Columbus is a city in
Platte CountyPlatte County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of 2000, the population was 31,662. Its county seat is Columbus.In the Nebraska license plate system, Platte County is represented by the prefix 10 .-Geography:According to the U.S...
,
NebraskaNebraska is a state located on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha....
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, 80 miles (148 km) west by north of
OmahaOmaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
on the
Loup RiverThe Loup River is a tributary of the Platte River, approximately long, in central Nebraska in the United States. The river drains a sparsely populated rural agricultural area on the eastern edge of the Great Plains southeast of the Sandhills...
, a short distance above the confluence with the
PlatteThe Platte River is a river in the Western United States, approximately long. It is a tributary of the Missouri River, which in turn is a tributary of the Mississippi River. The Platte is one of the most significant river systems in the watershed of the Missouri, draining a large portion of the...
. In
1900The twelfth United States Census, conducted by the Census Bureau on 1 June 1900, determined the resident population of the United States to be 76,212,168, an increase of 21.0 percent over the 62,979,766 persons enumerated during the 1890 Census....
, 3,522 people lived in Columbus, Nebraska; in
1910The Thirteenth United States Census, conducted by the Census Bureau on April 15, 1910, determined the resident population of the United States to be 92,228,496, an increase of 21.0 percent over the 76,212,168 persons enumerated during the 1900 Census...
, 5,014; and in
1940The Sixteenth United States Census, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 132,164,569, an increase of 7.3 percent over the 1930 population of 123,202,624 persons. The census date was April 1, 1940...
, 7,632. The population was 20,971 at the
2000 censusThe Twenty-Second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
. It is the
county seatA county seat is a term for an administrative center for a county or civil parish, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there...
of
Platte CountyPlatte County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of 2000, the population was 31,662. Its county seat is Columbus.In the Nebraska license plate system, Platte County is represented by the prefix 10 .-Geography:According to the U.S...
. Eccentric Union Pacific promoter
George Francis TrainGeorge Francis Train was a businessman, author, and an eccentric figure in American and Australian history.-Biography:...
once referred to the city as, "Columbus, the new center of the Union and quite probably the future capital of the U.S.A."
Columbus is home to the oldest tavern in the west, called Glur's Tavern.
Columbus is a city in
Platte CountyPlatte County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of 2000, the population was 31,662. Its county seat is Columbus.In the Nebraska license plate system, Platte County is represented by the prefix 10 .-Geography:According to the U.S...
,
NebraskaNebraska is a state located on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha....
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, 80 miles (148 km) west by north of
OmahaOmaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
on the
Loup RiverThe Loup River is a tributary of the Platte River, approximately long, in central Nebraska in the United States. The river drains a sparsely populated rural agricultural area on the eastern edge of the Great Plains southeast of the Sandhills...
, a short distance above the confluence with the
PlatteThe Platte River is a river in the Western United States, approximately long. It is a tributary of the Missouri River, which in turn is a tributary of the Mississippi River. The Platte is one of the most significant river systems in the watershed of the Missouri, draining a large portion of the...
. In
1900The twelfth United States Census, conducted by the Census Bureau on 1 June 1900, determined the resident population of the United States to be 76,212,168, an increase of 21.0 percent over the 62,979,766 persons enumerated during the 1890 Census....
, 3,522 people lived in Columbus, Nebraska; in
1910The Thirteenth United States Census, conducted by the Census Bureau on April 15, 1910, determined the resident population of the United States to be 92,228,496, an increase of 21.0 percent over the 76,212,168 persons enumerated during the 1900 Census...
, 5,014; and in
1940The Sixteenth United States Census, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 132,164,569, an increase of 7.3 percent over the 1930 population of 123,202,624 persons. The census date was April 1, 1940...
, 7,632. The population was 20,971 at the
2000 censusThe Twenty-Second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
. It is the
county seatA county seat is a term for an administrative center for a county or civil parish, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there...
of
Platte CountyPlatte County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of 2000, the population was 31,662. Its county seat is Columbus.In the Nebraska license plate system, Platte County is represented by the prefix 10 .-Geography:According to the U.S...
