Scottsbluff is a city in
Scotts Bluff County, in the western part of the state of
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 ...
, in the
Great Plains
The Great Plains (french: Grandes Plaines), sometimes simply "the Plains", is a broad expanse of flatland in North America. It is located west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, an ...
region of the United States. The population was 14,436 at the
2020 census. Scottsbluff is the largest city in the
Nebraska Panhandle
The Nebraska Panhandle is an area in the western part of the state of Nebraska and one of several U.S. state panhandles, or elongated geographical regions that extend from their main political entity.
The Nebraska panhandle is two-thirds as bro ...
, and the
13th largest city in
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 ...
.
Scottsbluff was founded in 1899 across the
North Platte River
The North Platte River is a major tributary of the Platte River and is approximately long, counting its many curves.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed March 21, 2011 In a ...
from its namesake, a bluff that is now a
U.S. National Park called
Scotts Bluff National Monument
Scotts Bluff National Monument is located west of the City of Gering in western Nebraska, United States. This National Park Service site protects over 3,000 acres of historic overland trail remnants, mixed-grass prairie, rugged badlands, toweri ...
. The monument was named after
Hiram Scott
Hiram Scott (1805–1828) was an American mountain man, trapper, and pelt trader who trapped and took part in expeditions throughout the western United States during the 1820s. Born in Missouri, Scott joined the Rocky Mountain Fur Company in 182 ...
(1805–1828), a fur trader with the
Rocky Mountain Fur Company
The enterprise that eventually came to be known as the Rocky Mountain Fur Company was established in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1822 by William Henry Ashley and Andrew Henry. Among the original employees, known as "Ashley's Hundred," were Jedediah ...
who was found dead in the vicinity on the return trip from a fur expedition. The smaller town of
Gering had been founded south of the river in 1887. The two cities have since grown together to form the 7th largest urban area (the
Scottsbluff Micropolitan Statistical Area) in Nebraska.
History
Scottsbluff was founded in 1899 by the Lincoln Land Company, a subsidiary of the Burlington Railroad.
By 1900, the Burlington Railroad laid tracks into the town, and placed a discarded boxcar next to the tracks as a temporary depot.
Scottsbluff was the first town in the region to be located along a railroad line, resulting in some older businesses relocating from
Gering to Scottsbluff.
Other names
In the
Lakota language
Lakota ( ), also referred to as Lakhota, Teton or Teton Sioux, is a Siouan language spoken by the Lakota people of the Sioux tribes. Lakota is mutually intelligible with the two dialects of the Dakota language, especially Western Dakota, and i ...
, Scottsbluff is called ''pȟaŋkéska wakpá otȟúŋwahe'' ("
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 ...
City", lit. "
abalone river city").
Geography and climate
Scottsbluff is located at (41.867140, −103.660709).
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 , of which is land and is water.
Scottsbluff has a cold
semi-arid climate
A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...
(
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
''BSk''), bordering on a hot-summer
humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...
(Koppen: ''Dfa'') with wide seasonal and day-to-day variation as well as a large
diurnal temperature variation
In meteorology, diurnal temperature variation is the variation between a high air temperature and a low temperature that occurs during the same day.
Temperature lag
Temperature lag is an important factor in diurnal temperature variation: peak d ...
, and is located in
USDA Plant Hardiness Zone
A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most wide ...
5a. Summers are hot, and winters dry and cold, though
chinook wind
Chinook winds, or simply Chinooks, are two types of prevailing warm, generally westerly winds in western North America: Coastal Chinooks and interior Chinooks. The coastal Chinooks are persistent seasonal, wet, southwesterly winds blowing in from ...
s can loosen the cold's grip, often bringing temperatures above . The monthly daily average temperature ranges from in December to in July.
Over the course of a year, there is an average 6 days with maxima or above, 49.1 days with maxima reaching at least , 27.4 days with a maximum at or below the freezing mark, and 11.6 days with minima at or below .
Extremes in temperature have ranged from on July 11, 1939, down to on
February 12, 1899. The year 1989 saw temperatures as extreme as and (during the
December 1989 United States cold wave
The December 1989 United States cold wave was a series of cold waves into the central and eastern United States from mid-December 1989 through Christmas. On December 21-23, a massive high pressure area pushed many areas into record lows. On the mor ...
),
[ while the month of February 1962 saw temperatures as hot as on the 11th and as cold as on the 28th.]
Precipitation is heavily concentrated in the spring and summer months, with only May and June averaging over . The wettest single day has been June 7, 1953, with of rain, while the wettest calendar month on record has been June 1947 with and the wettest calendar year 1915 with . The months of November 1939 and March 2012 did not see even a trace of precipitation, while nineteen other months since 1893 have seen only a trace. The driest calendar year has been 2012 with . Snow typically falls in light amounts, with a 1991−2020 seasonal average of ; the most snow in one month has been in October 2009, and the greatest depth of snow on the ground on April 14, 1927. The most snowfall in a season is between July 2009 and June 2010; the least snow being between July 1933 and June 1934.
