Columbus, Nebraska
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Columbus, Nebraska | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| Motto: City of Power and Progress | |
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| Coordinates: 41°25′58″N 97°21′31″W / 41.43278°N 97.35861°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Nebraska |
| County | Platte |
| Area | |
| - Total | 9.2 sq mi (23.7 km2) |
| - Land | 9.0 sq mi (23.2 km2) |
| - Water | 0.2 sq mi (0.5 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,447 ft (441 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 20,971 |
| - Density | 2,337.3/sq mi (902.4/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP codes | 68601-68602 |
| Area code(s) | 402 |
| FIPS code | 31-10110[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0828280[2] |
Columbus is a city in Platte County, Nebraska, United States, 80 miles (148 km) west by north of Omaha on the Loup River, a short distance above the confluence with the Platte. The population was 20,971 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Platte County.[3]
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[edit] History
The site of Columbus was settled by the Columbus Town Company on May 28, 1856. The group took its name from Columbus, Ohio, where most of the settlers had originally lived. The townsite was selected for its location on the proposed route of the transcontinental railroad. Just west of the Columbus site, the Town of Pawnee City had established a ferry across the Loup; the two companies consolidated in July 1856.[4] (The settlement on the Loup should not be confused with the current Pawnee City, Nebraska, which is in the southeast corner of the state in Pawnee County).
In 1858, the Platte County Commissioners passed an act of incorporation making Columbus a town;[5] at this time there were 16 citizens. It became the county seat in that same year.[4]
Growth of the town was slow until 1863. In that year, construction began in Omaha on the transcontinental railroad. The Homestead Act, passed the previous year, attracted a host of settlers to the Plains and gave rise to increased emigrant traffic business. The ferry across the Loup was replaced by a seasonal pontoon bridge, used in the summer and taken up in the winter.[4] The railroad reached Columbus in June 1866, at which time the city's population was about 75.[5]
George Francis Train's Credit Foncier of America once built a hotel in the city, along with Train's 7,000 acres (28 km2) in the city.[6] Called the "Credit Foncier," the hotel was moved to Columbus from the town of Cleveland, Nebraska in 1868. With so much land in the city, Train freely predicted a great future for Columbus.[7] He is credited with writing newspaper articles and delivering speeches in the Eastern United States in which he promoted the town, calling it, "Columbus, the new center of the Union and quite probably the future capital of the U.S.A."[8]
William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody frequently visited the city. In 1883, it was the site of the first full-dress rehearsal of Buffalo Bill's Wild West show before its opening in Omaha.[9]
In 1900, 3,522 people lived in Columbus, Nebraska; in 1910, 5,014; and in 1940, 7,632.
[edit] Geography
Columbus is located at 41°25′58″N 97°21′31″W / 41.43278°N 97.35861°W (41.432785, -97.358530)[10]. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.2 square miles (23.8 km²), of which 9.0 square miles (23.2 km²) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.5 km²) (2.07%) is water.
Major bodies of water in and near Columbus include the Platte River, Loup River, Lake North, Lake Babcock, and the Loup Canal. Several historic trails traversed the city, including the Great Platte River Road. It is located 62 miles (100 km) from Grand Island, 45 miles (72 km) from Norfolk and Fremont, 80 miles (130 km) from Omaha, and 75 miles (121 km) from Lincoln. The city is served by the Columbus Municipal Airport, which has two paved runways.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 20,971 people, 8,302 households, and 5,562 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,337.3 people per square mile (902.7/km²). There were 8,818 housing units at an average density of 982.8/sq mi (379.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.19% White, 1.45% African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.49% from other races, and 1.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.65% of the population.
There were 8,302 households out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.2% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $38,874, and the median income for a family was $48,669. Males had a median income of $30,980 versus $22,063 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,345. About 4.5% of families and 6.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.7% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Economy
Columbus's economy is based on agriculture and manufacturing, with many industrial companies attracted by cheap, plentiful hydroelectric power. Among the major employers are Archer Daniels Midland, which runs a corn milling plant; Appleton Electric; Central Confinement Service; Vishay, formerly Dale Electronics; Becton Dickinson, a medical equipment company; Behlen Manufacturing, a maker of steel buildings, grain bins, and the Behlen Country line of agricultural equipment; and the Nebraska Public Power District, which is headquartered in Columbus.
