Wilber is a city in Saline County,

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

, United States. The population was 1,855 at the 2010 census. It is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of Saline County. Wilber is the official "

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places * Czech, ...

Capital of the USA" and hosts an annual Czech festival in August. Wilber's school is the Wilber-Clatonia High School.

History

Wilber was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bear ...

ted in 1873 by C. D. Wilber, and named for him. In 1878, the seat of Saline County was transferred to Wilber from Pleasant Hill. Wilber, Nebraska

Wilber was declared the official Czech Capital of the United States on July 10, 1987, in a decree signed by president

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

. Wilber hosts the annual Czech Days festival which celebrates the city's Czech heritage. Wilber-NE-MCB

Geography

Wilber is located at (40.481838, -96.962376). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 1,855 people, 696 households, and 449 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 782 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 90.5%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 1.8%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.6% Native American, 1.8%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.4%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, 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 the original p ...

, 3.6% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.3% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 10.8% of the population. There were 696 households, of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.5% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% 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 3.01. The median age in the city was 38.8 years. 25% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.9% were from 25 to 44; 23.2% were from 45 to 64; and 17.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.6% male and 50.4% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,761 people, 728 households, and 457 families living in the city. The

was 1,960.2 people per square mile (755.5/km). There were 795 housing units at an average density of 884.9 per square mile (341.1/km). The racial makeup of the city was 97.33%

, 0.06% Native American, 0.85%

, 0.11%

, 1.14% from

, and 0.51% from two or more races.

of any race were 1.82% of the population. There were 728 households, out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.8% were

living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.2% were non-families. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.97. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.7% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 17.7% from 45 to 64, and 22.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.1 males. As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $36,513, and the median income for a family was $45,556. Males had a median income of $31,000 versus $21,824 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $18,249. About 4.4% of families and 7.6% 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 t ...

, including 8.3% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

Dana Altman Dana Dean Altman (born June 16, 1958) is an American college basketball coach who is the head coach of the Oregon Ducks men's team. Previously he was head coach at Creighton, Kansas State and Marshall. Altman has won conference coach of the y ...

, head men's basketball coach at the University of Oregon * C. L. Edson, newspaper columnist, humorist, and poet *

Steve Hokuf Stephen Melvin Hokuf (September 26, 1910 – July 1, 2000) was an American football player and coach. He played college football at the University of Nebraska and professionally in the National Football League (NFL) as a quarterback and fullbac ...

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

player *

Russ Karpisek Russ Karpisek (born July 20, 1966) is a politician from the U.S. state of Nebraska. He served in the Nebraska Legislature from 2007 to 2015. Early life and career Karpisek was born on July 20, 1966, in Friend, Nebraska, and graduated from Wi ...

, Nebraska legislator *

Laurence Wild Laurence Wild (May 1, 1890 – May 26, 1971) was a United States Navy Captain, college basketball player and coach, and the governor of American Samoa from August 8, 1940 to June 5, 1942. Wild was born in Wilber, Nebraska, and lived in the 4th Co ...

, 1913 NCAA Men's Basketball All-American, former head coach for the

Navy Midshipmen men's basketball The Navy Midshipmen men's basketball team represents the United States Naval Academy, in Annapolis, Maryland, in NCAA Division I college basketball. The team competes in the Patriot League and plays its home games in Alumni Hall.

, and 30th

Governor of American Samoa This is a list of governors, etc. of the part of the Samoan Islands (now comprising American Samoa) under United States administration since 1900. From 1900 to 1978 governors were appointed by the Federal government of the United States. Since ...

References

{{Authority control Cities in Saline County, Nebraska Cities in Nebraska County seats in Nebraska Czech-American culture in Nebraska Populated places established in 1873 1873 establishments in Nebraska