| Valentine, Nebraska | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| Main Street | |
| Nickname(s): America's Heart City[1] | |
| Location of Valentine, Nebraska | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Nebraska |
| County | Cherry |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.0 sq mi (5.2 km2) |
| • Land | 2.0 sq mi (5.2 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 2,582 ft (787 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 2,820 |
| • Density | 1,401.1/sq mi (541.0/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 69201 |
| Area code(s) | 402 |
| FIPS code | 31-49950[2] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0834323[3] |
Valentine is a city in Cherry County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 2,820 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Cherry County.[4]
In 2007, National Geographic Adventure magazine included Valentine in its list of the best ten wilderness towns and cities.[5]
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Valentine is named for Edward K. Valentine, who as a congressman from Nebraska, was the chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture during his six years in office (1879–1885). He was instrumental in getting local settlers' grievances redressed by the federal government.[6]
Valentine was nearly destroyed two years in a row: a large storm with extremely high winds caused extensive damage to trees and buildings in July 2005, and in July 2006 the "Big Rock Fire" engulfed over 3,000 acres (12 km2) of land.
Valentine participates in an annual re-mailing program where thousands of pieces of mail flow into the local United States Post Office so that they can be re-mailed with a special Valentine's Day postmark and verse.[7]
Valentine is located at (42.873686, -100.550308)[8]. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.0 square miles (5.2 km2), all of it land.
Valentine is immediately north of the Niobrara River, on the northern edge of the Sandhills physiographic region. Merritt Reservoir, created by a dam on the Snake River, is located about 48 km (30 mi) southwest of Valentine. Snake River Falls, the largest waterfall in Nebraska, is located on the Snake River between the reservoir (a few miles downstream) and Valentine. Smith Falls, the tallest waterfall in Nebraska, is located on a small stream tributary to the Niobrara River about 15 miles (24 km) east of Valentine in Smith Falls State Park.
Just south of Valentine, a pair of bridges span the Niobrara River. The modern bridge carries traffic north and south along U.S. Route 83. Just to the west, an arched cantilever truss bridge named the Bryan Bridge is also open to through traffic. Designed by Josef Sorkin and built in 1932, the Bryan Bridge is made of steel and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[9] A large red neon heart (a star during the Christmas season) is found on the pine-covered Minnechaduza Creek canyon wall at the north end of Main Street.
With a continental climate (Köppen Dwa), Valentine experiences extremes of heat and cold annually. Typically, temperatures in the city exceed 100 °F (38 °C) for a few summer days and drop below 0 °F (−18 °C) for a few winter nights. Summer afternoon temperatures average around 90 °F (32 °C) with lows near 60 °F (16 °C). In the wintertime, highs are typically about freezing, with lows in the single digits. Precipitation is low, with an annual average of 18.2 inches (460 mm), but not quite low enough for Valentine's climate to be classified as semi-arid.
| Climate data for Valentine | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °F (°C) | 32.5 (0.3) |
37.8 (3.2) |
46.6 (8.1) |
60.1 (15.6) |
71.1 (21.7) |
81.9 (27.7) |
88.9 (31.6) |
86.5 (30.3) |
76.1 (24.5) |
64.0 (17.8) |
47.3 (8.5) |
35.2 (1.8) |
60.67 (15.93) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 19.6 (−6.9) |
25.0 (−3.9) |
33.6 (0.9) |
46.6 (8.1) |
57.6 (14.2) |
68.0 (20.0) |
74.7 (23.7) |
72.1 (22.3) |
61.2 (16.2) |
48.9 (9.4) |
34.2 (1.2) |
22.3 (−5.4) |
46.97 (8.32) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 6.6 (−14.1) |
11.8 (−11.2) |
20.8 (−6.2) |
32.9 (0.5) |
44.1 (6.7) |
54.0 (12.2) |
60.4 (15.8) |
57.6 (14.2) |
46.2 (7.9) |
34.0 (1.1) |
20.8 (−6.2) |
9.3 (−12.6) |
33.22 (0.68) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 0.291 (7.4) |
0.429 (10.9) |
1.039 (26.4) |
1.669 (42.4) |
3.161 (80.3) |
2.89 (73.4) |
3.059 (77.7) |
2.28 (57.9) |
1.531 (38.9) |
0.909 (23.1) |
0.598 (15.2) |
0.37 (9.4) |
18.23 (463) |
| Source: Hong Kong Observatory [10] | |||||||||||||
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 2,820 people, 1,209 households, and 733 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,401.1 people per square mile (541.7/km²). There were 1,373 housing units at an average density of 682.2 per square mile (263.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.20% White, 0.04% African American, 5.78% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.21% from other races, and 1.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.89% of the population.
There were 1,209 households out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.3% were non-families. 36.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 21.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 87.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,359, and the median income for a family was $39,138. Males had a median income of $26,549 versus $18,285 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,101. About 8.3% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.3% of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over.
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