Keya Paha 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 ...

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 serving ...

, the population was 824. 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 ...

is Springview. In the Nebraska license plate system, Keya Paha County is represented by the prefix 82 (it had the 82nd-largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922).

History

The name "Keya Paha" is taken from the

Dakota language Dakota (''Dakhótiyapi, Dakȟótiyapi''), also referred to as Dakhota, is a Siouan language spoken by the Dakota people of the Sioux tribes. Dakota is closely related to and mutually intelligible with the Lakota language. It is critically endang ...

; literally translated, it means "turtle hill". The Dakota name for a set of small hills was given to the county and to the

Keya Paha River The Keya Paha River ( ) is a river flowing U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed March 30, 2011 through the U.S. states of South Dakota and Nebraska. The name is derived from ...

, which runs through it. All land north of the Keya Paha River (which includes a small portion of Keya Paha County and most of neighboring Boyd County) was not originally part of Nebraska at the time of statehood, but was transferred from

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of N ...

in 1882. Keya Paha County was organized in 1884 of land partitioned from Brown County.

Geography

Keya Paha County lies on the northern boundary of Nebraska, abutting the state of

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large po ...

. The county's terrain consists of low rolling hills, whose level areas are used for agriculture, including center pivot irrigation. The Keya Paha River flows east-southeastward through the northeastern part of the county, while the Niobrara River flows eastward along the south county line. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.1%) is water. Keya Paha County is located in Nebraska's Outback region.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 183 * N-7

Nebraska Highway 7 Nebraska Highway 7 is a highway in Nebraska. Its southern terminus is at Nebraska Highway 91 in Brewster. Its northern terminus is at U.S. Highway 183 near Springview. Route description Nebraska Highway 7 goes north out of Brewster and head ...

Nebraska Highway 12 * N-137

Nebraska Highway 137

Adjacent counties

Tripp County, South Dakota Tripp County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,624. Its county seat is Winner. The county was created in 1873, and was organized in 1909. It is named for lawyer, judge, and diplomat B ...

- north * Gregory County, South Dakota - northeast * Boyd County - east * Holt County - southeast * Rock County - south * Brown County - south * Cherry County - west * Todd County, South Dakota - northwest

National protected area

Niobrara National Scenic River The Niobrara National Scenic River is in north-central Nebraska, United States, approximately 300 miles (480 km) northwest of Omaha. In 1991, Congress set aside 76 miles (120 km) for preservation under the management of the National Par ...

(part)

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 c ...

, there were 983 people, 409 households, and 292 families in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 1.3 people per square mile (0.5/km²); there were 548 housing units at an average density of 0.7 per square mile (0.3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 99.39%

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 ...

, 0.20% Native American, and 0.41% from two or more races; 3.87% 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 for ...

or Latino of any race; 46.7% were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, 10.6%

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

, 9.8%

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

, 7.0% Irish and 6.0% Swedish ancestry. There were 409 households, out of which 24.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.30% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 4.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.60% were non-families. 26.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.91. The county population contained 23.80% under the age of 18, 6.70% from 18 to 24, 23.40% from 25 to 44, 25.40% from 45 to 64, and 20.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 101.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.90 males. The median income for a household in the county was $24,911, and the median income for a family was $28,287. Males had a median income of $18,750 versus $19,107 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 $11,860. About 22.40% of families and 26.90% 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 34.30% of those under age 18 and 18.80% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

As of 2008, Keya Paha County was the most Republican of all the counties in Nebraska, with 82.7% of its 707 registered voters registered as Republicans. The last Democratic Presidential candidate to win the county was

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

in 1916. In 1994,

Ben Nelson Earl Benjamin Nelson (born May 17, 1941) is an American attorney, businessman, and politician who served as the 37th governor of Nebraska from 1991 to 1999 and as a United States Senator from Nebraska from 2001 to 2013. He is a member of the Dem ...

was the last Democratic gubernatorial candidate to carry the county.David Leip Electoral Atlas (Maps for Nebraska gubernatorial races)
/ref>

Communities

Villages

* Burton * Springview (county seat)

Unincorporated communities

* Brocksburg * Jamison * Meadville * Mills *

Norden Norden is a Scandinavian and German word, directly translated as "the North". It may refer to: Places England * Norden, Basingstoke, a ward of Basingstoke and Deane * Norden, Dorset, a hamlet near Corfe Castle * Norden, Greater Manchester, a vil ...

* Riverview

References

{{authority control Nebraska counties 1884 establishments in Nebraska Populated places established in 1884