. Eccentric Union Pacific promoter
George Francis TrainGeorge Francis Train was a businessman, author, and an eccentric figure in American and Australian history.-Biography:...
once referred to the city as, "Columbus, the new center of the Union and quite probably the future capital of the U.S.A."
History
Columbus is home to the oldest tavern in the west, called Glur's Tavern. Buffalo Bill Cody would often come here when he was in the area. Columbus is the birthplace of Andrew Jackson Higgins, creator/designer of the Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel (LCVP), or Higgins boat used during World War II. There is a memorial in his honor at Pawnee Park. Famous one-time residents of Columbus include U. S. Senator
Chuck HagelCharles Timothy "Chuck" Hagel is a former United States Senator from Nebraska. A member of the Republican Party, he was first elected in 1996 and was reelected in 2002. On 10 February 2009, he was elected as Chairman of the Atlantic Council of the United States, succeeding General James L...
,
Johnny CarsonJohn William “Johnny” Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987...
's parents, actor
Brad William HenkeBrad William Henke is an American actor who starred in October Road and in the movies Around June with Samaire Armstrong and Jon Gries, The Amateurs with Jeff Bridges and Tim Blake Nelson, In the Valley of Elah with Tommy Lee Jones and Charlize Theron, and Choke with Sam Rockwell and Anjelica Huston...
, former pro baseball player Saul Soltero, former pro boxer
Leon SpinksLeon Spinks is an American former boxer. He had an overall record of 26 wins, 17 losses and 3 draws as a professional, with 14 knockout wins. While still an amateur, he also became a member of the United States Marine Corps. Spinks went from being heavyweight champion of the world to being...
, three time world speed climbing champion Guy German, and NFL football players
Cory SchlesingerCory Schlesinger is a former American football fullback of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the sixth round of the 1995 NFL Draft...
and
Chad MustardChad Mustard is a former American football tight end and offensive tackle of the National Football League. He was signed by the Omaha Beef as an street free agent in 2003...
.
Buffalo BillWilliam Frederick " Buffalo Bill" Cody was an American soldier, bison hunter and showman. He was born in the Iowa Territory , near Le Claire. He was one of the most colorful figures of the American Old West, and mostly famous for the shows he organized with cowboy themes...
frequently visited the city and it was the site for the first full dress rehearsal of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show which formally opened a couple days later in Omaha.
George Francis TrainGeorge Francis Train was a businessman, author, and an eccentric figure in American and Australian history.-Biography:...
's
Credit Foncier of AmericaCredit Foncier of America was a late 1800s financing and real estate company in Omaha, Nebraska. The company existed primarily to promote the townsites along the Union Pacific railroad, and was incorporated by a special act of the Nebraska Legislature in 1866...
once built a hotel in the city, along with Train's in the city. Called the "Credit Foncier," the hotel was moved to Columbus from the town of Cleveland, Nebraska in 1868. With so much land in the city, Train freely predicted a great future for Columbus. He is credited with writing newspaper articles and delivering speeches in the
Eastern United StatesThe Eastern Half of The United States, the American East, or simply the East is traditionally defined as the states east of the Mississippi River...
in which he promoted the town, calling it, "Columbus, the new center of the Union and quite probably the future capital of the U.S.A."
Geography
Columbus is located at (41.432785, -97.358530). According to the
United States Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...
, the city has a total area of 9.2 square miles (23.8 km²), of which, 9.0 square miles (23.2 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.5 km²) of it (2.07%) is water.
The major bodies of water in Columbus include the
Platte RiverThe Platte River is a river in the Western United States, approximately long. It is a tributary of the Missouri River, which in turn is a tributary of the Mississippi River. The Platte is one of the most significant river systems in the watershed of the Missouri, draining a large portion of the...
