Dawson County, Nebraska

Dawson County, Nebraska
Dawson County Courthouse in Lexington
Location in the state of Nebraska
Nebraska's location in the U.S.
Founded	1871
Named for	Jacob Dawson
Seat	Lexington
Largest city	Lexington
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	1,019 sq mi (2,640 km²) 1,013 sq mi (2,623 km²) 6 sq mi (16 km²), 0.62%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	24,326 24/sq mi (9/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	http://www.dawsoncountyne.net/

Dawson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of 2010, the population was 24,326. Its county seat is Lexington.^[1]

Dawson County is part of the Lexington, Nebraska, Micropolitan Statistical Area.

In the Nebraska license plate system, Dawson County is represented by the prefix 18 (it had the eighteenth-largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922).

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,019 square miles (2,639.2 km²), of which 1,013 square miles (2,623.7 km²) is land and 6 square miles (15.5 km²) (0.62%) is water.

Major highways

• Interstate 80
• U.S. Highway 30
• U.S. Highway 283
• Nebraska Highway 21
• Nebraska Highway 23
• Nebraska Highway 40
• Nebraska Highway 47

Adjacent counties

• Buffalo County, Nebraska - (East)
• Phelps County, Nebraska - (Southeast)
• Gosper County, Nebraska - (South)
• Frontier County, Nebraska - (Southwest)
• Lincoln County, Nebraska - (West)
• Custer County, Nebraska - (North)

History

Dawson County was formed in 1860. Sources differ on the origin of its name: some hold that it was named after a Democratic Pennsylvania Congressman, John Littleton Dawson,^[2] while others believe that it was named after Jacob Dawson, an early Nebraska settler.^[3]

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1860	16		—
1870	103		543.8%
1880	2,909		2,724.3%
1890	10,129		248.2%
1900	12,264		21.1%
1910	15,961		30.1%
1920	16,004		0.3%
1930	17,875		11.7%
1940	17,890		0.1%
1950	19,393		8.4%
1960	19,405		0.1%
1970	19,771		1.9%
1980	22,304		12.8%
1990	19,940		−10.6%
2000	24,365		22.2%
2010	24,326		−0.2%

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 24,365 people, 8,824 households, and 6,273 families residing in the county. The population density was 24 people per square mile (9/km²). There were 9,805 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 82.32% White, 0.31% Black or African American, 0.67% Native American, 0.66% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 14.49% from other races, and 1.53% from two or more races. 25.36% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 32.0% were of German, 6.7% American, 6.7% Irish and 6.4% English ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 8,824 households out of which 35.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.80% were married couples living together, 7.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.90% were non-families. 24.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.21.

In the county the population was spread out with 29.20% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 27.60% from 25 to 44, 20.70% from 45 to 64, and 14.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 101.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,132, and the median income for a family was $42,224. Males had a median income of $26,865 versus $20,569 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,973. About 8.60% of families and 10.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.20% of those under age 18 and 9.20% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Cozad
• Gothenburg
• Lexington

Villages

• Eddyville
• Farnam
• Overton
• Sumner

Other place

• Willow Island

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Dawson County, Nebraska

References

1. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
2. ^ "Dawson, John L." Nebraska State Historical Society. Retrieved 2011-09-09.
3. ^ Fitzpatrick, Lilian Linder (1925). "Nebraska Place-Names". University of Nebraska Department of English. Retrieved 2011-09-09.
4. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

Coordinates: 40°52′N 99°49′W / 40.87°N 99.81°W / 40.87; -99.81