McPherson County, Nebraska facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
McPherson County
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McPherson County Courthouse in Tryon
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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 | 1890 |
| Named for | James B. McPherson |
| Seat | Tryon |
| Largest community | Tryon |
| Area | |
| • Total | 860 sq mi (2,200 km2) |
| • Land | 859 sq mi (2,220 km2) |
| • Water | 1.0 sq mi (3 km2) 0.1%% |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 399 |
| • Density | 0.46/sq mi (0.18/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
McPherson County is a special area in the state of Nebraska, USA. It's like a big neighborhood or district. As of 2020, only 399 people live here, making it the county with the fewest people in Nebraska. It's also one of the least populated counties in the entire United States!
The main town and government center of the county is called Tryon. McPherson County was created in 1890 from a part of Logan County. It was named after a brave general from the American Civil War named James B. McPherson.
In 1913, a piece of McPherson County was used to create a new county called Arthur County. This change gave McPherson County the borders it has today.
McPherson County is also part of a larger area around North Platte, which is a group of towns that are connected for things like jobs and services.
If you look at Nebraska license plates, cars from McPherson County have the number 90. This is because when the license plate system started in 1922, McPherson County was 90th out of 93 counties in how many vehicles it had.
Contents
Geography of McPherson County
The land in McPherson County has gentle, rolling hills that slope down towards the south and southeast. A small part of the area uses a special watering system called center pivot irrigation to help crops grow. The county covers a total area of about 860 square miles. Almost all of this is land (859 square miles), with only a tiny bit (1.0 square mile) being water.
Most of Nebraska's 93 counties, especially those in the eastern two-thirds like McPherson County, use the Central Time Zone. However, the counties in the western part of Nebraska use the Mountain Time Zone. McPherson County is the most western county in Nebraska that still observes Central Time.
Neighboring Counties
McPherson County shares its borders with several other counties:
- Hooker County to the north
- Thomas County to the northeast
- Logan County to the east
- Lincoln County to the southeast
- Keith County to the southwest (this county is in the Mountain Time Zone)
- Arthur County to the west (this county is also in the Mountain Time Zone)
Main Roads
Two important highways run through McPherson County:
Nebraska Highway 92
Nebraska Highway 97
Population Facts
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1890 | 401 | — | |
| 1900 | 517 | 28.9% | |
| 1910 | 2,470 | 377.8% | |
| 1920 | 1,692 | −31.5% | |
| 1930 | 1,358 | −19.7% | |
| 1940 | 1,175 | −13.5% | |
| 1950 | 825 | −29.8% | |
| 1960 | 735 | −10.9% | |
| 1970 | 623 | −15.2% | |
| 1980 | 593 | −4.8% | |
| 1990 | 546 | −7.9% | |
| 2000 | 533 | −2.4% | |
| 2010 | 539 | 1.1% | |
| 2020 | 399 | −26.0% | |
| US Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013 2020 |
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In the year 2000, there were 533 people living in McPherson County. These people lived in 202 homes, and 157 of these were families. The county is not very crowded, with less than one person living per square mile.
Most of the people in the county were White (about 98%). A small number were Asian or from other backgrounds. About 1.5% of the people were of Hispanic or Latino heritage. Many people in the county have ancestors from Germany (44.4%), America (14.4%), Ireland (9.2%), Sweden (8.7%), and England (6.3%).
Out of the 202 homes, about 34% had children under 18 living there. Most homes (about 74%) were married couples living together. The average home had about 2.6 people, and the average family had about 3 people.
Looking at age groups in 2000, about 27.6% of the people were under 18 years old. About 18.2% were 65 years or older. The average age of people in the county was 41 years old.
Communities
McPherson County has a few places where people live:
Main Town
- Tryon (This is the county seat, where the main government offices are.)
Small Villages
- Ringgold (This is a small community that is not officially organized as a town.)
Past Communities
- Flats (This was once a community in the county but is no longer active.)
See also
In Spanish: Condado de McPherson (Nebraska) para niños
