Kimball is a city in and the

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 ...

Kimball County, Nebraska Kimball County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 3,434. Its county seat is Kimball. The county was formed in 1888 and named after railroad pioneer Thomas Lord Kimball. In the ...

, United States. The population was 2,290 at the 2020 census.

History

Kimball was originally called Antelopeville, and under the latter name was established ''circa'' 1870 when the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

was extended to that point. It initially consisted of a telegraph and coal station with a siding and section house. It was renamed in 1885 in honor of

Thomas Lord Kimball Thomas Lord Kimball (October 1, 1831 – October 9, 1899) was an American railroad executive. Born in Buxton, Maine, he worked various jobs before becoming an agent of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company in 1860. He was appointed to various posit ...

, a railroad official. Kimball was incorporated in 1888.

Geography

Kimball is located in the southwestern Panhandle. 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 city has a total area of , all land. Kimball declares itself as "The High Point of Nebraska!", as the highest point in the state is approximately from the city.

Panorama Point Panorama Point is the highest natural point in Nebraska, at an elevation of above sea level. It is located in southwestern Kimball County, near the point where Nebraska and Wyoming meet on Colorado's northern boundary. Despite its name and el ...

, above sea level, is located at N 41 degrees 00.461 minutes, W 104 degrees 01.883 minutes. It is marked by a small monument. However, Kimball itself is not the Nebraska town with the highest elevation: that status belongs to Harrison, at .

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 2,496 people, 1,110 households, and 651 families living in the city. 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 1,278 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.8%

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 ...

, 0.2%

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 ...

, 1.5% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

, 1.6% from other races, and 2.5% 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 7.1% of the population. There were 1,110 households, of which 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.9% 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, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.4% were non-families. 36.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age in the city was 44.8 years. 23.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20% were from 25 to 44; 26.2% were from 45 to 64; and 23.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.8% male and 51.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,559 people, 1,110 households, and 700 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,210 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.25%

, 0.35%

, 1.06% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.39% from other races, and 1.80% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 3.52% of the population. There were 1,110 households, out of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.8% were

living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.9% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.84. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.1% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 23.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.4 males. As of 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $29,984, and the median income for a family was $37,273. Males had a median income of $29,222 versus $18,198 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 city was $18,762. About 7.9% of families and 10.2% 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 12.6% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.

Climate

Kimball, like much of western Nebraska, has a climate on the border between

humid continental Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation, dew, or fog to be present. Humidity depe ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Dfa''/''Dfb''/''Dwa''/''Dwb'') and cool semi-arid (''BSk''). The climate is characterised by cold and extremely variable winters that can range from quite warm days due to

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 to bitter cold under the influence of Arctic air from Canada. Spring is also variable, but heats up gradually, and features frequent thunderstorms that make this the wettest time of year, whilst summer is very warm to hot and can range from extremes of heat and drought to cooler weather with heavy rainfall. The fall season is drier than the spring and gradually cools down, although warm spells due to the chinook are always possible.

Economy

The Kimball Wind Farm was upgraded from 10.5 to 30MW in 2018. Its annual power generation capacity is sufficient for approximately 11,000 homes. A number of small oil and gas producers are based in Kimball.

Media

The weekly Western Nebraska Observer, serving Kimball and Banner counties, is published in Kimball.

Parks and recreation

Kimball has two parks: City Park and Gotte Park. The latter includes the municipal swimming pool. The 18-hole Four Winds Golf Course is also operated by the city parks and recreation department.

Transportation

Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one of the ori ...

runs east–west, just south of Kimball; there is an exit for the city. U.S. Route 30 runs east–west through the city. Nebraska Highway 71 runs north–south through Kimball. The Kimball Airport Authority operates a

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...

airport with one long runway south of the city. The Kimball County Shuttle provides public transportation. The shuttle is equipped for wheelchair accessibility.Kimball County Shuttle.
Retrieved 2013-11-08.

Notable people

Arthur L. Miller Arthur Lewis Miller (May 24, 1892 – March 16, 1967) was a Nebraska United States Republican Party, Republican politician. Born on a farm near Plainview, Nebraska, he graduated from the Plainview High School in 1911. He then taught rural schoo ...

, Congressman and Mayor of Kimball 1933-34

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities in Nebraska Cities in Kimball County, Nebraska County seats in Nebraska