Minden is a city in Kearney County,

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

, United States. The city serves as the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Kearney County. The population was 3,118 at the 2020 census. It is home to the Pioneer Village museum complex of 28 buildings.

History

Minden was established in 1876. The city was named after

Minden Minden () is a middle-sized town in the very north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the largest town in population between Bielefeld and Hanover. It is the capital of the district () of Minden-Lübbecke, situated in the cultural region ...

, in Germany. Minden was originally built up chiefly by Germans. The city has had a post office since 1876.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , all land.

Climate

The highest temperature ever measured in Nebraska, at , was recorded in Minden on July 24, 1936, during the

1936 North American heat wave The 1936 North American heat wave was one of the most severe heat waves in the modern history of North America. It took place in the middle of the Great Depression and Dust Bowl of the 1930s and caused more than 5,000 deaths. Many state and cit ...

which occurred during the

Dust Bowl The Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the American and Canadian prairies during the 1930s. The phenomenon was caused by a combination of natural factors (severe drought) and hum ...

era.

Demographics

Minden is part of the

Kearney, Nebraska Kearney ( ) is the county seat of Buffalo County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 33,790 in the 2020 census, making it the 5th most populous city in Nebraska. It is home to the University of Nebraska at Kearney. The westward pus ...

Micropolitan Statistical Area.

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 2,923 people, 1,256 households, and 791 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

was . There were 1,339 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.4%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.4%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 1.4% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 5.2% of the population. There were 1,256 households, of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.2% were

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

living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.0% were non-families. 32.9% 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 2.26 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age in the city was 43.1 years. 22.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.9% were from 25 to 44; 25.4% were from 45 to 64; and 22.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.5% male and 53.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,964 people, 1,185 households, and 811 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,269 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.65%

, 0.17%

, 0.24% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 0.44% from other races, and 0.40% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 2.33% of the population. There were 1,185 households, out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.2% were

living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.89. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.9% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 21.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $40,092, and the median income for a family was $47,356. Males had a median income of $29,267 versus $18,929 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $18,847. About 2.3% of families and 5.3% 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 5.8% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.

Attractions

Minden is the home of the '' Pioneer Village'', a museum complex of 28 buildings on with a total collection of over 50,000 items. Minden bills itself as "Nebraska's Christmas City", illuminating the courthouse square with a display of over 12,000 bulbs and staging an annual Christmas pageant titled "The Light Of The World". The lighting of the courthouse was begun in 1915, when lights were acquired with the intention of stringing them from the railroad station to the town square for the state G.A.R. convention. Weather precluded this use, and the lights were repurposed for a Christmas display.

Notable people

* Charles Binderup, U.S. Congressman *

Carl Curtis Carl Thomas Curtis (March 15, 1905 – January 24, 2000) was an American attorney and politician from the U.S. state of Nebraska. He served as a Republican in the United States House of Representatives (1939–1954) and later the United States Se ...

, U.S. Congressman and Senator *

Otto Miller Lowell Otto Miller (June 1, 1889 – March 29, 1962) was an American catcher in Major League Baseball from 1910 through 1922 for Brooklyn teams the Superbas (1910, 1913), Dodgers (1911–1912) and Robins (1914–1922). Nicknamed "Moonie", Mille ...

, Nicknamed "Moonie", a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1910 through 1922 for Brooklyn. *

Norbert Tiemann Norbert Theodore "Nobby" Tiemann (July 18, 1924 – June 19, 2012) was an American Republican politician from Wausa, Nebraska, and was the 32nd Governor of Nebraska, serving from 1967 to 1971. Biography Tiemann was born in Minden, Nebraska. He ...

, 32nd

Governor of Nebraska The governor of Nebraska is the head of government of the U.S. state of Nebraska as provided by the fourth article of the Constitution of Nebraska. The officeholder is elected to a four-year term, with elections held two years after presidential ...

* Harold Warp, businessman in the plastics industry

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Cities in Nebraska Cities in Kearney County, Nebraska County seats in Nebraska Kearney Micropolitan Statistical Area Populated places established in 1876 1876 establishments in Nebraska