West Pointis a city in and thecounty seatofCuming County, Nebraska,United States.[3]The population was 3,504 at the2020 census.[4]
West Point, Nebraska | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view of water tower in West Point, NE | |
 Logo | |
 Location of West Point, Nebraska | |
| Coordinates:41°50′17″N96°42′21″W/ 41.83806°N 96.70583°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Nebraska |
| County | Cuming |
| Area | |
• Total | 2.85 sq mi (7.39 km2) |
| • Land | 2.84 sq mi (7.35 km2) |
| • Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,404 ft (428 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 3,500 |
| • Density | 1,232.39/sq mi (475.88/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6(Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5(CDT) |
| ZIP code | 68788 |
| Area code | 402 |
| FIPS code | 31-52575 |
| GNISfeature ID | 838328[2] |
| Website | ci.west-point.ne.us |
History
editWest Point was founded in the spring of 1857, when Omaha businessmen formed the Nebraska Settlement Association in order to find suitable townsites in the Elkhorn Valley. Uriah, John, and Andrew Bruner (three brothers originally from Pennsylvania), and William Sexauer chose the present location on a bend along a river, which they called New Philadelphia.[5]The name was soon changed to West Point because it was the westernmost outpost along the valley.[6]
West Point became the county seat of Cuming County on October 12, 1858, after winning the election over the community of DeWitt. A total of 19 votes were split between the two towns with West Point obtaining 12 votes. By the spring of 1859, over 4,000 Pawnee natives flooded the Elkhorn Valley during a hunting excursion and, displeased to find white settlers in the valley, burned several homesteads and killed livestock. The so-called Pawnee War ended near Battle Creek without a fight.
West Point grew slowly at first, but with the coming of the railroad in 1870, it boomed to a population of over 700.
By the mid-1970s, the future of railroad service came into question. TheChicago & North Westerntracks had been experiencing declining freight traffic volumes. Revenue railroad service ended in spring of 1982, when flooding from the Elkhorn River damaged sections of the track. With freight traffic declining and flooding damage, the C&NW filed a request with the Interstate Commerce Commission to abandon the line. Permission was granted a short time later, leaving the tracks with a dismal future. Plans were made to revive railroad service from the newly formedFremont & Elkhorn Valley Railroad,who purchased the abandoned C&NW track. However, the costs were too high to revive railroad service, and the tracks were removed in 1988.[citation needed]
On August 26, 2019, theDHHSannounced that the city's water was unsafe to drink after a year of complaints from citizens of the town. The maximum safe level ofmanganesefor infants had been exceeded by over 700 micrograms per mL.[7]
Geography
editAccording to theUnited States Census Bureau,the city has a total area of 2.73 square miles (7.07 km2), of which 2.72 square miles (7.04 km2) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2) is water.[8]West Point lies on the eastern bank of theElkhorn River.
Climate
edit| Climate data for West Point, Nebraska (1991–2020, extremes 1892–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 69 (21) |
75 (24) |
92 (33) |
100 (38) |
105 (41) |
108 (42) |
113 (45) |
111 (44) |
105 (41) |
96 (36) |
84 (29) |
75 (24) |
113 (45) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 53.8 (12.1) |
59.2 (15.1) |
73.7 (23.2) |
83.3 (28.5) |
90.4 (32.4) |
94.7 (34.8) |
95.4 (35.2) |
93.6 (34.2) |
90.6 (32.6) |
85.0 (29.4) |
70.5 (21.4) |
56.3 (13.5) |
97.2 (36.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 30.4 (−0.9) |
35.1 (1.7) |
47.7 (8.7) |
60.3 (15.7) |
71.3 (21.8) |
81.3 (27.4) |
85.0 (29.4) |
82.7 (28.2) |
76.4 (24.7) |
63.5 (17.5) |
47.7 (8.7) |
34.6 (1.4) |
59.7 (15.4) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 20.5 (−6.4) |
24.8 (−4.0) |
36.7 (2.6) |
48.5 (9.2) |
60.3 (15.7) |
70.8 (21.6) |
74.8 (23.8) |
72.3 (22.4) |
64.2 (17.9) |
51.0 (10.6) |
36.8 (2.7) |
25.1 (−3.8) |
48.8 (9.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 10.7 (−11.8) |
14.5 (−9.7) |
25.6 (−3.6) |
36.7 (2.6) |
49.3 (9.6) |
60.3 (15.7) |
64.5 (18.1) |
61.8 (16.6) |
52.0 (11.1) |
38.6 (3.7) |
25.9 (−3.4) |
15.6 (−9.1) |
38.0 (3.3) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −11.6 (−24.2) |
−5.8 (−21.0) |
4.8 (−15.1) |
21.3 (−5.9) |
34.0 (1.1) |
47.0 (8.3) |
52.0 (11.1) |
50.0 (10.0) |
36.4 (2.4) |
22.5 (−5.3) |
9.4 (−12.6) |
−4.6 (−20.3) |
−15.2 (−26.2) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −38 (−39) |
−33 (−36) |
−22 (−30) |
3 (−16) |
20 (−7) |
36 (2) |
41 (5) |
39 (4) |
22 (−6) |
5 (−15) |
−14 (−26) |
−27 (−33) |
−38 (−39) |
| Averageprecipitationinches (mm) | 0.69 (18) |
0.86 (22) |
1.66 (42) |
3.41 (87) |
4.20 (107) |
5.23 (133) |
3.31 (84) |
3.91 (99) |
3.02 (77) |
2.14 (54) |
1.34 (34) |
1.04 (26) |
30.81 (783) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 5.9 (15) |
7.6 (19) |
4.1 (10) |
1.8 (4.6) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.5 (1.3) |
2.6 (6.6) |
6.3 (16) |
28.9 (73) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 6.1 | 6.0 | 7.6 | 10.2 | 12.6 | 11.3 | 9.5 | 9.0 | 8.4 | 7.5 | 5.6 | 6.0 | 99.8 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 4.6 | 4.2 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 1.6 | 4.1 | 18.1 |
