Garden County, Nebraska | |
|---|---|
 Garden County Courthouse in Oshkosh | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofNebraska | |
| Coordinates:41°37′N102°20′W / 41.62°N 102.34°W /41.62; -102.34 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Nebraska |
| Founded | 1909 |
| Named after | Garden of Eden |
| Seat | Oshkosh |
| Largest city | Oshkosh |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,731 sq mi (4,480 km2) |
| • Land | 1,704 sq mi (4,410 km2) |
| • Water | 27 sq mi (70 km2) 1.5% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 1,874 |
| • Density | 1.100/sq mi (0.4246/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (Mountain) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
| Website | gardencounty |
Garden County is acounty in theU.S. state ofNebraska. As of the2020 United States census, the population was 1,874.[1] Itscounty seat isOshkosh.[2]
In theNebraska license plate system, Garden County is represented by the prefix 77 (it had the seventy-seventh-largest number of vehicles registered in the state when the license plate system was established in 1922).
Garden County was formed in 1909 by popular vote. Voters in the general election of November 2, 1909, approved making the northern part ofDeuel County into its own county.[3] It is said the county was so named in the hope that this land should become the garden of the West or with allusion to the "Garden of Eden".[4]
The county has lost population since theGreat Depression andDust Bowl of the 1930s. The land was homesteaded for family farms that often turned out to be too small for subsistence farming under the arid conditions of the region. In the early decades of settlement by immigrants and migrants from the East, farmers did not know how to work the land on the prairies. Tons of topsoil were lost after droughts.
TheNorth Platte River runs ESE through the south part of Garden County. Since the county is in the western portion of Nebraska, its residents observeMountain Time. The eastern two-thirds portion of the state observesCentral Time.
According to theUS Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,731 square miles (4,480 km2), of which 1,704 square miles (4,410 km2) is land and 27 square miles (70 km2) (1.5%) is water.[5]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | 3,538 | — | |
| 1920 | 4,572 | 29.2% | |
| 1930 | 5,099 | 11.5% | |
| 1940 | 4,680 | −8.2% | |
| 1950 | 4,114 | −12.1% | |
| 1960 | 3,472 | −15.6% | |
| 1970 | 2,929 | −15.6% | |
| 1980 | 2,802 | −4.3% | |
| 1990 | 2,460 | −12.2% | |
| 2000 | 2,292 | −6.8% | |
| 2010 | 2,057 | −10.3% | |
| 2020 | 1,874 | −8.9% | |
| 2022 (est.) | 1,837 | −2.0% | |
| US Decennial Census[7] 1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9] 1990-2000[10] 2010[11] 2020 2022[12] | |||
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 1,874. The median age was 51.1 years. 18.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 27.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 101.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.0 males age 18 and over.[13][14]
The racial makeup of the county was 93.3% White, 0.4%Black or African American, 0.2%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%Asian, 0.1%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 2.1% from some other race, and 3.9% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 4.7% of the population.[14]
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[15]
There were 883 households in the county, of which 20.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 24.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 36.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[13]
There were 1,181 housing units, of which 25.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 69.2% were owner-occupied and 30.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.1%.[13]
As of the2000 United States census,[16] there were 2,292 people, 1,020 households, and 658 families in the county. Thepopulation density was 1.3 people per square mile (0.50 people/km2). There were 1,298 housing units at an average density of 0.8 units per square mile (0.31/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.34%White, 0.13%Black orAfrican American, 0.26%Native American, 0.26%Asian, 0.52% fromother races, and 0.48% from two or more races. 1.44% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race. 43.5% were ofGerman, 10.0%Irish, 9.6%American and 9.2%English ancestry.
There were 1,020 households, out of which 24.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.90% weremarried couples living together, 6.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.40% were non-families. 32.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.77.
The county population contained 21.80% under the age of 18, 4.60% from 18 to 24, 22.70% from 25 to 44, 27.00% from 45 to 64, and 24.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 94.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $26,458, and the median income for a family was $32,546. Males had a median income of $21,495 versus $17,000 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $15,414. About 10.80% of families and 14.80% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 22.00% of those under age 18 and 8.70% of those age 65 or over.
Like much of theNebraska Panhandle, Garden County has been a Republican-leaning county since the late 20th century. It was one of only two counties thatBen Nelson failed to carry in 1994.[17] In Presidential elections, the last Democratic candidate to carry the county wasFranklin D. Roosevelt, in1932.[18] As part ofNebraska's 3rd congressional district, Garden County has been represented by Republicans since 1961.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 136 | 15.94% | 282 | 33.06% | 435 | 51.00% |
| 1916 | 306 | 32.01% | 598 | 62.55% | 52 | 5.44% |
| 1920 | 924 | 66.24% | 421 | 30.18% | 50 | 3.58% |
| 1924 | 725 | 46.68% | 459 | 29.56% | 369 | 23.76% |
| 1928 | 1,470 | 77.82% | 404 | 21.39% | 15 | 0.79% |
| 1932 | 768 | 38.21% | 1,204 | 59.90% | 38 | 1.89% |
| 1936 | 996 | 49.63% | 986 | 49.13% | 25 | 1.25% |
| 1940 | 1,351 | 64.73% | 736 | 35.27% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1944 | 1,248 | 69.76% | 541 | 30.24% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 923 | 64.01% | 519 | 35.99% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 1,457 | 81.03% | 341 | 18.97% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 1,167 | 77.70% | 335 | 22.30% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 1,376 | 76.36% | 426 | 23.64% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 1,106 | 66.43% | 559 | 33.57% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 1,120 | 78.60% | 206 | 14.46% | 99 | 6.95% |
| 1972 | 1,161 | 85.05% | 204 | 14.95% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1976 | 928 | 64.36% | 445 | 30.86% | 69 | 4.79% |
| 1980 | 1,297 | 82.09% | 202 | 12.78% | 81 | 5.13% |
| 1984 | 1,158 | 85.71% | 180 | 13.32% | 13 | 0.96% |
| 1988 | 986 | 72.39% | 366 | 26.87% | 10 | 0.73% |
| 1992 | 697 | 53.49% | 212 | 16.27% | 394 | 30.24% |
| 1996 | 851 | 65.61% | 279 | 21.51% | 167 | 12.88% |
| 2000 | 963 | 79.00% | 203 | 16.65% | 53 | 4.35% |
| 2004 | 970 | 81.99% | 201 | 16.99% | 12 | 1.01% |
| 2008 | 844 | 74.17% | 283 | 24.87% | 11 | 0.97% |
| 2012 | 829 | 75.99% | 242 | 22.18% | 20 | 1.83% |
| 2016 | 869 | 80.84% | 153 | 14.23% | 53 | 4.93% |
| 2020 | 1,016 | 84.67% | 161 | 13.42% | 23 | 1.92% |
| 2024 | 949 | 84.73% | 162 | 14.46% | 9 | 0.80% |
Places adjacent to Garden County, Nebraska | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofGarden County, Nebraska,United States | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
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