Chadron, Nebraska
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| Chadron, Nebraska | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Nebraska |
| County | Dawes |
| Area | |
| - Total | 3.6 sq mi (9.4 km²) |
| - Land | 3.6 sq mi (9.4 km²) |
| - Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²) |
| Elevation | 3,379 ft (1,030 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 5,634 |
| - Density | 1,553.4/sq mi (599.8/km²) |
| Time zone | Mountain (MST) (UTC-7) |
| - Summer (DST) | MDT (UTC-6) |
| ZIP code | 69337 |
| Area code(s) | 308 |
| FIPS code | 31-08605[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0835519[2] |
Chadron (the Ch is pronounced as the Sh is pronounced in Shut) is a city in Dawes County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 5,634 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Dawes County[3]. Chadron is the home of Chadron State College. Chadron is the United States Forest Service headquarters of the Nebraska and Samuel R. McKelvie National Forests, and the Buffalo Gap, Fort Pierre, and Oglala National Grasslands.
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[edit] History
Chadron is named for Louis Chartran, a fur trapper who ran a trading post on Bordeaux Creek in 1841.
In 1884 the town was formally established when the Fremont, Elkhorn, and Missouri Valley Railroad passed through the area from Omaha, Nebraska en route to Wyoming and was initially named O'Linn for its founder Fannie O'Linn who building a community at the confluence of the White River (Nebraska) and Chadron Creek. The railroad instead passed a six miles away on Bordeaux Creek and the townspeople packed up the entire town -- buildings included -- and moved it to the new location.[4]
Among the founders of the town was Charles Henry King. Among the four King children born in Chadron was Leslie Lynch King, Sr., father of President Gerald Ford.
During the 1893 Chicago World's Fair Chadron was the start of the 1,000 mile Chadron-Chicago Cowboy Horse Race. Nine riders competed for the $1,000 prize to be the first to reach the entrance of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. Among the riders was former outlaw Doc Middleton. John Berry won the race in 13 days and 16 hours.[5].
Chadron State College was founded in 1911.
[edit] Geography
Chadron is located at (42.827475, -103.003074)[6] at 3,400 feet in elevation. It is surrounded by prairie grassland, broken by a ridge of lightly forested hills to the south.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.6 square miles (9.4 km²), all of it land.
[edit] Festivals/Customs
Chadron hosts an annual community celebration known as "Fur Trade Days" in honor of its origins as a fur and hide trading post for French and other settlers in the great plains during the 1800s. Chadron's Museum of the Fur Trade is the largest of its kind in the United States, attracting thousands of visitors every year.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 5,634 people, 2,187 households, and 1,150 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,553.4 people per square mile (599.3/km²). There were 2,441 housing units at an average density of 673.0/sq mi (259.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.99% White, 0.66% African American, 3.30% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 1.14% from other races, and 1.51% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.72% of the population.
There were 2,187 households out of which 24.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.0% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.4% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the city the population was spread out with 18.3% under the age of 18, 32.0% from 18 to 24, 19.9% from 25 to 44, 16.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,400, and the median income for a family was $44,420. Males had a median income of $30,353 versus $17,183 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,312. About 11.0% of families and 21.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.4% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Notable residents
- Danny Woodhead (born January 25, 1985) is an American football player. He currently is a senior in college, playing running back for Chadron State College. He is the holder of several NCAA rushing records, including single season rushing and all-time rushing, and the 2006 winner of the Harlon Hill Trophy, awarded to the best player in NCAA Division II. On October 6, 2007, he became the NCAA all-time leading rusher.
- James Dahlman was the mayor of Chadron twice in the 1880s. Later he became the eight-term Omaha mayor from 1906 to 1930.
- Leslie Lynch King, Sr., the biological father of President Gerald Ford, was born in Chadron in 1886.
- Poe Ballantine, novelist and essayist.
[edit] References
- ^ a b American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Find a County. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Chadronhistory - Chadron Chamber of Commerce - Retrieved December 24, 2007
- ^ Nebraska: A Guide to the Cornhusker State By Federal Writers' Project - 1979 - University of Nebraska Press ISBN 0803268513
- ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
[edit] External links
- Chadron, Nebraska is at coordinates Coordinates:
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