Banner County, Nebraska
Banner County | |
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UTC−6 (MDT) | |
Congressional district | 3rd |
Website | bannercountyne |
Banner County is a
In the Nebraska license plate system, Banner County is represented by the prefix 85 (it had the eighty-fifth largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922).
Banner County is part of the
History
When Nebraska became a state in 1867, a single county encompassed the entire
Upon the county's organization, the settlement of Ashford was chosen as the temporary county seat. Four communities aspired to be chosen as the permanent county seat: Ashford, Harrisburg, Freeport, and Banner. Two special elections proved necessary before Harrisburg was chosen.[5]
The initial settlement of the area was by cattle ranchers, drawn by good pastures in the Pumpkin Creek valley. In the late 1880s, these open-range ranchers were displaced by an influx of settlers; by 1890, almost every quarter-section (160 acres, or 65 ha) was claimed by
The county's growth was hindered by the absence of railroads: the nearest lines ran through Kimball, 11 miles (18 km) to the south, and Gering, 8 miles (13 km) to the north. Roads were also slow to develop in the county: in 1921, only dirt roads existed. The difficulty of reaching markets tended to discourage commercial crop farming in the county.[7]
Irrigation
Rainfall in Banner County is light and variable; the average yearly precipitation at the Harrisburg weather station is 14.3 inches (360 mm).[8] Farmers responded by resorting to irrigation. The first irrigation well was drilled by the late 1920s, and others quickly followed. By the late 20th century,
ICBMs
Beginning in the early 1960s, intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), based at Warren Air Force Base near Cheyenne, Wyoming, were installed in western Nebraska, Wyoming, and Colorado. From 1960 to 1963, 90 Atlas sites were constructed in Nebraska. Construction of the launch sites, and upgrading of the roads leading to them, led to an economic boom in western Nebraska. Beginning in 1963, the Atlas series was replaced by Minuteman missiles, which used solid instead of liquid fuel, and which were launched from underground silos. In the 1970s, there were 82 Minuteman III sites in the Panhandle, of which 20 were located in Banner County.[2]
Geography
According to the US Census Bureau, the county has an area of 746 square miles (1,930 km2), of which 746 square miles (1,930 km2) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) (0.02%) is water.[12]
Banner County lies on what was once a tableland sloping away from the Rocky Mountains. Over geologic history, it was eroded by Pumpkin Creek and other watercourses, and much of the county now lies below the original High Plains level. The county can be divided into four major geographic divisions: the low-lying and relatively flat valley of Pumpkin Creek, which occupies about 40% of the county's area; a tableland, in places smooth and in others deeply dissected, occupying the southern one-third of the county; the Wildcat Hills, a highly dissected escarpment that crosses the county's northwestern portion; and a small portion of the North Platte River valley in the county's northeastern corner.[13]
Adjacent counties
The western edge of Banner County abuts the eastern border of the state of Wyoming.
- Scotts Bluff County - north
- Morrill County - east
- Cheyenne County - southeast
- Kimball County - south
- Laramie County, Wyoming - west
- Goshen County, Wyoming - northwest
Highways
- La Grange, Wyoming, passing north of Harrisburg
- Nebraska Highway 71 – runs north–south, from Kimball to Gering, passing east of Harrisburg.[14]
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1890 | 2,435 | — | |
1900 | 1,114 | −54.3% | |
1910 | 1,444 | 29.6% | |
1920 | 1,435 | −0.6% | |
1930 | 1,676 | 16.8% | |
1940 | 1,403 | −16.3% | |
1950 | 1,325 | −5.6% | |
1960 | 1,269 | −4.2% | |
1970 | 1,034 | −18.5% | |
1980 | 918 | −11.2% | |
1990 | 852 | −7.2% | |
2000 | 819 | −3.9% | |
2010 | 690 | −15.8% | |
2020 | 674 | −2.3% | |
2022 (est.) | 660 | [15] | −2.1% |
US Decennial Census[16] 1790-1960[17] 1900-1990[18] 1990-2000[19] 2010[20] |
Banner County's population peaked at 2,435 in 1890 and has since steadily declined. It is one of the least populated counties of Nebraska.
As of the
There were 311 households, out of which 30.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.10% were married couples living together, 4.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.50% were non-families. 19.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.06.
The county population contained 28.80% under the age of 18, 3.70% from 18 to 24, 24.30% from 25 to 44, 27.20% from 45 to 64, and 16.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 108.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $31,339, and the median income for a family was $41,538. Males had a median income of $25,250 versus $18,750 for females. The
Economy
About 60% of Banner County is given over to farming: chiefly winter wheat and rangeland,[22] but also
In response to groundwater depletion and drought, the Natural Resources Conservation Service has developed a system of cash incentives for farmers in the Pumpkin Creek watershed who convert irrigated cropland to dryland farming.[10]Oil was discovered in Banner County in 1919, but the deposits were too deep to be commercially viable at that time. Petroleum production in Banner County began in 1951, and peaked in 1960, when 7,000,000 barrels (1,100,000 m3) [2] was produced from 397 wells. By 2009, the number of wells had fallen to about 200;[22] but new discoveries in Weld County, Colorado prompted interest in exploring the Niobrara shale, which lies beneath western Nebraska, northeastern Colorado, and southeastern Wyoming. A 2010 sale of oil leases yielded record prices in Banner and Kimball counties.[23]
Education
Banner County is covered by a single school district, with a
Community
Census-designated place
It is the only community in Banner County and the county seat; it is one of two unincorporated county seats in Nebraska.[5]
Politics
Banner County voters are strongly Republican. In only three national elections since 1900 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate. This has only strengthened in recent years, with Republicans winning over 80% of the vote in each of the past six elections, dating back to 2000.
