Thurston County, Nebraska
Thurston County | |
|---|---|
 Location within the U.S. state of Nebraska | |
 Nebraska's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 42°10′N 96°33′W / 42.16°N 96.55°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Nebraska |
| Founded | 1865 |
| Seat | Pender |
| Largest city | Pender |
| Area | |
| • Total | 396 sq mi (1,026 km2) |
| • Land | 394 sq mi (1,020 km2) |
| • Water | 2 sq mi (6 km2) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 7,171 |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
Thurston County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of 2000, the population was 7,171. Its county seat is PenderTemplate:GR.
In the Nebraska license plate system, Thurston County is represented by the prefix 55 (it had the fifty-fifth-largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922).
The Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska (Ho-Chunk) and the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska have reservations in Thurston County. Together, these two reservations officially comprise the entire land area of the county.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 396 square miles (1,026 km²), of which, 394 square miles (1,020 km²) of it is land and 2 square miles (6 km²) of it (0.62%) is water. The land area of the county is completely comprised from the Omaha and Winnebago Indian reservations.
Adjacent counties
- Dakota County, Nebraska - north
- Woodbury County, Iowa - northeast
- Monona County, Iowa - east
- Burt County, Nebraska - southeast
- Cuming County, Nebraska - southwest
- Wayne County, Nebraska - west
- Dixon County, Nebraska - northwest
Places adjacent to Thurston County, Nebraska | ||||||||||||||||
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History
Thurston County was formed in 1865. It was named after the US Senator John M. Thurston. [1]
Demographics
| Thurston County Population by decade | |
|
1870 - 31 | |
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 7,171 people, 2,255 households, and 1,725 families residing in the county. The population density was 18 people per square mile (7/km²). There were 2,467 housing units at an average density of 6 per square mile (2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 45.77% White, 0.15% Black or African American, 52.03% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.77% from other races, and 1.23% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.43% of the population. 25.9% were of German ancestry according to Census 2000. The villages of Emerson, Rosalie, Pender, and Thurston are predominantly white, while the villages of Macy, Walthill, and Winnebago are predominantly Native American.
There were 2,255 households out of which 40.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.60% were married couples living together, 19.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.50% were non-families. 21.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.14 and the average family size was 3.64.
In the county the population was spread out with 36.80% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 23.90% from 25 to 44, 17.70% from 45 to 64, and 13.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 99.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $28,170, and the median income for a family was $30,893. Males had a median income of $24,792 versus $20,481 for females. The per capita income for the county was $10,951. About 19.30% of families and 25.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.60% of those under age 18 and 14.70% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
Thurston was the only Nebraska county with a majority voting for the Democratic presidential candidate (John Kerry) in 2004. Also Thurston County was one of the four counties in Nebraska voted for Barack Obama at the US Presidential election in 2008.
Villages and census-designated place
Townships
References
External links
Municipalities and communities of Thurston County, Nebraska, United States | ||
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| Villages |  | |
| CDP | ||
| Townships | ||
| Indian reservations | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