,
Loup RiverThe Loup River is a tributary of the Platte River, approximately long, in central Nebraska in the United States. The river drains a sparsely populated rural agricultural area on the eastern edge of the Great Plains southeast of the Sandhills...
, Lake North, Lake Babcock and Loup Power Canal. Several historic trails traversed the city, including the
Great Platte River RoadThe Great Platte River Road was the convergence point for the Trapper's Trail, the Oregon Trail, the Mormon Trail, the California Trail, the Pony Express route, and the military road from Fort Leavenworth to Fort Laramie across Nebraska. The Road, which extended from the Second Fort Kearny to Fort...
. It is located from
Grand IslandGrand Island is a city in and the county seat of Hall County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 42,940 at the 2000 census, with an estimated 44,802 in July, 2007....
, from
NorfolkNorfolk is a city in Madison County, Nebraska, United States, 113 miles northwest of Omaha and 83 miles west of Sioux City at the intersection of U.S. Routes 81 and 275. The population was 22,940 [as the 10th largest city in Nebraska at the 2000 census...
and
FremontFremont is a city in and the county seat of Dodge County, Nebraska, United States, near Omaha in the eastern part of the state. The population was 25,174 at the 2000 census. The Fremont neighborhood of Seattle, Washington is named after the hometown of two of its founders, L. H. Griffith and E...
, from
OmahaOmaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
, and from
LincolnThe City of Lincoln is the capital and the second most populous city of the U.S. state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska...
. The city is served by the
Columbus Municipal AirportColumbus Municipal Airport is a public airport located one mile northeast of the central business district of Columbus, in Platte County, Nebraska, United States...
, which has two paved runways.
Demographics
As of the
censusA "census" is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
of 2000, there were 20,971 people, 8,302 households, and 5,562 families residing in the city. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key term used in geography....
was 2,337.3 people per square mile (902.7/km²). There were 8,818 housing units at an average density of 982.8/sq mi (379.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.19% White, 1.45% African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.49% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.65% of the population.
There were 8,302 households out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...
living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.2% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $38,874, and the median income for a family was $48,669. Males had a median income of $30,980 versus $22,063 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone. Per capita income is usually reported in units of currency per year...
for the city was $18,345. About 4.5% of families and 6.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.7% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Columbus bills itself as a "City of Power and Progress" and features an economy based on agriculture and manufacturing, with many industrial companies attracted by cheap, plentiful hydroelectric power. Among the major employers are
Archer Daniels MidlandThe Archer Daniels Midland Company , is a conglomerate based in Decatur, Illinois. ADM operates more than 270 plants worldwide, where cereal grains and oilseeds are processed into products used in food, beverage, nutraceutical, industrial and animal feed markets worldwide.ADM also provides...
, which runs a corn milling plant;
Appleton Electric;
Central Confinement Service;
Vishay (formerly Dale Electronics);
Becton DickinsonBecton, Dickinson and Company , is a medical technology company that manufactures and sells medical devices, instrument systems and reagents. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, BD does business in nearly 50 countries with its 27,000 employees...
, a medical equipment company;
Behlen Manufacturing, a maker of steel buildings, grain bins, and the Behlen Country line of agricultural equipment (whose Chairman, Tony Raimondo, was a 2003 candidate for the then new federal post of assistant secretary for manufacturing in the
Commerce DepartmentThe United States Department of Commerce is the Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with promoting economic growth. It was originally created as the United States Department of Commerce and Labor on February 14, 1903...
before his nomination was withdrawn); and the
Nebraska Public Power DistrictNebraska Public Power District is the larger of the two electric utilities in the state of Nebraska, serving all or parts of 91 counties...
, which is headquartered in Columbus.
High Schools
Columbus has three high schools, including Columbus High School, which is the largest with 1,100 students. Their mascot is the Discoverers. Lakeview High School is the high school for the rural community. Its location is in front of Loup Power District's Lake Babcock, and its mascot is the Vikings.
