Merna is a village in Custer 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 363 at the 2010 census.

History

Merna was founded in the 1880s about the time the railroad was extended to that point. It was named Merna in honor of the young daughter of the first postmaster.

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. Recently, Merna was at the center of a geological controversy regarding a depression in the land several miles west of town in the

Loess Hills The Loess Hills are a formation of wind-deposited loess soil in the westernmost parts of Iowa and Missouri, and the easternmost parts of Nebraska and Kansas, along the Missouri River. Geology The Loess (, , or ) Hills are generally located be ...

. Originally called the Bartak Depression after the owners of the land, it was redubbed the ''Merna Crater'' by

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Two branch campuses are in the Kansas City metropolitan area on the Kansas side: the university's medical school and hospital ...

geology professor Wakefield Dort, Jr. Further research showed the crater to be more likely formed by wind and water erosion, but memories of the flurry of importance in the small town remain.

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 363 people, 151 households, and 110 families living 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 174 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% from other races, and 1.1% 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 1.4% of the population. There were 151 households, of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.9% 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, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 27.2% were non-families. 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.87. The median age in the village was 40.2 years. 27.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.6% were from 25 to 44; 30.1% were from 45 to 64; and 13.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 391 people, 157 households, and 116 families living in the village. The population density was . There were 176 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 98.47%

, 0.51%

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 ...

, 0.51% Native American, 0.26% from other races, and 0.26% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.28% of the population. There were 157 households, out of which 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.3% were

living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.1% were non-families. 24.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.96. In the village, the population was spread out, with 29.2% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males. As of 2000 the median income for a household in the village was $31,250, and the median income for a family was $36,406. Males had a median income of $27,083 versus $18,958 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 $15,474. About 10.1% of families and 13.5% 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 22.2% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.

References

{{authority control Villages in Custer County, Nebraska Villages in Nebraska