Blair is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

of Washington 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 7,990 at the 2010 census.

History

Blair was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bea ...

ted in 1869 when the

Sioux City and Pacific Railroad The Sioux City and Pacific Railroad was a railroad in the U.S. states of Iowa and Nebraska. Built as a connection from Sioux City, Iowa to the Union Pacific Railroad at Fremont, Nebraska, it became part of the Chicago and North Western Railway syst ...

was extended to that point. It was named for railroad magnate

John Insley Blair John Insley Blair (August 22, 1802 – December 2, 1899) was an American entrepreneur, railroad magnate, philanthropist and one of the 19th century's wealthiest men. Early life John Insley Blair was born at Foul Rift in White Township, New Jer ...

, who was credited with bringing the railroad to town. Blair was incorporated as a city in 1872. Within its first year, Blair was designated county seat. In March 1869, a small child playing on a railroad turntable in town was injured on the turntable. The father sued the railway for damages, leading all the way up to the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. Federal tribunals in the United States, federal court cases, and over Stat ...

in the 1873 case '' Sioux City & Pacific Railroad Co. v. Stout''. In 1874, during the

Panic of 1873 The Panic of 1873 was a financial crisis that triggered an economic depression in Europe and North America that lasted from 1873 to 1877 or 1879 in France and in Britain. In Britain, the Panic started two decades of stagnation known as the ...

, a grasshopper storm enveloped the region. Many Nebraskans were faced with starvation. An organization, the Nebraska Relief and Aid Society was formed in order to help affected persons. A law was passed by congress awarding $100,000 relief, and many Blair citizens were awarded money. Both the newspapers and the railroads in the region helped transport supplies free of charge. Both the

Nebraska State Guard The Nebraska State Guard (NSG) is the currently inactive state defense force of the state of Nebraska, which was activated during both World War II and the Vietnam War. As a state defense force, the NSG served on as a component of the organized ...

and the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

helped distribute food and clothing. In September 1882, construction of the Chicago and Northwestern Bridge across the Missouri River began. The bridge was authorized by an Act of Congress on June 27, 1882. The total cost of the bridge was $1.13 Million (nearly $30 Million in 2019). By November 1883, the bridge was finally open for rail traffic. In 1916, Blair was awarded a $10,000 grant to build a Carnegie Library. Unfortunately, an electrical fire occurred on the night of July 23, 1973, and the historic library was deemed a total loss.

Geography

Blair is located at (41.545562, -96.134383). 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 th ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Blair is located in the

Loess Hills The Loess Hills are a formation of wind-deposited loess soil in the westernmost parts of Iowa and Missouri, and the easternmost parts of Nebraska and Kansas, along the Missouri River. Geology The Loess (, , or ) Hills are generally located ...

, surrounded on all sides by rolling hills and the Missouri river valley.

Demographics

Blair is a part of the Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Statistical Area.

2010 census

At the 2010 census there were 7,990 people, 3,110 households, and 2,005 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 3,351 housing units at an average density of . The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the city was 96.4% White, 0.8% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.0% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.9%. Of the 3,110 households 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.5% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.5% were non-families. 30.3% of households were one person and 13.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.01. The median age was 36 years. 24.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 11.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.9% were from 25 to 44; 24.3% were from 45 to 64; and 15.3% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.9% male and 52.1% female.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 7,512 people, 2,871 households, and 1,891 families living in the city. The population density was 1,617.3 people per square mile (625.1/km). There were 3,033 housing units at an average density of 653.0 per square mile (252.4/km). The

of the city was 97.43% White, 0.44% African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.27% Pacific Islander, 0.33% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.34% of the population. Of the 2,871 households 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families. 29.1% of households were one person and 14.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.02. The age distribution was 24.9% under the age of 18, 13.8% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.2 males. The median household income was $41,214, and the median family income was $52,114. Males had a median income of $36,839 versus $25,452 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,240. About 6.2% of families and 8.4% 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 ...

, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.

Media

Blair is served by the local weekly newspaper '' Pilot-Tribune & Enterprise''. Blair is also served by Walnut Radio Station 97.3 KOBM-FM and FM 94.7 KYTF-LP Blair Radio.

Points of interest

* Part of the

Nebraska Statewide Arboretum The grounds surrounding the Joslyn Castle included an urban farm, vegetable gardens and over 100 fruit trees.jpg, The grounds surrounding the Joslyn Castle included an urban farm, vegetable gardens and over 100 fruit trees The Nebraska Statewide ...

collection * From 1896 to 1954, Blair was home to Trinity Seminary, a school of the

United Evangelical Lutheran Church The United Evangelical Lutheran Church (commonly known as the United Church) was one of the many denominations formed when Lutherans came to the United States from Europe. Originally known as the United Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Uni ...

* Blair is located along the historic

Lincoln Highway The Lincoln Highway is the first transcontinental highway in the United States and one of the first highways designed expressly for automobiles. Conceived in 1912 by Indiana entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, and formally dedicated October 31, 191 ...

* Tower of the Four Winds at Black Elk-Neihardt Park stands as a memorial to John G. Neihardt and Black Elk, the Lakota Sioux holy man

Education

It is a part of the Blair Community Schools which operates Blair High School. Blair was home to the now defunct

Dana College Dana College was a private college in Blair, Nebraska. Its rural 150-acre (607,000 m²) campus is approximately 26 miles (40 km) northwest of Omaha and overlooks a portion of the Missouri River Valley. The campus was planned to be purchase ...

(1884 to 2010).

Notable people

* Kent Bellows - artist *

Clete Blakeman Cletus W. Blakeman (born June 23, 1964) is an American football official in the National Football League (NFL). His uniform number is 34. He played college football at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Outside of his work as an NFL official, ...

- professional football official *

Bob Cerv Robert Henry Cerv ( ; May 5, 1925 – April 6, 2017) was an American professional baseball left fielder. Prior to his professional career, he was a collegiate baseball and basketball player at the University of Nebraska. He was born in Weston, ...

- baseball player * Bill Danenhauer - professional wrestler * Mike Hollingshead - photographer * Megan Hunt - Nebraska State Senator, Legislative District 8 * Mick Mines - Nebraska state senator *

Otto Schmidt Otto Yulyevich Shmidt, be, Ота Юльевіч Шміт, Ota Juljevič Šmit (born Otto Friedrich Julius Schmidt; – 7 September 1956), better known as Otto Schmidt, was a Soviet scientist, mathematician, astronomer, geophysicist, statesm ...

- US Navy

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of val ...

recipient * Tom Seaton - baseball player *

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...

- Democratic Congressman, Senator, and presidential candidate * Rod Whitaker - novelist

References

External links

Official site

Local History site
{{Authority control Cities in Nebraska Cities in Washington County, Nebraska County seats in Nebraska 1869 establishments in Nebraska Populated places established in 1869