Kearney County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

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 ...

. As of the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servi ...

, the population was 6,489. Its

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 st ...

is Minden. The county was formed in 1860. It was named for

Fort Kearny Fort Kearny was a historic outpost of the United States Army founded in 1848 in the western U.S. during the middle and late 19th century. The fort was named after Col. and later General Stephen Watts Kearny. The outpost was located along the Or ...

, which in turn was named for Brigade General Stephen W. Kearny. Kearney County is part of the

Kearney Micropolitan Statistical Area The Kearney Micropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of two counties in Nebraska, anchored by the city of Kearney. As of the 2010 census, the area had a population of 52,591 (though a Ju ...

. In the Nebraska license plate system, Kearney County is represented by the prefix 52 (it had the 52nd-largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922).

Geography

The terrain of Kearney County consists of gently rolling low hills, mostly devoted to agriculture. The

Platte River The Platte River () is a major river in the State of Nebraska. It is about long; measured to its farthest source via its tributary, the North Platte River, it flows for over . The Platte River is a tributary of the Missouri River, which itsel ...

flows eastward along the north county boundary. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.2%) is water.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 6 * US 34

U.S. Highway 34 * N-10

Nebraska Highway 10 Nebraska Highway 10 is a highway in Nebraska. Its southern terminus is at the Kansas border south of Franklin. Its northern terminus is at an intersection with Nebraska Highway 58, Nebraska Highway 92, and Recreation Road 82B in Loup City. R ...

Nebraska Highway 44 Nebraska Highway 44 (NE-44) is a highway in Franklin, Kearney, and Buffalo counties in Nebraska, United States. It runs in a south-to-north direction from Nebraska Highway 4 (NE-4) south of Wilcox to an intersection with Interstate 80 (I-80) i ...

Nebraska Highway 74

Adjacent counties

* Buffalo County - north * Adams County - east * Webster County - southeast * Franklin County - south * Harlan County - southwest * Phelps County - west

Protected areas

* Clark Federal Waterfowl Production Area * Fort Kearny State Historical Park * Fort Kearny State Recreation Area (partial) * Jensen Lagoon National Wildlife Management Area * Prairie Dog Federal Waterfowl Production Area * Youngson Lagoon Natural Wildlife Production Area

Demographics

As of the

2000 United States Census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 cen ...

there were 6,882 people, 2,643 households, and 1,902 families in the county. 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 13 people per square mile (5/km²). There were 2,846 housing units at an average density of 6 per square mile (2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.82%

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 ...

, 0.16%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.20% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.99% 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 0.58% from two or more races. 2.34% of the population were

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. There were 2,643 households, out of which 34.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.90% were married couples living together, 6.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.00% were non-families. 24.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.98. The county population contained 80% under the age of 18, 6.40% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 16.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.60 males. The median income for a household in the county was $39,247, and the median income for a family was $44,877. Males had a median income of $29,987 versus $20,081 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 county was $18,118. About 5.50% of families and 8.50% 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 10.00% of those under age 18 and 6.80% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

* Minden (county seat)

Villages

* Axtell * Heartwell * Norman *

Wilcox Wilcox may refer to: Places ;Canada *Wilcox, Saskatchewan ;United States * Wilcox, Florida, an unincorporated community in Gilchrist County, Florida * Wilcox, Missouri * Wilcox, Nebraska * Wilcox, Pennsylvania *Wilcox, Washington * Wilcox, Wisconsi ...

Unincorporated communities

* Keene * Lowell * Newark

Ghost town

* Dobytown

Townships

* Blaine * Cosmo * Eaton *

Grant Grant or Grants may refer to: Places *Grant County (disambiguation) Australia * Grant, Queensland, a locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia United Kingdom * Castle Grant United States * Grant, Alabama * Grant, Inyo County, ...

* Hayes *

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

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 ...

* Logan * Lowell * May * Mirage * Newark * Oneida * Sherman

Notable people

* Carl Curtis,

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

in the U.S. House of Representatives and

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

Politics

Kearney County voters are strongly Republican. In only one national election since 1936 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate.

References

External links

* {{Coord, 40.51, -98.95, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-NE_source:UScensus1990 Kearney Micropolitan Statistical Area 1860 establishments in Nebraska Territory Populated places established in 1860