[edit] Education
[edit] Central Community College
The Central Community College at Columbus is located four miles (6 km) northwest of the city. Its athletic teams are the Raiders.[11]
[edit] High Schools
Columbus has three high schools. The largest is Columbus High School, with 1,100 students. Its mascot is the Discoverers.[12] Lakeview High School is the high school for the rural community. It is located just north of Lake Babcock, and its mascot is the Vikings. Scotus Central Catholic High School is a Catholic school named after John Duns Scotus; it serves grades 7 through 12. Its mascot is the Shamrocks.[13]
[edit] Columbus Public Schools
Columbus Public Schools in in charge of the middle school and the elementary schools. There are 5 elementary schools in the Columbus Public Schools District[14] including Centennial, West Park, North Park, Lost Creek, and Emerson along with the Columbus High School and Columbus Middle School. The district has gone under several closings concerning elementary schools within the past 10 years, most recently the nearby Duncan Elementary School, which had been in the district since 1967.[15]
[edit] Attractions
The Andrew Jackson Higgins National Memorial in Pawnee Park features a life-sized replica of a Higgins boat with bronze statues of soldiers exiting into the sand. The memorial includes sand samples from 58 beaches of historic significance: D-Day beaches of World War II, and beaches in Korea and Vietnam. The site is also home to the Freedom Memorial, which incorporates steel from the remains of the World Trade Center, destroyed by terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.[16]
Glur's Tavern is the oldest tavern west of the Missouri River still in operation. The tavern was patronized by "Buffalo Bill" Cody during his frequent visits to Columbus.[17]
Agricultural Park, operated by the Platte County Agricultural Society, hosts a number of events at Agricultural Park. The Platte County Fair is held there annually.[18] Live thoroughbred horse racing takes place at the park every year from late July through mid-September; races from other tracks are simulcast throughout the year.[19]
U.S. 30 Speedway stages weekly stock-car races from April to September.[19]
[edit] Local Media
Columbus has one newspaper, the Columbus Telegram. The newspaper is published six days a week.[20]
There are 6 radio stations in Columbus. KTLX at FM 91.9 is a religious station; KKOT at FM 93.5 plays classic hits. KZEN at FM 100.3 broadcasts country music; the station is licensed in Central City, but the studio is in Columbus. KLIR at FM 101.1 plays adult contemporary music; KJSK at AM 900 is a news talk station; and KTTT at AM 1510, which is a talk radio station.
Columbus has one low power TV station, KCAZ at LP 57, a Spanish language station that is available over the air and not on cable.
[edit] Notable residents
Columbus is the birthplace of Andrew Jackson Higgins, creator/designer of the Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel (LCVP), or Higgins boat, used during World War II.
Noteworthy current or former residents of Columbus include U. S. Senator Chuck Hagel, actor Brad William Henke, former professional baseball player Saul Soltero, former professional boxer Leon Spinks, three time world speed climbing champion Guy German, and NFL football players Cory Schlesinger and Chad Mustard.
Tony Raimondo, chairman of Behlen Manufactring, was initially selected in 2003 for the new federal post of assistant secretary for manufacturing in the Commerce Department. Raimondo withdrew his name from consideration following controversy over Behlen's operations in China[21]; and, according to Robert Novak, because of opposition from Senator Chuck Hagel arising from Raimondo's support of Democrat Ben Nelson over Republican Hagel in the 1996 senatorial election.[22] In 2008, Raimondo ran as a Democrat for the open U.S. Senate seat to be vacated by Hagel; he came in second in the Democratic primary with 25% of the vote, behind Scott Kleeb with 69%. [23]
[edit] References
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ a b c Evans, Marion Reeder (1936). "80 Years of Progress". Columbus 1856-1936. The Art Printery. p. 5.
- ^ a b Platte County, Part 2. Andreas' History of the State of Nebraska. Retrieved 2009-12-13.
- ^ Larsen, L.H., Cottrell, B.J., Dalstrom, H.A. and Dalstrom, K.C. (2007) Upstream Metropolis: An Urban Biography of Omaha and Council Bluffs. University of Nebraska Press. p 152.
- ^ "Platte County, Part 5." Andreas' history of Nebraska. Retrieved 2008-04-10.
- ^ Howard, R.W. (1962) The Great Iron Trail: The Story of the First Transcontinental Railroad. Putnam. p. 206.
- ^ "Buffalo Bill's Wild West, 1883". Nebraska State Historical Society. Retrieved 2009-12-13.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Central Community College-Columbus. Retrieved 2008-04-11.
- ^ Columbus High School. Retrieved 2008-04-11.
- ^ Scotus Central Catholic Jr.-Sr. High School. Retrieved 2008-04-11.
- ^ Columbus Public Schools. Retrieved 2009-03-24.
- ^ "School marks final days with open house" Columbus Telegram. 2008-05-21. Retrieved 2009-03-24.
- ^ Higgins Memorial. Retrieved 2008-04-11.
- ^ Frear, Shelley. "Buffalo Bill's Columbus Adventure". True West Magazine. 2006-07-01. Retrieved 2009-12-14.
- ^ "Ag Park History." Platte County Agricultural Society. Retrieved 2009-12-12.
- ^ a b "Family Fun." Columbus/Platte County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Retrieved 2009-12-12.
- ^ Columbus Telegram official website. Retrieved 2008-04-11.
- ^ "Raimondo no longer up for post". Columbus Telegram. 2004-03-12. Retrieved 2009-12-12.
- ^ Novak, Robert. "The Raimondo fiasco". 2004-03-18. Retrieved 2009-12-12.
- ^ "Nebraska - Summary Vote Results". Omaha World-Herald. Elections Section. 2008-05-20. Retrieved 2009-12-12.
[edit] External links
- Columbus, Nebraska is at coordinates 41°25′58″N 97°21′31″W / 41.432785°N 97.35853°WCoordinates: 41°25′58″N 97°21′31″W / 41.432785°N 97.35853°W
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