| Source:NOAA[9][10] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
edit| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 14 | — | |
| 1870 | 520 | 3,614.3% | |
| 1880 | 1,009 | 94.0% | |
| 1890 | 1,842 | 82.6% | |
| 1900 | 1,890 | 2.6% | |
| 1910 | 1,776 | −6.0% | |
| 1920 | 2,002 | 12.7% | |
| 1930 | 2,225 | 11.1% | |
| 1940 | 2,510 | 12.8% | |
| 1950 | 2,658 | 5.9% | |
| 1960 | 2,921 | 9.9% | |
| 1970 | 3,385 | 15.9% | |
| 1980 | 3,609 | 6.6% | |
| 1990 | 3,250 | −9.9% | |
| 2000 | 3,660 | 12.6% | |
| 2010 | 3,364 | −8.1% | |
| 2020 | 3,504 | 4.2% | |
| 2021 (est.) | 3,473 | [11] | −0.9% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[12] | |||
2010 census
editAs of thecensus[13]of 2010, there were 3,364 people, 1,432 households, and 899 families living in the city. Thepopulation densitywas 1,236.8 inhabitants per square mile (477.5/km2). There were 1,580 housing units at an average density of 580.9 per square mile (224.3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 87.7%White,0.3%African American,0.4%Native American,0.3%Asian,0.1%Pacific Islander,10.3% fromother races,and 1.0% from two or more races.HispanicorLatinoof any race were 16.8% of the population.
There were 1,432 households, of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% weremarried couplesliving together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.2% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.97.
The median age in the city was 43.2 years. 25.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.9% were from 25 to 44; 25.6% were from 45 to 64; and 22.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.1% male and 51.9% female.
2000 census
editAs of thecensusof 2000, there were 3,660 people, 1,432 households, and 946 families living in the city. The population density was 1,479.2 inhabitants per square mile (571.1/km2). There were 1,552 housing units at an average density of 627.3 per square mile (242.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 92.02%White,0.22%African American,0.41%Native American,0.16%Asian,5.74% fromother races,and 1.45% from two or more races.HispanicorLatinoof any race were 12.02% of the population.
There were 1,432 households, out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.7% weremarried couplesliving together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.1% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 23.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.
As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $32,616, and the median income for a family was $38,702. Males had a median income of $27,981 versus $20,774 for females. Theper capita incomefor the city was $19,053. About 5.4% of families and 9.0% of the population were below thepoverty line,including 8.9% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.
Education
editThe school district isWest Point Public Schools.[14]
Notable people
edit- Lawrence Bruner,internationally recognized entomologist from theUniversity of Nebraska.
- Richard C. Hunter,U.S. SenatorfromNebraska
- Eldon Johnson,Oregonstate legislator.
- Martin E. Marty,religious scholar.
- Karl H. Timmermann,who led the initial assault on theLudendorff Bridge at Remagen,and was the first American officer to cross theRiver Rhineinto Germany during WWII.
- Edward K. Valentine,formerU.S. RepresentativeandSergeant at Arms of the U.S. Senate
- Tim Walz,Governor of Minnesota,formerU.S. Representative,and 2024Democraticnominee forVice President of the United States.[15]
References
edit- ^"ArcGIS REST Services Directory".United States Census Bureau.RetrievedSeptember 18,2022.
- ^abU.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: West Point, Nebraska
- ^"Find a County".National Association of Counties.RetrievedJune 7,2011.
- ^"U.S. Census website".United States Census Bureau.RetrievedJune 19,2022.
- ^"West Point, Cuming County".Center for Advanced Land Management Information Technologies.University of Nebraska.RetrievedAugust 4,2014.
- ^Chicago and North Western Railway Company (1908).A History of the Origin of the Place Names Connected with the Chicago & North Western and Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railways.p. 138.
- ^Omaha."Bottled or filtered water recommended after high manganese levels found in West Point water".RetrievedAugust 29,2019.
- ^"US Gazetteer files 2010".United States Census Bureau.Archived fromthe originalon January 25, 2012.RetrievedJune 24,2012.
- ^ "NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data".National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.RetrievedNovember 14,2021.
- ^ "Station: W PT, NE".U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991–2020).National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.RetrievedNovember 14,2021.
- ^"City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2021".United States Census Bureau. May 16, 2022.RetrievedJune 19,2022.
- ^United States Census Bureau."Decennial Census of Population and Housing".RetrievedJune 19,2022.
- ^"U.S. Census website".United States Census Bureau.RetrievedJune 24,2012.
- ^"2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Cuming County, NE"(PDF).U.S. Census Bureau.RetrievedNovember 7,2024.-Text
- ^DeLetter, Emily."Tim Walz career timeline: From high school teacher to Kamala Harris' vice-presidential pick".USA TODAY.RetrievedAugust 6,2024.