Elwood is a village 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 st ...

of Gosper 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 southwe ...

, United States. It is part of the

Lexington, Nebraska Lexington is a city in Dawson County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 10,348 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Dawson County. Lexington is located in southern Nebraska, on the Platte River, southeast of North Platte. It si ...

Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 707 at the 2010 census.

History

Elwood 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 bear ...

ted in 1885 when the

Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illin ...

was extended to that point. It was named for Elwood Thomas, a homesteader. Gosper County courthouse detail1

The

Gosper County Courthouse The Gosper County Courthouse, at 507 Smith Ave. in Elwood, Nebraska, was built in 1939. It was designed by architects McClure & Walker with Art Deco architecture, Art Deco style. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. ...

in Elwood is on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. The

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

building was designed by the Kearney architectural firm of McClure & Walker.

Geography

Elwood is located at (40.588632, -99.860603). 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 the ...

, the village has a total area of , all land. Elwood is located at the junction of

Nebraska Highway 23 Nebraska Highway 23 is a highway in southwestern Nebraska, United States. Its western terminus is on the Colorado border at Venango, where the highway continues west as Colorado State Highway 23. The eastern terminus of NE 23 is at Holdrege at ...

and U.S. Route 283, and is south of Elwood Reservoir.DeLorme. "Nebraska Atlas & Gazetteer". 1st ed. Freeport:

DeLorme DeLorme is the producer of personal satellite tracking, messaging, and navigation technology. The company’s main product, ''inReach'', integrates GPS and satellite technologies. ''inReach'' provides the ability to send and receive text messages ...

, 1996, 59. . In Elwood, the two highways respectively follow Ripley Street and Smith Street.

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 incl ...

of 2010, there were 707 people, 282 households, and 183 families residing in the village. 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 RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 312 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 95.0%

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 on ...

, 0.7%

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 ...

, 0.1% Native American, 2.3% 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 1.8% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, 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 Vic ...

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 3.7% of the population. There were 282 households, of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.0% 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 t ...

living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.1% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.8% 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 2.98. The median age in the village was 46.4 years. 24.6% of residents were under 18; 4.2% were between 18 and 24; 19.7% were from 25 to 44; 25.7% were from 45 to 64, and 25.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 46.7% male and 53.3% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 761 people, 294 households, and 207 families residing in the village. The

was 1,561.9 people per square mile (599.6/km²). There were 319 housing units at an average density of 654.7 per square mile (251.4/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 98.03%

, 0.13% Native American, 0.92% from

, and 0.92% from two or more races.

of any race were 2.76% of the population. There were 294 households, out of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.6% were

living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.3% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.94. In the village, the population was spread out, with 25.0% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 19.1% from 45 to 64, and 26.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.6 males. As of 2000 the median income for a household in the village was $36,500, and the median income for a family was $42,917. Males had a median income of $30,809 versus $22,778 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 $18,042. About 0.5% of families and 3.9% 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 3.0% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.

Schools

Elwood Public Schools educates students from Preschool through twelfth grade. The school mascot is the Elwood Pirates. Elwood participates in the Fort Kearney Conference.

References

External links

Elwood Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control Villages in Gosper County, Nebraska Villages in Nebraska County seats in Nebraska Lexington Micropolitan Statistical Area