Exeter is a village in Fillmore County,

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 516 at the 2020 census.

History

In 1870, Dr. Horace Greeley Smith and his wife filed a homestead claim at the site of present-day Exeter. In an earlier scouting trip, Smith had determined that the site would lie near the line of the

Burlington and Missouri River Railroad The Burlington and Missouri River Railroad (B&MR) or sometimes (B&M) was an American railroad company incorporated in Iowa in 1852, with Burlington Headquarters Building, headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska. It was developed to build a railroad acros ...

as it extended itself westward. In the fall of 1871, the Burlington and Missouri was completed through Fillmore County. To promote settlement along its line, the railroad established towns at intervals. Towns were named alphabetically as the railroad ran westward from Lincoln. In eastern Fillmore County, a town was established on land donated by Smith and by James Dolan. One of the families that had settled in the area had come from

Exeter, New Hampshire Exeter is a New England town, town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. Its population was 16,049 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county ...

, and it was proposed that the town be given that name. It was adopted, as being in keeping with the alphabetical sequence:

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

, Dorchester, Exeter, Fairmont, Grafton,

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

, Inland, Juniata, Kenesaw, and Lowell. The railroad advertised the availability of free government land in Nebraska, bringing settlers from the eastern United States, and Czech, German, English, Irish, and Scandinavian immigrants. The town's growth was initially slow, but hastened in the late 1870s. In 1878, two large

grain elevator A grain elevator or grain terminal is a facility designed to stockpile or store grain. In the grain trade, the term "grain elevator" also describes a tower containing a bucket elevator or a pneumatic conveyor, which scoops up grain from a lowe ...

s were built and a number of businesses opened; the town's first newspaper, the ''Enterprise'', was established in that year. In 1879, the town was incorporated; by that time, it had sixteen businesses.

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 , all land.

Education

Exeter and the neighboring village of Milligan form part of the Exeter-Milligan School District.

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 591 people, 236 households, and 151 families residing 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 283 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 98.6%

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 ...

, 0.3% Native American, 0.7% from other races, and 0.3% from two or more races.

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 were 3.6% of the population. There were 236 households, of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% 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, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.0% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.00. The median age in the village was 44.7 years. 25% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.5% were from 25 to 44; 29% were from 45 to 64; and 20.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 48.1% male and 51.9% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 712 people, 276 households, and 171 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 297 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 98.17%

, 0.28% Native American, 0.14% Asian, and 1.40% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.56% of the population. There were 276 households, out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% were

living together, 4.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.7% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.15. In the village, the population was spread out, with 27.0% under the age of 18, 3.8% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 22.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.1 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 $34,286, and the median income for a family was $45,234. Males had a median income of $30,547 versus $17,019 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 $16,438. About 4.3% of families and 9.1% 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 ...

, including 13.7% of those under age 18 and 15.1% of those age 65 or over.

Parks and recreation

Exeter's city park, also known as Gilbert's Park, is located at 110 E. Maplewood Street. The Aquatic Center, built in 2009, is also located in the park. The park has playground equipment, a ball field, volleyball court, horseshoe pits, and picnic facilities. Exeter also has four neighborhood mini parks located throughout the city with tennis and basketball courts at Edgar Recreation Center in the center of the community. Annual events include the Easter Egg hunt in the spring, the Firemen's BBQ and Street Dance in the summer and holiday activities in November and December. Summer recreation abounds with league play in softball and baseball for many age groups. Youth can also participate in 4-H, Boy and Girl Scouts, church schools, day camps, and summer reading programs.

Religion

Exeter has three churches: the Exeter Methodist Community Church, the United Church of Christ, and St. Stephen's Catholic Church.

Notable people

* Richard A. Dier, United States federal judge * Theodore C. Diers, Wyoming state representative and senator * Jeff Zeleny, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist,

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

correspondent *Donald Trauger, nuclear scientist, Worked on

Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was a research and development program undertaken during World War II to produce the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States in collaboration with the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the ...

, Former director of

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is a federally funded research and development centers, federally funded research and development center in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1943, the laboratory is sponsored by the United Sta ...

, Author of Horse Power to Nuclear Power

References

Misa, Thomas J.
"Building Transcontinental Railroads".
I

Retrieved November 3, 2011.
Retrieved November 3, 2011.
Retrieved November 3, 2011. Retrieved November 3, 2011. Harre, Henrietta.
"Exeter, Fillmore County".Nebraska... Our Towns.
Retrieved November 3, 2011. Fitzpatrick, Lilian Linder (1925).
"Nebraska Place-Names".
University of Nebraska Department of English. Retrieved November 3, 2011.
Retrieved November 3, 2011. Retrieved November 3, 2011.

External links

Village of Exeter website

Village of Exeter blog

Exeter-Milligan High School at GreatSchools.org
* http://www.neded.org/files/research/stathand/bsect5b.htm {{authority control Villages in Fillmore County, Nebraska Villages in Nebraska