North Bend is a city in Dodge 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. The population was 1,177 at the 2010 census.

Geography

North Bend is located at (41.464285, -96.780874). It lies on the north bank of 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 itself ...

,Kay, John (1994). Retrieved 2010-06-21. at the intersection of

U.S. Route 30 U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route in the system of the United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. With a length of , it is the third longest ...

and

Nebraska Highway 79 Nebraska Highway 79 is a highway in eastern Nebraska. It is a north–south highway which has a length of . The southern terminus of Highway 79 is northwest of Lincoln near Lincoln Airport at U.S. Highway 34. The northern terminus of High ...

. The main east–west line of the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

passes through the city."Welcome to North Bend".
North Bend Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved 2010-06-21. 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 city has a total area of , all land.

History

The site of North Bend was settled in 1856 by a party of Scottish immigrants. En route from

Lake Zurich, Illinois Lake Zurich is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States, a northwest suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 19,759. The village is named after a body of water named "Lake Zurich," which is completely located insid ...

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

,Freeman, Kate.
"North Bend—Dodge County".''Nebraska...Our Towns''.
Retrieved 2010-06-21. they stopped at a bend at the northernmost point of the Platte River, Retrieved 2010-06-21. where they were invited to an impromptu Fourth of July celebration at a newly founded townsite named Emerson. Finding the site congenial, and concerned about the "Border War" in Kansas, they opted to remain there, founding a nearby townsite that they named Franklin. The site grew with the arrival of new parties of settlers. One such party brought a steam-powered sawmill and meal-grinder, the first steam mill in Dodge County.Perkey, Elton A (1995). ''Perkey's Nebraska Place Names''. Nebraska State Historical Society. p. 61. In 1858, Emerson's name was changed to Wallace, after a Philadelphia philanthropist who had offered to build a library in any town taking his name. In the 1860s, the town had a pontoon bridge across the Platte River allowing for trade with the farms to the south of the river making into the local

grain market The grain trade refers to the local and international trade in cereals and other food grains such as wheat, barley, maize, and rice. Grain is an important trade item because it is easily stored and transported with limited spoilage, unlike other ...

, a prime business opportunity for the incoming Union Pacific Railroad. The combined townsite arrived at its present name in 1864, when the Union Pacific (UP) Railroad bought a piece of ground for a depot on the proposed

transcontinental railroad A transcontinental railroad or transcontinental railway is contiguous railroad trackage, that crosses a continental land mass and has terminals at different oceans or continental borders. Such networks can be via the tracks of either a single ...

. For many years, surveys had showed the town's location as "the north bend" and was the northernmost point of the UP in the state of Nebraska. The residents and UP officials agreed on North Bend as the name for the town. The first train arrived in North Bend in 1866, and the town was platted by the railroad in 1867. By 1876, the population had reached 250; there were 21 businesses, a school, and two churches. The city's first newspaper, the ''Independent'', was founded in 1879. Growth continued steadily. In 1890, the population reached 897; a city building was constructed. By 1920, North Bend had electricity, a waterworks, and paved streets; the population was 1,087. The town continued to grow through much of the 20th century, with its population reaching a peak of 1,368 in 1980.

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 1,177 people, 447 households, and 317 families residing 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 RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 501 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.1%

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 ...

, 1.0%

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 ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.2%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.1% 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 0.4% 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 1.2% of the population. There were 447 households, of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.0% 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, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 29.1% were non-families. 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 2.99. The median age in the city was 41.8 years. 27.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21% were from 25 to 44; 26.8% were from 45 to 64; and 20% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.2% male and 51.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,213 people, 468 households, and 322 families residing in the city. The

was 1,588.1 people per square mile (616.2/km). There were 509 housing units at an average density of 666.4 per square mile (258.6/km). The racial makeup of the city was 99.34%

, 0.08%

, 0.16% Native American, 0.08%

, 0.16% from

, and 0.16% from two or more races.

of any race were 0.82% of the population. There were 468 households, out of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% were

living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.04. In the city, the population was 27.0% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 21.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.6 males. As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $38,879, and the median income for a family was $43,984. Males had a median income of $31,324 versus $18,352 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 $15,897. About 3.3% of families and 5.1% 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 4.7% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The largest industry in the North Bend area is agriculture. There are nearly 100 small businesses operating in the city. The largest single employers are North Bend Central Public Schools, which employs 76 people"North Bend, Nebraska".Nebraska Public Power District.
Retrieved 2010-06-21. and serves Morse Bluff and

Ames Ames may refer to: Places United States * Ames, Arkansas, a place in Arkansas * Ames, Colorado * Ames, Illinois * Ames, Indiana * Ames, Iowa, the most populous city bearing this name * Ames, Kansas * Ames, Nebraska * Ames, New York * Ames, Oklah ...

as well as North Bend. Birchwood Manor, a nursing home, was the No. 2 largest with 72 employees before closing in 2019.

Media

The city's newspaper is the weekly ''North Bend Eagle''. The paper was formed in November 1897 by the merger of the ''North Bend Argus'' and the ''North Bend Republican''. It is the city's oldest continuously operating business.

Notable people

Marg Helgenberger Mary Marg Helgenberger (born November 16, 1958) is an American actress. She began her career in the early 1980s and first came to attention for playing the role of Siobhan Ryan on the daytime soap opera '' Ryan's Hope'' from 1982 to 1986. She is ...

, actress on '' CSI'' and ''

China Beach ''China Beach'' is an American war drama television series set at an evacuation hospital during the Vietnam War. The title refers to My Khe beach in the city of Đà Nẵng, Vietnam, nicknamed "China Beach" in English by American and Australia ...

'' *

Eddie Watt Eddie Dean Watt (born April 4, 1941) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed relief pitcher from through , most prominently as a member of the Baltimore Orioles dynasty that won th ...

, baseball playerEddie Watt at SABR Baseball Biography Project
/ref> * Charles H. Purcell, Chief Engineer responsible for the design and construction of the

San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge The San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, known locally as the Bay Bridge, is a complex of bridges spanning San Francisco Bay in California. As part of Interstate 80 in California, Interstate 80 and the direct road between San Francisco and Oakland ...

References

{{authority control Cities in Nebraska Cities in Dodge County, Nebraska