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Valley County, Nebraska facts for kids

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Valley County
Valley County Courthouse in Ord
Valley County Courthouse in Ord
Map of Nebraska highlighting Valley County
Location within the U.S. state of Nebraska
Map of the United States highlighting Nebraska
Nebraska's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Nebraska
Founded 1871 (formed)
1873 (organized)
Seat Ord
Largest city Ord
Area
 • Total 570 sq mi (1,500 km2)
 • Land 568 sq mi (1,470 km2)
 • Water 2.4 sq mi (6 km2)  0.4%%
Population
 • Estimate 
(2017)
4,209
 • Density 7.4/sq mi (2.9/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 3rd

Valley County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 4,260. Its county seat is Ord.

In the Nebraska license plate system, Valley County is represented by the prefix 47 (it had the 47th-largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922).

History

Valley County was formed in 1871 and organized in 1873. Its name derives from the local terrain: much of the county consists of valley land lying between the North and Middle Loup Rivers.

On June 12, 2010, the privately owned Bredthauer Dam broke due to heavy rain, flooding rural Valley County and the village of North Loup. Major flooding occurred in the village, with water "eight inches deep and running down Main Street." North Loup was evacuated for the flood's duration.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 570 square miles (1,500 km2), of which 568 square miles (1,470 km2) is land and 2.4 square miles (6.2 km2) (0.4%) is water.

Major highways

  • N-11.svg Nebraska Highway 11
  • N-22.svg Nebraska Highway 22
  • N-58.svg Nebraska Highway 58
  • N-70.svg Nebraska Highway 70

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1880 2,324
1890 7,092 205.2%
1900 7,339 3.5%
1910 9,480 29.2%
1920 9,823 3.6%
1930 9,533 −3.0%
1940 8,163 −14.4%
1950 7,252 −11.2%
1960 6,590 −9.1%
1970 5,783 −12.2%
1980 5,633 −2.6%
1990 5,169 −8.2%
2000 4,647 −10.1%
2010 4,260 −8.3%
2017 (est.) 4,209 −1.2%
US Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2013

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 4,647 people, 1,965 households, and 1,298 families in the county. The population density was 8 people per square mile (3/km2). There were 2,273 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile (2/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.15% White, 0.15% Black or African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.80% from other races, and 0.41% from two or more races. 1.61% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,965 households, out of which 28.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.70% were married couples living together, 5.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.90% were non-families. 31.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.93.

The county population contained 24.70% under the age of 18, 4.80% from 18 to 24, 22.60% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 24.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 91.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $27,926, and the median income for a family was $35,571. Males had a median income of $25,224 versus $17,217 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,996. About 10.10% of families and 12.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.30% of those under age 18 and 12.70% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

  • Ord (county seat)

Villages

Unincorporated communities

Townships

  • Arcadia
  • Davis Creek
  • Elyria
  • Enterprise
  • Eureka
  • Geranium
  • Independent
  • Liberty
  • Michigan
  • Noble
  • North Loup
  • Ord
  • Springdale
  • Vinton
  • Yale

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Valley (Nebraska) para niños

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