Monowi, Nebraska

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An aerial view of Monowi, NE.

Monowi is a village located in Boyd County, Nebraska. 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 Elsie Eiler as the only remaining resident. According to the United States Census Bureau, only 4 places in the United States had a population of one person in 2000: Erving's Location, New Hampshire; New Amsterdam, Indiana; Hibberts, Maine; and Lost Springs, Wyoming.

Monowi's peak years were in the 1930s, when it had a population of 130. Due to growing cities that offered more lucrative jobs, Monowi, like many other small towns in the Great Plains, lost its younger residents to the big cities.

Although nearly abandoned, the town does have the 5000-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 away as 80 miles.

Elsie and "Rudy's Library" were shown on the Today show on May 31st, 2005.

Elsie and the "Monowi Tavern" were featured on CBS Sunday Morning on October 29th, 2006.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Geography

Monowi is located at 42°49'44" North, 98°19'45" West (42.828970, -98.329141)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 0.5 km² (0.2 mi²), none of which is covered by water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there is one married couple living in the territory. Both are white and above 65, their median age is 67 years. The income for this household is $11,250, or $6,167 per capita. The population density is 3.7/km² (9.4/mi²). There are 4 housing units at an average density of 7.4/km² (18.8/mi²).