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2020 | 362 | 88.08% | 43 | 10.46% | 6 | 1.46% |
2016 | 357 | 88.81% | 19 | 4.73% | 26 | 6.47% |
2012 | 346 | 84.18% | 55 | 13.38% | 10 | 2.43% |
2008 | 348 | 83.65% | 62 | 14.90% | 6 | 1.44% |
2004 | 379 | 86.73% | 56 | 12.81% | 2 | 0.46% |
2000 | 390 | 84.42% | 65 | 14.07% | 7 | 1.52% |
1996 | 309 | 76.11% | 62 | 15.27% | 35 | 8.62% |
1992 | 284 | 59.17% | 68 | 14.17% | 128 | 26.67% |
1988 | 361 | 75.68% | 112 | 23.48% | 4 | 0.84% |
1984 | 457 | 87.55% | 58 | 11.11% | 7 | 1.34% |
1980 | 481 | 90.41% | 33 | 6.20% | 18 | 3.38% |
1976 | 281 | 54.78% | 210 | 40.94% | 22 | 4.29% |
1972 | 404 | 80.80% | 96 | 19.20% | 0 | 0.00% |
1968 | 350 | 71.28% | 72 | 14.66% | 69 | 14.05% |
1964 | 357 | 64.56% | 196 | 35.44% | 0 | 0.00% |
1960 | 424 | 66.77% | 211 | 33.23% | 0 | 0.00% |
1956 | 329 | 64.01% | 185 | 35.99% | 0 | 0.00% |
1952 | 484 | 77.69% | 139 | 22.31% | 0 | 0.00% |
1948 | 309 | 57.43% | 229 | 42.57% | 0 | 0.00% |
1944 | 378 | 71.05% | 154 | 28.95% | 0 | 0.00% |
1940 | 450 | 66.57% | 226 | 33.43% | 0 | 0.00% |
1936 | 277 | 42.62% | 367 | 56.46% | 6 | 0.92% |
1932 | 285 | 43.78% | 357 | 54.84% | 9 | 1.38% |
1928 | 548 | 86.30% | 81 | 12.76% | 6 | 0.94% |
1924 | 245 | 49.80% | 88 | 17.89% | 159 | 32.32% |
1920 | 258 | 72.47% | 69 | 19.38% | 29 | 8.15% |
1916 | 142 | 42.77% | 166 | 50.00% | 24 | 7.23% |
1912 | 53 | 19.41% | 56 | 20.51% | 164 | 60.07% |
1908 | 175 | 65.30% | 74 | 27.61% | 19 | 7.09% |
1904 | 155 | 81.58% | 18 | 9.47% | 17 | 8.95% |
1900 | 186 | 69.92% | 71 | 26.69% | 9 | 3.38% |
See also
- Big Horn Mountain
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Banner County, Nebraska
Notes
- ^ "Banner County, Nebraska". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f Nebraska Historic Buildings Survey—Banner County. Archived February 22, 2006, at the Wayback Machine Nebraska State Historical Society.[usurped] Retrieved June 22, 2010.
- ^ Nebraska Historic Buildings Survey—Reconnaissance Final Report of Cheyenne County, Nebraska.[usurped] Nebraska State Historical Society.[usurped] Retrieved June 22, 2010.
- ^ Fitzpatrick, Lilian Linder (1925). "Banner County". Nebraska Place-Names. Retrieved June 29, 2010.
- ^ a b "About Us". Banner County official website. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
- ^ Hayes and Bedell (1921), p. 11.
- ^ Hayes and Bedell (1921), p. 9.
- ^ "Harrisburg 10NW, Banner County, Nebraska USA". WorldClimate.com Retrieved August 31, 2010.
- ^ a b "Pumpkin Creek Basin (PCB) Sub-Area". Archived July 27, 2011, at the Wayback Machine North Platte Natural Resources District. Archived July 27, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved August 31, 2010.
- ^ a b Pope, Joanna. "Conservation Takes Pressure Off Pumpkin Creek".[permanent dead link] NRCS-Nebraska. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
- ^ Hansen, Sandra. "Lawsuit roils waters in Platte River irrigation fight". Scottsbluff Star-Herald. March 10, 2009. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
- ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". US Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
- ^ Hayes and Bedell (1921), pp. 5–6.
- ^ Nebraska Atlas & Gazetteer. Delorme; Freeport, Maine. First edition, 1996. pp. 42-43.
- ^ "QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
- ^ "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
- ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
- ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
- ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
- ^ "State & County QuickFacts". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". US Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ a b "Banner County". Scottsbluff Star-Herald. November 18, 2009. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
- ^ Jenkins, Nate. "Oil frenzy spills into Nebraska; schools get the money". Lincoln Journal-Star. June 3, 2010. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
- ^ Banner County Schools website Retrieved January 15, 2019.
- ^ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
References
- Hayes, F. A., and H. L. Bedell (1921). Soil Survey of Banner County, Nebraska. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. Retrieved November 22, 2015.