- Monowi, Nebraska
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Monowi, Nebraska — Village — Population sign seen as one enters Monowi from the east
Location of Monowi, Nebraska
Detailed map of Monowi
Coordinates: 42°49′44″N 98°19′45″W / 42.82889°N 98.32917°WCoordinates: 42°49′44″N 98°19′45″W / 42.82889°N 98.32917°W Country 
United StatesState 
NebraskaCounty Boyd Area - Total 0.2 sq mi (0.6 km2) - Land 0.2 sq mi (0.6 km2) - Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) Elevation 1,329 ft (405 m) Population (2010) - Total 1 - Density 5/sq mi (1.7/km2) Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6) - Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5) FIPS code 31-32550[1] GNIS feature ID 0831379[2] Monowi (
/ˈmɒnɵwaɪ/ mon-o-wy) is a village in Boyd County, Nebraska, United States. The village is notable because according to the 2010 census, it has a population of just one person.[3] The only remaining resident of the village is Elsie Eiler.Contents
Overview
Rudy's Library
Monowi's peak years were in the 1930s, when it had a population of 150.[4] Like many other small communities in the Great Plains, it lost its younger residents to cities that were experiencing growth and offering better jobs. During the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 2; only one married couple, Rudy and Elsie Eiler, lived there. Mr. Eiler died in 2004, leaving his wife as the only remaining resident. In this capacity, she acts as Mayor, granting herself a liquor license and paying taxes to herself. She is required to produce a municipal road plan every year in order to secure state funding for the village's four street lights.[5]
Although the village is nearly abandoned, it does have the 5,000-volume Rudy's Library, founded in memory of Mr. Eiler and maintained by Mrs. Eiler. In addition, Mrs. Eiler runs a tavern in Monowi and draws regular customers from as far as 80 miles away. Elsie and "Rudy's Library" were shown on the Today show on May 31, 2005.
Elsie and the "Monowi Tavern" were featured on CBS Sunday Morning on October 29, 2006, and again on August 12, 2007.
Elsie, the village, the tavern, and library were featured on an episode of Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy, where Larry announced on a radio show that he was having a hotdog roast that very day to help raise money for Elsie's village. Within an hour people began to arrive and over a thousand people showed up for the roast to help Elsie. It aired April 12 and May 7, 2011, on The History Channel.
Geography
Monowi is located at 42°49′44″N 98°19′45″W / 42.82889°N 98.32917°W (42.828970, -98.329141).[6]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2), all land.
Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there was one married couple living in the village. Both were white and above 65, and their median age was 67 years. Their household income was $11,250, or $6,167 per capita. The population density was 9.4 people per square mile (3.7/km²). There were 4 housing units at an average density of 18.8 per square mile (7.4/km²).
Education
The area is zoned to Lynch Public Schools in Lynch.[7]
See also
- List of places with fewer than ten people
References
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ US Census Bureau. "American FactFinder". http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_PL/P1/1600000US3132550. Retrieved 2011-04-13.
- ^ Macuha, Marhgil. "Elsie Eiler, The Lone Resident of Monowi Town in Nebraska". Batangas Today. http://www.batangastoday.com/elsie-eiler-the-lone-resident-of-monowi-town-in-nebraska/12707/.
- ^ Reid, Tim (19 February 2005). "Introducing the mayor of Monowi: (population: 1)". The Times. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article516099.ece. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ^ "Schools in Lynch Public Schools." SchoolDigger. Retrieved on July 21, 2011. See map.
External links
- The Times: Introducing the mayor of Monowi: (population: 1)
- Los Angeles Times: Pop.: 1 Plus 5,000 Volumes
- Yahoo! News: Spirit of 5,000-book library enlivens ghostly hamlet of 1 (archive)
- The Sunday World-Herald: State's Smallest Town Holds Onto Status (written while Rudy Eiler was still alive)
- The Observer: Population 1: the town that's been reclaimed by the prairie
Municipalities and communities of Boyd County, Nebraska County seat: Butte Villages 
Townships Categories:- Populated places in Boyd County, Nebraska
- Villages in Nebraska
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