Ogallala 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 ...
of
Keith County, Nebraska
Keith County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 8,335. Its county seat is Ogallala, Nebraska, Ogallala.
In the Vehicle registration plates of Nebraska, Nebr ...
, United States.
The population was 4,878 at the
2020 census, up from 4,737 at the
2010 census. In the days of the
Nebraska Territory, the city was a stop on the
Pony Express and later along the
transcontinental railroad
A transcontinental railroad or transcontinental railway is contiguous rail transport, railroad trackage that crosses a continent, continental land mass and has terminals at different oceans or continental borders. Such networks may be via the Ra ...
. The
Ogallala Formation that carries the
Ogallala Aquifer was named after the city.
History
Ogallala first was founded a terminus for
cattle drives that traveled from
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
to the
Union Pacific railhead located there. These trails are known as the
Western or Great Western trails. The Union Pacific Railroad reached Ogallala on May 24, 1867. The city itself was not laid out until 1875 and not incorporated until 1884 The town's name comes from the
Oglala Sioux tribe.
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.
Ogallala is in the US
Mountain Time Zone
The Mountain Time Zone of North America keeps time by subtracting seven hours from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) when standard time ( UTC−07:00) is in effect, and by subtracting six hours during daylight saving time ( UTC−06:00). The ...
(UTC−7/-6).
Ogallala is close to
Lake McConaughy, a large man-made lake and a state recreation area with sandy beaches, boating and swimming. The
South Platte River runs through Ogallala.
Climate
Ogallala has a dry
humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
(
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 ...
''Cfa''), bordering on
cold semi-arid and a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa) with an annual average precipitation of . Winters are cold, while summers are hot and often stormy. Precipitation is greatest in the late spring and summer, with winter being the driest part of the year.
Demographics
2020 census
The
2020 United States census counted 4,878 people, 2,300 households, and 1,082 families in Ogallala. The population density was 983.5 per square mile (379.9/km). There were 2,429 housing units at an average density of 489.7 per square mile (189.2/km). The racial makeup was 88.42% (4,313)
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 ...
, 0.37% (18)
black or African-American, 0.47% (23)
Native American, 0.55% (27)
Asian, 0.1% (5)
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 ...
, 3.87% (189) from
other races, and 6.21% (303) 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 9.0% (436) of the population.
Of the 2,300 households, 22.5% had children under the age of 18; 36.2% were married couples living together; 31.2% had a female householder with no husband present. 44.3% of households consisted of individuals and 20.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.9 and the average family size was 2.7.
19.6% of the population was under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 22.1% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 21.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.5 years. For every 100 females, the population had 94.4 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 94.3 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 $45,508 (with a margin of error of +/- $8,969) and the median family income $61,422 (+/- $6,719). Males had a median income of $37,220 (+/- $7,286) versus $26,419 (+/- $2,208) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $31,090 (+/- $3,246). Approximately, 12.1% of families and 20.7% 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 24.5% of those under the age of 18 and 23.2% 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 4,737 people, 2,100 households, and 1,298 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 2,397 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.6%
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 ...
, 0.2%
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 ...
, 0.6%
Native American, 0.4%
Asian, 2.2% from
other races, and 2.0% 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 7.5% of the population.
There were 2,100 households, of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.0% were
married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.2% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.85.
The median age in the city was 43.7 years. 23.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.4% were from 25 to 44; 28.3% were from 45 to 64; and 20.1% 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
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 2000, there were 4,930 people, 2,052 households, and 1,339 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 2,314 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.45%
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 ...
, 0.02%
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 ...
, 0.87%
Native American, 0.22%
Asian, 1.68% from
other races, and 0.75% 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 4.79% of the population.
There were 2,052 households, out of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were
married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.7% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.5% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.0 males.
As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $32,141, and the median income for a family was $39,688. Males had a median income of $27,436 versus $18,292 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 $17,674. About 5.0% of families and 7.8% 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 9.3% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.
Arts and culture
Point of interest
The Ogallala post office contains an oil-on-canvas mural, titled ''Long Horns'', painted in 1938 by
Frank Mechau. Murals were produced from 1934 to 1943 in the United States through the
Section of Painting and Sculpture, later called the
Section of Fine Arts, of the
Treasury Department.
Education
Public schools
Ogallala is served by the Ogallala Public School District
* High School—Ogallala High School
* Elementary and Middle School—Prairie View School (grade PK-8)
Private schools
* St. Paul's Lutheran School (PreK-5)
* St. Luke's Catholic School (PreK-5)
Media
Radio
*
KOGA (AM) (930 AM) Adult Standards/MOR
*
KOGA-FM (99.7 FM) Classic Rock
* KMCX (106.5 FM) Hot Country
Newspaper
* ''Keith County News'' (bi-weekly)
Infrastructure
Transportation
Intercity bus service to the city is provided by
Burlington Trailways and
Express Arrow. Within the city, Ogallala Public Transit provides
dial-a-ride service.
Notable people
*
John Lanigan – longtime morning radio host at
WMJI in Cleveland;
National Radio Hall of Fame inductee
*
Ken Schilz – Nebraska state senator
*
Thomas Shanahan – United States federal judge
In popular culture
The 1985 novel ''
Lonesome Dove'' is partially set in Ogallala, as is the 1989 ''
Lonesome Dove'' miniseries.
References
External links
City of Ogallala*
{{Authority control
Cities in Nebraska
Cities in Keith County, Nebraska
County seats in Nebraska
Populated places established in 1875
Pony Express stations
1875 establishments in Nebraska