Custer County, Nebraska
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Custer County is a
county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
in the U.S. state of
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 ...
. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 10,545. Its
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 ...
is Broken Bow. The county was formed in 1877 and named after General
George Armstrong Custer George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 – June 25, 1876) was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars. Custer graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point ...
, who was killed at the Battle of Little Bighorn. In the Nebraska license plate system, Custer County is represented by the prefix 4 (it had the fourth-largest number of vehicles registered in the state when the license plate system was established in 1922).


Geography

According to the
US Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...
, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.01%) is water. In area, it is the second largest county in Nebraska, behind only Cherry County, slightly more than twice its size.


Major highways

* U.S. Highway 183 * Nebraska Highway 2 * Nebraska Highway 21 * Nebraska Highway 40 * Nebraska Highway 47 * Nebraska Highway 70 * Nebraska Highway 92


Adjacent counties

* Valley County – northeast * Sherman County – southeast * Buffalo County – southeast * Dawson County – south * Lincoln County – southwest * Logan County – west * Blaine County – northwest * Loup County – northeast


History

Custer County, named in honor of General George Armstrong Custer, was officially organized in 1877, although its settlement commenced earlier. The region was once part of the Sioux territory, but following the Indian Wars, particularly after the Battle of the Little Bighorn, the land was opened for homesteading. The first settlers arrived in the early 1870s, inspired by the promise of land through the Homestead Act of 1862. These early pioneers encountered formidable challenges like extreme weather conditions, isolation, and the task of farming in what was considered the
Great American Desert The term Great American Desert was used in the 19th century to describe the part of North America east of the Rocky Mountains to approximately the 100th meridian west, 100th meridian. It can be traced to Stephen Harriman Long, Stephen H. Long's ...
. They constructed
sod house The sod house or soddy was a common alternative to the log cabin during frontier settlement of the Great Plains of North America in the 1800s and early 1900s. Primarily used at first for animal shelters, corrals, and fences, they came into use ...
s due to the absence of timber, and settlements were strategically placed near water sources. The Burlington Railroad's extension through the county in the early 1880s significantly boosted settlement by providing a means for transportation and trade. This led to the establishment of towns like Broken Bow, which was designated as the county seat. The railroad not only facilitated the influx of settlers but also allowed for the export of agricultural products, marking the transition from cattle ranching to more diverse farming practices. Agriculture shifted from cattle ranching to diversified farming, with wheat and corn becoming prominent crops. By the dawn of the 20th century, he community had established schools, churches, and other civic institutions, marking the transition from a frontier settlement to a more organized community.


Demographics

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 11,793 people, 4,826 households, and 3,320 families in the county. 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 5,585 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.63%
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 ...
, 0.07%
Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
or
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 ...
, 0.41% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.20% from other races, and 0.55% from two or more races. 0.92% of the population were
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. 37.3% were of German, 11.9% English, 10.6% Irish and 8.9%
American ancestry In the demography of the United States, some people self-identify their ancestral origin or descent as "American", rather than the more common officially recognized racial and ethnic groups that make up the bulk of the American people. The ...
. There were 4,826 households, out of which 30.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.90% 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, 5.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.20% were non-families. 28.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.95. The county population contained 26.30% under the age of 18, 5.50% from 18 to 24, 23.50% from 25 to 44, 23.70% from 45 to 64, and 21.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 96.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.70 males. The median income for a household in the county was $30,677, and the median income for a family was $37,063. Males had a median income of $24,609 versus $19,732 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 county was $16,171. About 9.10% of families and 12.40% 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 16.20% of those under age 18 and 9.10% of those age 65 or over.


Communities


Cities

* Broken Bow (county seat) * Sargent


Villages

* Anselmo * Ansley * Arnold * Berwyn * Callaway * Comstock * Mason City * Merna * Oconto


Census-designated place

* Westerville


Unincorporated communities

* Cumro * Etna * Finchville * Gates * Lillian * Lodi * Milburn * New Helena * Round Valley *
Walworth Walworth ( ) is a district of South London, England, within the London Borough of Southwark. It adjoins Camberwell to the south and Elephant and Castle to the north, and is south-east of Charing Cross. Major streets in Walworth include the ...
* Weissert * Wescott


Townships

* Algernon * Ansley * Arnold * Berwyn * Broken Bow *
Cliff In geography and geology, a cliff or rock face is an area of Rock (geology), rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. ...
* Comstock * Corner * Custer * Delight * Douglas Grove * East Custer * Elim * Elk Creek * Garfield * Grant * Hayes * Kilfoil * Lillian * Loup * Milburn * Myrtle * Ryno * Sargent *
Spring Creek A spring creek is a type of free flowing river whose name derives from its origin: an underground Spring (hydrology), spring or set of springs which produces sufficient water to consistently feed a unique river. The water flowing in a spring cree ...
* Triumph * Victoria * Wayne * Westerville * West Union * Wood River


Politics

Custer County voters are reliably Republican. In no national election since 1936 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate.


See also

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Custer County, Nebraska


References

{{coord, 41.39, -99.73, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-NE_source:UScensus1990 Nebraska counties 1877 establishments in Nebraska Populated places established in 1877