Scotus Central Catholic High SchoolScotus Central Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Columbus, Nebraska. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha.-General Information:Scotus Central Catholic is located in Columbus, Nebraska...
is a Catholic school named after John Duns Scotus, and serves grades 7 through 12. Their mascot is the Shamrocks.
Central Community College
The
Central Community College at ColumbusThe Central Community College at Columbus, Nebraska is located four miles northwest of the city.Their mascot is the Raiders.- National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium :Central Community College is a NAFTC's Training Center....
is located four miles (6 km) northwest of the city. Their mascot is the Raiders.
Columbus Public Schools
Columbus Public Schools in in charge of the middle school and the elementary schools. There are 5 elementary schools in the Columbus Public Schools District including Centennial, West Park, North Park, Lost Creek, and Emerson along with the Columbus High School and Columbus Middle School. The district has gone under several closings concerning elementary schools within the past 10 years, most recently the nearby Duncan Elementary School, which had been in the district since 1967.
Attractions
Agricultural Park is home to the Columbus Races every year from the end of July to the middle of September. Post times are 6:30 PM on Fridays and Saturdays and 2:00 PM on Sundays and Labor Day. Live racing in 2009 on the 5/8 mile dirt track is from July 24 to September 7. Admission is free. Horse racing fans can also enjoy year-round simulcasting from numerous tracks across the country from Thursday to Sunday in the air-conditioned clubroom. The Columbus Races are simulcast at Horsemen's Park in Omaha, State Fair Park in Lincoln, Fonner Park in Grand Island, Horsemen's Atokad Downs in South Sioux City, Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa, and Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minnesota.
Visit
Agricultural Park for a complete simulcasting schedule.
The Andrew Jackson Higgins National Memorial features a life-sized replica of a Higgins Boat with bronze statues of soldiers exiting into the sand. The memorial features sand samples from 58 D-Day beaches of World War II, Korea and Vietnam. It is also home to the Freedom Memorial which features steel from the remains of the World Trade Center that was destroyed on September 11, 2001. The remains are the only left from the World Trade Center.
There are 2 stock car race tracks in the area.
- Butler County Motorplex: a 3/8 mile high banked clay oval that races every Friday night April-September. Hosts IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, IMCA Hobby Stocks, and IMCA sport compacts. Special events such as 360 sprint cars, midget sprint cars (Kornhusker Midget Classic), Nebraska Hobby Stock Nationals, and the Spec Late Model Racing Series. www.butlercountymotorplex.com
- U.S 30 Speedway.
Local Media
Columbus has 6 radio stations, including KTLX at FM 91.9, which is a religious station; KKOT at FM 93.5, which plays
classic hitsClassic hits is a radio format which generally includes rock and pop music from the late 1960s to the early 1980s. The term is sometimes erroneously used as a synonym for the adult hits format, but is more accurately characterized as a contemporary style of the oldies format...
;
KZENKZEN is a radio station broadcasting a Country music format. Licensed to Central City, Nebraska, USA, the station serves the Columbus and Grand Island areas. The station is currently owned by Three Eagles Communications and features programing from ABC Radio ....
at FM 100.3, which is a
countryIn geography, a country is a geographical region. The term is often applied to a political division or the territory of a state, or to a smaller, or former, political division of a geographical region...
; their studios are in Columbus, with a station licensed in
Central CityCentral City is a city in Merrick County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Grand Island, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,998 at the 2000 census...
.
KLIRKLIR is a radio station licensed to serve Columbus, Nebraska, USA. The station is owned by Three Eagles Communications and the license is held by Three Eagles of Columbus, Inc...
at FM 101.1 plays adult contemporary music, and
KJSKKJSK is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format. Licensed to Columbus, Nebraska, USA. The station is currently owned by Three Eagles of Columbus, Inc...
at AM 900 is a news talk station, along with KTTT at AM 1510, which is a
talk radioTalk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
station.
Columbus has one low power TV station, KCAZ at LP 57, which is a Spanish language station that is available over the air and not on cable. The city also has one newspaper, called the
Columbus Telegram.
External links