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 15,039 people, 6,168 households, and 3,672 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 6,712 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 83.0% 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 ...
, 0.8% 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 ...
, 3.4% Native American, 0.8% 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 ...
, 9.8% 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 2.2% 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 ...
or 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 29.1% of the population.
There were 6,168 households, of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.7% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.5% were non-families. 34.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 3.04.
The median age in the city was 36 years. 24.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.8% were from 25 to 44; 23.7% were from 45 to 64; and 16.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.6% male and 52.4% female.
According to a 2008 article in ''Quality Health'' entitled ''10 Fattest Cities in America'', 31% of Scottsbluff's population is obese, making it the 7th fattest city in America.
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 incl ...
of 2000, there were 14,732 people, 6,088 households, and 3,841 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 2,504.5 people per square mile (967.4/km). There were 6,559 housing units at an average density of 1,115.1 per square mile (430.7/km). The racial makeup of the city was 81.88% 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 ...
, 0.44% 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 ...
, 3.20% Native American, 0.75% 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 ...
, 0.04% Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 11.60% 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 2.10% 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 ...
or 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 23.59% of the population.
There were 6,088 households, out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.9% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.5% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.1 males.
As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $29,938, and the median income for a family was $37,778. Males had a median income of $30,307 versus $20,854 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 $17,065. About 14.5% of families and 18.3% 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 t ...
, including 28.5% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Scottsbluff is home to the main campus of Western Nebraska Community College
Western Nebraska Community College (WNCC) is a public community college in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. It also has campuses in Sidney, Nebraska, and Alliance, Nebraska.
WNCC was previously known as Scottsbluff Junior College, Scotts Bluff County Coll ...
. In addition, several other Nebraska institutions maintain centers and offer select courses or programs in the city, including the University of Nebraska Medical Center
The University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) is a public academic health science center in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded in 1869 and chartered as a private medical college in 1881, UNMC became part of the University of Nebraska System in 1902. R ...
College of Nursing, Chadron State College
Chadron State College is a public college in Chadron, Nebraska, US. It is one of three public colleges in the Nebraska State College System. It has open admission and an acceptance rate of 100%. According to College Factual, it has a six-year g ...
, and the University of Nebraska
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...
(Panhandle Research and Extension Center).
The now-defunct Hiram Scott College
Hiram Scott College was a private liberal arts college that operated from 1965 to 1972 in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Named after Hiram Scott (1805–1828), a fur trapper with the Rocky Mountain Fur Company who was found dead in the vicinity on his re ...
was located a few miles north of the city.
Points of interest
* Grave of Rebecca Winters (Mormon Pioneer)
* Lake Minatare State Recreation Area
* Riverside Discovery Center
* Western Nebraska Community College
Western Nebraska Community College (WNCC) is a public community college in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. It also has campuses in Sidney, Nebraska, and Alliance, Nebraska.
WNCC was previously known as Scottsbluff Junior College, Scotts Bluff County Coll ...
* Fort Mitchell
* Cedar Canyon
* Carter Canyon
* Robidoux Pass
Robidoux Pass, also known as Roubadeau Pass, Roubedeau Pass, Roubideau Pass, Roubidoux Pass and Roubadeau Pass Gap, is a gap passing through the Wildcat Hills near Scottsbluff, Nebraska about west of Gering, Nebraska. The gap was on the Great Pla ...
Landmark buildings
* Old Post Office
* Midwest Theater
* Lincoln Hotel
* Great Western Sugar Factory
* Lake Minatare Lighthouse
* Bluffs Middle School
* Scottsbluff High School
* Scottsbluff County Courthouse
* Scottsbluff Carnegie Library
Media
Transportation
Public transit
Tri-City Roadrunner is the public transit
Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...
bus system in Scottsbluff, 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 operates 2 regular bus route
A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...
s on weekdays from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. There is no service on weekends. Two deviated fixed route services are provided, allowing for 3/4 mile deviations from the normal route. Fixed route services began on January 10, 2018 with 4 buses and 14 drivers. The Blue Route and the Orange Route operate north-south between Scottsbluff and Gering, but utilize different alignments to maximize coverage of the cities. In addition to the two deviated fixed routes, there is demand response service available to anywhere in any of the cities served or rural Scotts Bluff County.
Fixed Route Ridership
The ridership and service statistics shown here are of fixed route services only and do not include demand response.
Major highways
* U.S. Highway 26
U.S. Route 26 (US 26) is an east–west United States highway that runs from Seaside, Oregon to Ogallala, Nebraska. When the U.S. highway system was first defined, it was limited to Nebraska and Wyoming; by the 1950s, it continued into Idaho a ...
- east–west route through Scottsbluff
* Nebraska Route 71 - north–south route through Scottsbluff
* Nebraska Route 92 - route going west from Scottsbluff to Wyoming
Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...
border.
