Seward is a city in
Seward County-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 16,496 people, 6,013 households, and 4,215 families residing in the county. The population density was 29 people per square mile . There were 6,428 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile...
,
NebraskaNebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is part of the
Lincoln, NebraskaThe City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
Metropolitan Statistical AreaThe Lincoln Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of two counties in Nebraska, anchored by the city of Lincoln...
. The population was 6,133 at the 2000 census. It is the
county seatA county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of
Seward County-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 16,496 people, 6,013 households, and 4,215 families residing in the county. The population density was 29 people per square mile . There were 6,428 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile...
and is known for its large
Fourth of JulyIndependence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
celebration.
Geography
Seward is located at 40°54′40"N 97°5′49"W (40.911216, -97.096972).
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...
, the city has a total area of 3.3 square miles (8.5 km²), all of it land.
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. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 6,319 people, 2,281 households, and 1,494 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...
was 1,930.9 people per square mile (746.1/km²). There were 2,415 housing units at an average density of 737.9 per square mile (285.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.97% White, 0.46% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.36% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, 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 0.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.98% of the population.
There were 2,281 households out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.6% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.5% were non-families. 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.6% under the age of 18, 20.1% from 18 to 24, 22.9% from 25 to 44, 17.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 90.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $41,264, and the median income for a family was $54,808. Males had a median income of $33,828 versus $22,231 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $17,668. About 4.1% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.
Fourth of July City
Seward has celebrated the United States' July 4
Independence DayIndependence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
almost every year since 1868. In the past, before the automobile came into general use, special trains were run to bring people to the event. In 1973, Governor
J. James ExonJohn James "Jim" Exon was an American Democratic politician. He served as the 33rd Governor of Nebraska from 1971 to 1979, and as a U.S. Senator from Nebraska from 1979 to 1997. Exon was a Nebraska Democrat who never lost an election, and the only Democrat to hold his Nebraska's Senate Class 2 seat...
issued a proclamation designating Seward "Nebraska's Official 4th of July City"; in 1976, the city was chosen to host Nebraska's July 4 celebration for the
United States BicentennialThe United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to the historical events leading up to the creation of the United States as an independent republic...
; in 1979, a resolution in the U.S. Congress named Seward "America's Official Fourth of July City—Small Town USA". Recent attendance has been estimated at about 40,000.
Education
Seward Public Schools is the only public district in the city. It operates Seward Elementary School, Seward Middle School, and Seward High School. In addition St. John Lutheran Elementary and Junior High School provides a LCMS Lutheran education and St. Vincent de Paul provides a Roman Catholic education.
Concordia University is located in Seward.