Otoe County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

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 ...

. As of the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators serving ...

, the population was 15,740. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

Nebraska City Nebraska City is a city in Nebraska, and the county seat of, Otoe County, Nebraska, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,289. The Nebraska State Legislature has credited Nebraska City as being the oldest incorporated ...

. The county was formed in 1854, and was named tor the Otoe Indian tribe. In the Nebraska license plate system, Otoe County is represented by the prefix 11 (it had the 11th-largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922).

Geography

Otoe County lies on the east side of Nebraska. Its east boundary line abuts the west boundary lines of the states of

Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

and

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

(across the Missouri River). The terrain of Otoe County consists of rolling hills which drop down to the river basin, and rich soil. The area is largely devoted to agriculture (corn, soybeans, milo, wheat, and fruit orchards). The county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.5%) is water. Otoe County derives its name from the Otoe Indians, who lived in the area.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 75 * N-2

Nebraska Highway 2 Nebraska Highway 2 (N-2) is a state highway in Nebraska consisting of two discontinuous segments. The western segment begins at the South Dakota border northwest of Crawford and ends southeast of Grand Island at an intersection with Interstate ...

Nebraska Highway 43 * N-50

Nebraska Highway 50 * N-67

Nebraska Highway 67 Nebraska Highway 67 is a highway in southeastern Nebraska. Its southern terminus is at an intersection with U.S. Highway 73 near Verdon. Its northern terminus is at an intersection with U.S. Highway 34 near Nehawka. The segment between Nebr ...

Nebraska Highway 128

Adjacent counties

* Cass County - north * Fremont County, Iowa - northeast *

Atchison County, Missouri Atchison County is the northwesternmost county in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 5,305. Its county seat is Rock Port. It was originally known as Allen County when it was detached from Holt C ...

- east * Nemaha County - southeast * Johnson County - south * Gage County - southwest * Lancaster County - west

Demographics

As of the

2000 United States Census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 c ...

there were 15,396 people, 6,060 households, and 4,229 families in the county. 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 25 people per square mile (10/km²). There were 6,567 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.42%

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 ...

, 0.29%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

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 ...

, 0.22% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 1.14% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races. 2.45% of the population were

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. There were 6,060 households, out of which 32.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.70% 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, 7.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.20% were non-families. 26.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.10% 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 3.01. The county population contained 26.30% under the age of 18, 6.40% from 18 to 24, 26.10% from 25 to 44, 22.80% from 45 to 64, and 18.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 96.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.80 males. The median income for a household in the county was $37,302, and the median income for a family was $45,295. Males had a median income of $30,682 versus $21,520 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 county was $17,752. About 5.90% of families and 8.10% 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 9.30% of those under age 18 and 7.70% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

(county seat) *

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy * Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' * Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York ** North Syracuse, New York * Syracuse, Indiana *Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, M ...

Villages

* Burr *

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals *Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking * Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil ...

Dunbar Dunbar () is a town on the North Sea coast in East Lothian in the south-east of Scotland, approximately east of Edinburgh and from the English border north of Berwick-upon-Tweed. Dunbar is a former royal burgh, and gave its name to an ...

* Lorton * Otoe *

Palmyra Palmyra (; Palmyrene: () ''Tadmor''; ar, تَدْمُر ''Tadmur'') is an ancient city in present-day Homs Governorate, Syria. Archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first mention the city in the early secon ...

* Talmage * Unadilla

Census-designated place

* Woodland Hills

Politics

Otoe County voters have been very Republican since

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, like most rural Nebraska counties. In no presidential election has the county supported the Democratic nominee since voting in 1932 for

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

Education

School districts include:
Text list
/ref> * Conestoga Public Schools * Elmwood-Murdock Public Schools * Freeman Public Schools * Johnson-Brock Public Schools *

Johnson County Central Public Schools Johnson County Central Public Schools (ID# 49-0050-000, JCC) is a school district headquartered in Tecumseh, Nebraska. It has its elementary and high school in Tecumseh and its middle school in Cook. It was created on May 31, 2007 with the merger ...

Norris School District 160 School District #160 is a consolidated public school district located predominantly in Lancaster County but also extending into Gage County, Nebraska, United States. It serves a number of small communities including Roca, Hickman, Firth, Cortl ...

* Nebraska City Public Schools * Palmyra District OR-1 * Sterling Public Schools * Syracuse-Dunbar-Avoca Schools *

Waverly School District 145 School District #145 is a public school district serving the communities of Alvo, Eagle, Prairie Home, Walton, and Waverly in Nebraska, United States. The district provides primary and secondary education for over 2000 students in grades K-1 ...

Nebraska Center for the Education of Children Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired The Nebraska Center for the Education of Children Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired (NCECBVI) is located in Nebraska City, Nebraska, United States. It was founded in 1875 and serves children from infancy to adults age 21. NCECBVI's program offer ...

, a state-operated educational facility, is in the county.

References

{{coord, 40.65, -96.14, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-NE_source:UScensus1990 Nebraska counties on the Missouri River 1855 establishments in Nebraska Territory Populated places established in 1855