Wood Lake is a village in

Cherry County Cherry County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 5,455. Its county seat is Valentine. The county was named for Lt. Samuel A. Cherry, an Army officer who was stationed at Fort ...

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 population was 46 at the 2020 census.

History

Wood Lake was founded in 1882 when the

Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad The Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad (FE&MV), sometimes called "the Elkhorn," was a railroad established in 1869 in the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. About The company constructed several lines in Nebraska, incl ...

was extended to that point. It was named for the trees at a nearby lake, which were the source of valuable timber.

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 village has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Demographics

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 63 people, 33 households, and 16 families living in the village. 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 48 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 98.4%

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 ...

and 1.6%

Native American Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States. Related terms and peoples include: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...

. There were 33 households, of which 18.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.4% 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, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 51.5% were non-families. 48.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 30.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.91 and the average family size was 2.81. The median age in the village was 43.8 years. 19% of residents were under the age of 18; 11.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.5% were from 25 to 44; 11.2% were from 45 to 64; and 38.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 52.4% male and 47.6% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 72 people, 36 households, and 24 families living in the village. The population density was . There were 48 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 95.83%

, 1.39%

, and 2.78% from two or more races. There were 36 households, out of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.1% were

living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 25.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.00 and the average family size was 2.40. In the village, the population was spread out, with 19.4% under the age of 18, 1.4% from 18 to 24, 16.7% from 25 to 44, 27.8% from 45 to 64, and 34.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 59 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.1 males. As of 2000 the median income for a household in the village was $24,375, and the median income for a family was $28,333. Males had a median income of $22,083 versus $38,750 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 village was $15,063. There were 46.4% of families and 44.7% of the population living 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 60.0% of under eighteens and 36.0% of those over 64.

Education

Wood Lake is in

Valentine Community Schools Valentine Community Schools (ID # 16-0006-000) is a school district headquartered in Valentine, Nebraska. The district serves students living in an area of over , over four times the size of the state of Rhode Island. Most of the district is in ...

. Valentine High School is the sole comprehensive high school of the school district. In 2006 Wood Lake Public School school district merged into Valentine Community Schools.

References

{{authority control Villages in Cherry County, Nebraska Villages in Nebraska