Box Butte County, Nebraska facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Box Butte County
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Box Butte County Courthouse in Alliance
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Location within the U.S. state of Nebraska
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 Nebraska's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Nebraska |
| Founded | 1886 |
| Seat | Alliance |
| Largest city | Alliance |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,078 sq mi (2,790 km2) |
| • Land | 1,075 sq mi (2,780 km2) |
| • Water | 2.5 sq mi (6 km2) 0.2%% |
| Population | |
| • Estimate
(2021)
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10,604 |
| • Density | 10.1/sq mi (3.9/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (Mountain) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
Box Butte County is a county located in the western part of the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States Census, about 10,842 people live here. The main town and county seat (where the county government is) is Alliance. The county was created in 1886. It got its name from a large, box-shaped hill called a butte that is north of Alliance.
When Nebraska started its license plate system in 1922, Box Butte County was given the number 65. This was because it had the 65th largest number of vehicles registered in the county at that time.
Contents
History of Box Butte County
Box Butte County was formed from a larger area known as the Nebraska Panhandle. In 1883, the Nebraska government divided this area into two counties: Sioux and Cheyenne. Later, in 1885, the original Sioux County was split into three new counties: Sioux, Dawes, and Sheridan.
People living in the southern part of Dawes County found it hard to travel to the county seat, which was Chadron. So, they asked for their own county. In 1886, the government created Box Butte County just for them. The county was named after a special hill in the northern part of the area. Before the county was even formed, railroad companies used this name in their ads to encourage people to move there.
Geography of Box Butte County
According to the US Census Bureau, Box Butte County covers an area of about 1,078 square miles (2,792 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 1,075 square miles (2,784 square kilometers), is land. Only a small part, about 2.5 square miles (6.5 square kilometers), is water.
Main Roads in Box Butte County
US 385
Nebraska Highway 2
Nebraska Highway 71
Nebraska Highway 87
Neighboring Counties
Box Butte County shares its borders with several other counties:
- Dawes County to the north
- Sheridan County to the east
- Morrill County to the south
- Scotts Bluff County to the southwest
- Sioux County to the west
People of Box Butte County
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1890 | 5,494 | — | |
| 1900 | 5,572 | 1.4% | |
| 1910 | 6,131 | 10.0% | |
| 1920 | 8,407 | 37.1% | |
| 1930 | 11,861 | 41.1% | |
| 1940 | 10,736 | −9.5% | |
| 1950 | 12,279 | 14.4% | |
| 1960 | 11,688 | −4.8% | |
| 1970 | 10,094 | −13.6% | |
| 1980 | 13,696 | 35.7% | |
| 1990 | 13,130 | −4.1% | |
| 2000 | 12,158 | −7.4% | |
| 2010 | 11,308 | −7.0% | |
| 2020 | 10,842 | −4.1% | |
| 2022 (est.) | 10,672 | −5.6% | |
| US Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2022 |
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In the year 2000, there were 12,158 people living in Box Butte County. These people made up 4,780 households and 3,298 families. The county had about 11 people per square mile.
Most of the people in the county were White (about 90.84%). There were also smaller groups of Black or African American people (0.37%), Native American people (2.74%), and Asian people (0.53%). About 7.65% of the population identified as Hispanic or Latino. Many people had ancestors from Germany (36.4%), England (8.4%), and Ireland (8.1%).
About 35.60% of households had children under 18 living with them. Many households (57.70%) were married couples living together. The average household had 2.50 people. The average age of people in the county was 38 years old.
Towns and Villages
City
- Alliance (This is the county seat)
Village
Census-designated place
Other Small Places
Famous People from Box Butte County
- Robert Ball Anderson, an early settler who built a home here.
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Box Butte para niños
