrieved 2011-11-03. Retrieved 2011-11-03. Harre, Henrietta.
"Exeter, Fillmore County".Nebraska... Our Towns.
Retrieved 2011-11-03. Fitzpatrick, Lilian Linder (1925).
"Nebraska Place-Names".
University of Nebraska Department of English. Retrieved 2011-11-03.
Retrieved 2011-11-03. Retrieved 2011-11-03.

External links

Village of Exeter blog

Exeter-Milligan High School at GreatSchools.org
* http://www.neded.org/files/research/stathand/bsect5b.htm {{authority control Villages in Fillmore County, Nebraska Villages in Nebraska