Lexington is a city in Dawson 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 10,348 at the 2020 census, making it the 16th most populous city in Nebraska. It is 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 ...

of Dawson County. Lexington is located in southern Nebraska, on the Platte River, southeast of North Platte. It sits along the route of U.S. Route 30 and 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 ...

. In the 1860s, Lexington was the location of a stop along the Pony Express.

History

Lexington began as a frontier trading post in 1860.History
, City of Lexington Official Homepage The post was later destroyed. Fort Plum Creek was established near its ruins in 1864. Lexington was founded in 1871. It was originally called Plum Creek.

Plum Creek Railroad Attack

About 3.5 miles west of Lexington on U.S. Route 30, a marker identifies the place () where a band of

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. The Cheyenne comprise two Native American tribes, the Só'taeo'o or Só'taétaneo'o (more commonly spelled as Suhtai or Sutaio) and the (also spelled Tsitsistas, The term for th ...

derailed a

Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad is a 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 States after BNSF, ...

train on August 7, 1867, during construction of the

first transcontinental railroad America's first transcontinental railroad (known originally as the "Pacific Railroad" and later as the "Overland Route (Union Pacific Railroad), Overland Route") was a continuous railroad line built between 1863 and 1869 that connected the exis ...

. Boxcars were looted and burned, and three employees were killed: the engineer, the fireman, and a hand-car operator.

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

Climate

According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Lexington has a hot-summer humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfa" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Lexington was on July 11–12, 1954, while the coldest temperature recorded was on December 22, 1983.

Demographics

Lexington is the principal city of the Lexington, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area, which consists of Dawson and Gosper counties.

2020 census

The 2020 United States census counted 10,348 people, 3,531 households, and 2,609 families in Lexington. The population density was 2,041.0 per square mile (788.7/km). There were 3,731 housing units at an average density of 735.9 per square mile (284.4/km). The racial makeup was 33.38% (3,454)

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 ...

, 10.43% (1,079) black or African-American, 2.11% (218) Native American, 1.13% (117) Asian, 0.17% (18)

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 ...

, 36.76% (3,804) from other races, and 16.02% (1,658) 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 was 60.0% (6,121) of the population. Of the 3,531 households, 43.3% had children under the age of 18; 49.8% were married couples living together; 19.5% had a female householder with no husband present. 18.1% of households consisted of individuals and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.8 and the average family size was 3.3. 29.5% of the population was under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 9.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31.2 years. For every 100 females, the population had 114.5 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 121.9 males. The 2016-2020 5-year

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

estimates show that the median household income was $55,913 (with a margin of error of +/- $6,946) and the median family income $59,720 (+/- $6,835). Males had a median income of $35,099 (+/- $4,225) versus $26,953 (+/- $1,837) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $31,601 (+/- $3,983). Approximately, 10.8% of families and 14.4% 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 20.0% of those under the age of 18 and 7.9% of those ages 65 or over.

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 10,230 people, 3,180 households, and 2,320 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 3,403 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 57.9%

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 ...

, 6.6%

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 ...

, 1.2% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 0.4%

, 29.7% from other races, and 3.3% from two or more races.

or Latino people of any race were 60.4% of the population. There were 3,180 households, of which 45.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% 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, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 27.0% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.17, and the average family size was 3.70. The median age in the city was 29.4 years. 32.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.4% were from 25 to 44; 21.2% were from 45 to 64, and 9.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.7% male and 48.3% female.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 10,011 people, 3,095 households, and 2,237 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 3,322 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 64.20%

, 0.44%

, 1.17% Native American, 1.10% Asian, 0.02%

, 30.78% from other races, and 2.30% from two or more races.

or Latino people of any race were 51.15% of the population. There were 3,095 households, out of which 43.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.0% were

living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.7% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.14, and the average family size was 3.65. In the city, the population was spread out, with 32.6% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 16.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.6 males. As of 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $38,098, and the median income for a family was $43,571. Males had a median income of $25,207 versus $20,857 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 $14,148. About 10.7% of families and 12.9% of the population were below the

, including 16.1% of those under age 18 and 11.5% of those aged 65 or over.

Economy

In 1990, Iowa Beef Packers built a large beef packing plant in Lexington and currently has over 2700 employees. In 2001, this facility was sold to Tyson.

Arts and culture

The Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles is located in Lexington adjacent to I-80. The Dawson County Historical Society is a museum with the art pieces made by locals and objects such as cars, guns and household objects from former times that were owned by locals. In 2020, the Association of Religion Data Archives found that Lexington had over 6,000 adherents of Protestant denominations and over 5,000 Catholics.

Media

;Radio KRVN (AM) and KRVN-FM are in Lexington, owned by the Nebraska Rural Radio Association. The radio network (KRVN (AM), KNEB (AM), and KTIC (AM)) is owned and operated by a cooperative of farmers and ranchers, which was founded in 1948 and started KRVN in 1951. ;Newspaper Lexington is served by the biweekly ''Lexington Clipper-Herald''.

Sports

From 1956 to 1958, Lexington was home to the Lexington Red Sox, who were a

minor league baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

team. Playing at the Dawson County Fairgrounds, the Red Sox were members of Nebraska State League as an affiliate of the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

. The 1956 Lexington Red Sox captured the Nebraska State League Championship.

Transportation

Highway

Two Major US Highways serve Lexington. U.S. Route 30 is East-West through the middle of town along the UPRR and old Lincoln highway corridor. U.S. Route 283 terminates at Hwy 30 near downtown. It provides connection to Interstate 80 3 miles to the south, and points further in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Nebraska Highway 21 is state highway connecting north to Broken Bow and southwest to Eustis.

Bus

Intercity bus service to the city is provided by Burlington Trailways and Express Arrow.

Rail

There is no passenger rail service to Lexington. The Union Pacific Overland Route does pass through town, and provides freight service for local grain elevators, ethanol, and meat packing plants.

Air

Two miles northwest of town, the Lexington Airport Authority operates a general aviation airport, Jim Kelly Field.

Notable people

* Bill Barrett (1929–2016) – U.S. representative for Nebraska * Aage Brix (1894–1963) – soccer player and 1924 Olympian * Yoskar Galván-Mercado (born 2003) – soccer player * Monte Kiffin (1940–2024) –

gridiron football Gridiron football ( ),"Gridiron football"
''Encyclopædia Britannica'' ...

player and coach * Donald Roe Ross (1922–2013) – judge for the Eighth Circuit and mayor of Lexington *

Wee Willie Smith William T. "Wee Willie" Smith (April 22, 1911 – March 14, 1992) was an American professional basketball player. Career Smith played for several semi-professional leagues in the Cleveland, Ohio area before being signed by the New York Renaiss ...

(1910–1996) –

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) player *

Mick Tingelhoff Henry Michael Tingelhoff (May 22, 1940 – September 11, 2021) was an American professional football center who played for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL) from 1962 to 1978. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall o ...

(1940–2021) – NFL player * John Wightman (1938–2017) – Nebraska state politician and mayor of Lexington

References

External links

City of Lexington

White Flight in Rural America: The Case Study of Lexington, Nebraska

Lexington and You
{{authority control Cities in Nebraska Micropolitan areas of Nebraska Hispanic and Latino American culture in Nebraska Cities in Dawson County, Nebraska County seats in Nebraska Pony Express stations