Gretna is a city in
Sarpy County
Sarpy County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 190,604, making it the third-most populous county in Nebraska. Its county seat is Papillion.
Sarpy County is part of the ...
,
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 4,441 at the
2010 census.
History
Gretna started shortly after the
Burlington 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 ...
built a short line between
Omaha
Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest c ...
and
Ashland in the summer of 1886. Advent of the village of Gretna on this new laid rail line was the cue for the exit of the nearby trading post of Forest City, which had existed since 1856. In its day, Forest City, located 2.5 miles southwest of where Gretna now stands, was a flourishing and busy place, but it was doomed by the rail road which passed it by. The only marker that exists today to show the site of old Forest City is the cemetery (Holy Sepulcher) which is located a little to the east of what was the center of activity in the settlement. Names that were prominent in the beginnings of Forest City were the families of William Langdon, John Thomas and John Conner.
The Lincoln Land Company, recognizing the potential of the site, surveyed and
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 the town site of Gretna in 1887. The village was incorporated by July 10, 1889. The name suggests Scotland's
Gretna Green
Gretna Green is a parish in the southern council area of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, on the Scottish side of the border between Scotland and England, defined by the small river Sark, which flows into the nearby Solway Firth. It was histo ...
, the ancestral county of some of the earliest settlers.
Geography
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 , all land.
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 inc ...
of 2010, there were 4,441 people, 1,594 households, and 1,139 families living in the city. 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 . There were 1,671 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.4%
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 ...
, 0.6%
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, 0.5%
Asian, 0.3% from
other races, and 1.1% 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 for ...
or
Latino of any race were 1.6% of the population.
There were 1,594 households, of which 43.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.7% 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, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 28.5% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.29.
The median age in the city was 34.5 years. 31.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.7% were from 25 to 44; 21.4% were from 45 to 64; and 12.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.0% male and 51.0% female.
2000 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 inc ...
of 2000, there were 2,355 people, 889 households, and 642 families living in the city. 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 1,996.2 people per square mile (770.6/km). There were 917 housing units at an average density of 777.3 per square mile (300.0/km). The racial makeup of the city was 98.64%
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 ...
, 0.04%
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 ...
, 0.42%
Native American, 0.42%
Asian, 0.17% from
other races, and 0.30% 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 for ...
or
Latino of any race were 1.15% of the population.
There were 889 households, out of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.0% 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 ...
living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.7% were non-families. 23.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.07.
The median age in the city was 36 years. 28.1% of the population was under the age of 18, 8.3% were aged from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.2 males.
As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $50,112, and the median income for a family was $56,410. Males had a median income of $37,868 versus $27,569 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 city was $21,729. About 2.3% of families and 3.6% 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 3.4% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
Education
Bond issues
Gretna Public Schools has passed several bond issues to build new facilities. Gretna's school bonds have become the third highest bond levy tax burden for property owners in the state. Gretna has a bond levy of 0.33456, with only
Bennington and
Elkhorn ranking higher, each with a bond levy of .34.
2022 School Board Elections
In 2022 Gretna Public Schools had an influx of candidates file for candidacy for the 2022 election. Ten candidates were on the ballot with the primary election being May 10, 2022.
Notable people
*
Andy Janovich
Andy Janovich (born May 23, 1993) is an American football fullback who is a free agent. He played college football at Nebraska, and was selected in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. He has also played for the Clevela ...
, professional
football player
See also
*
Nebraska Crossing Outlets
References
External links
City of GretnaGretna Chamber of Commerce
{{Authority control
Cities in Nebraska
Cities in Sarpy County, Nebraska
Populated places established in 1886
1886 establishments in Nebraska