Airport
The Scottsbluff area is served by Western Nebraska Regional Airport
Western Nebraska Regional Airport (William B. Heilig Field) is three miles east of Scottsbluff, in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska. The airport is owned by the Airport Authority of Scotts Bluff County and is named after William B. Heilig. Known as ...
. United Express
United Express is the brand name for the regional branch of United Airlines, under which six individually owned regional airlines operate short- and medium-haul feeder flights.
On October 1, 2010, UAL Corporation and Continental Airlines merged t ...
serves the airport with twice-daily service to Denver International Airport.
Notable people
* Hank Bauer
Henry Albert Bauer (July 31, 1922 – February 9, 2007) was an American right fielder and manager in Major League Baseball. He played with the New York Yankees (–) and Kansas City Athletics (–); he batted and threw right-handed. He served as ...
, former American football running back, professional television and radio broadcaster.
* Brook Berringer
Brook Warren Berringer (July 9, 1973 – April 18, 1996) was an American quarterback for the University of Nebraska football team in the mid-1990s. Berringer came to Nebraska from Goodland, Kansas, and played a backup role to Tommie Frazier. He wa ...
, the former University of Nebraska quarterback was born in Scottsbluff in 1973. (His family moved to Goodland, Kansas, after his father's death.)
* Terry Carpenter
Terry McGovern Carpenter (March 28, 1900 – April 27, 1978) was an American politician.Nebraska Legislature, The Official Site of the Nebraska Unicameral Legislature: ''Sen. Terry Carpenter'', http://nebraskalegislature.gov/education/carpenter.p ...
, American politician
* Walt Conley, folk singer, musician and actor.
* Kip Gross
Kip Lee Gross (born August 24, 1964) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played for the Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Dodgers, Nippon-Ham Fighters, Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros in Major League Baseball and Nippon Professi ...
, retired Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
for the Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...
, Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
, Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...
, and Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...
.
* Nik Ingersöll, American entrepreneur and designer.
* Galen B. Jackman
Galen Bruce Jackman (born 1951) is a retired United States Army Major general (United States), Major General. His last assignment in the Army was serving in the Pentagon as the Army's Chief Legislative Liaison. The Office of the Chief Legislativ ...
, U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
major general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
(retired), Nancy Reagan
Nancy Davis Reagan (; born Anne Frances Robbins; July 6, 1921 – March 6, 2016) was an American film actress and First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989. She was the second wife of president Ronald Reagan.
Reagan was born in N ...
's escort throughout the state funeral proceedings of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
, first commanding general of Joint Force Headquarters National Capital Region
Joint Force Headquarters National Capital Region (JFHQ-NCR) is directly responsible for the homeland security and defense of the Washington D.C. area as well as surrounding counties in Virginia and Maryland. Primarily made up of joint military un ...
* Nate Lashley
Nathan Clark Lashley (born December 12, 1982) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour.
Early life
Lashley was born in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. He played college golf at the University of Arizona. During his junior year, his p ...
, (b. 1982) professional golfer on the PGA tour
* Jacqueline Logan
Jacqueline Medura Logan (November 30, 1902 – April 4, 1983) was an American actress and silent film star. Logan was a WAMPAS Baby Star of 1922.
Early life
Logan was born in Corsicana, Texas, on November 30, 1902, the only child to Charles A. ...
, silent film actress spent her childhood in Scottsbluff.
* Vic Marker
Victor Marker (February 5, 1916 – July 8, 2002) was a boxer who was born and raised in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, then moved to Casper, Wyoming later in life. Marker was a three time Midwest Golden Gloves Champion from 1937–39 at 147 lbs. Mar ...
, three-time Midwest Golden Glove boxer, who beat Archie Moore in the Golden Glove Finals in the late 1930s.
* Randy Meisner
Randall Herman Meisner (born March 8, 1946) is a retired American musician, singer, songwriter and founding member of the Eagles. Throughout his professional musical career, Meisner's main role was that of bassist and backing high-harmony vocal ...
, former bassist of the rock band the Eagles
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, jus ...
* Adrian Smith
Adrian Frederick "H" Smith (born 27 February 1957) is an English guitarist best known as a member of heavy metal band Iron Maiden, for whom he also writes songs and performs backing vocals both live and in the studio.
Smith grew up in London ...
, U.S. Representative
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
Sister city
* Bamiyan, Afghanistan
See also
* List of bus transit systems in the United States
The following is a list of presently-operating bus transit systems in the United States with regular service. The list excludes charter buses, private bus operators, paratransit systems, and trolleybus systems. Figures for daily ridership, number ...
References
External links
{{Authority control
1900 establishments in Nebraska
Cities in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska
Cities in Nebraska
Populated places established in 1900
Scottsbluff Micropolitan Statistical Area
Transportation in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska
Bus transportation in Nebraska