Neligh, Nebraska facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Neligh, Nebraska
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Neligh Mill on bank of Elkhorn River (2010)
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Location within Antelope County and Nebraska
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| Country | United States |
| State | Nebraska |
| County | Antelope |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.47 sq mi (3.82 km2) |
| • Land | 1.46 sq mi (3.79 km2) |
| • Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,755 ft (535 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 1,536 |
| • Density | 1,050.62/sq mi (405.72/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
68756
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| Area code(s) | 402 |
| FIPS code | 31-33775 |
| GNIS feature ID | 838151 |
Neligh (pronounced NEE-lee) is a city located in Antelope County, Nebraska, United States. It serves as the county seat, which means it's the main town where the county government is located. In 2020, about 1,536 people lived in Neligh. The city is known for its interesting history and its location near the Elkhorn River.
Contents
History of Neligh
How Neligh Was Founded
In 1872, a man named John D. Neligh traveled along the Elkhorn River in Nebraska. He really liked the beautiful landscape he saw. He thought it would be a perfect spot to build a new town and even the main town for the county.
Mr. Neligh quickly went to Omaha to buy 520 acres of land for his new town. The banker who sold him the land, Herman Kountze, didn't realize how important this land would become. Neligh was officially planned out in 1873 and was named after John Neligh himself. On January 1, 1884, Neligh officially became the county seat.
The Story of White Buffalo Girl
In May 1877, the Ponca tribe was forced to leave their home near the Niobrara River. They had to move to a new area called Indian Territory, which is now part of Oklahoma. This long and difficult journey caused many people in the tribe to get sick, and about one-third of them died.
During this sad journey, an 18-month-old girl named White Buffalo Girl passed away near Neligh. Her father, Black Elk, asked the people of Neligh to "respect the grave of my child just as they do the graves of their own dead." The townspeople honored his wish. They buried her in Laurel Hill Cemetery in Neligh and took care of her grave. In 1960, because her grave marker was getting old, it was placed on a new foundation to protect it.
The Historic Neligh Mill
Soon after starting the town, John D. Neligh began building the Neligh Mill. This mill was located in the southern part of the town. The first part of the mill had two stories and was built with bricks. These bricks were made by John J. Crawford using local clay from the area. Today, the Neligh Mill is a special Nebraska State Historical site, showing an important part of the state's past.
Geography and Climate
Neligh's Location and Area
Neligh covers a total area of about 1.11 square miles (2.87 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 1.10 square miles (2.85 square kilometers), is land. A very small part, about 0.01 square miles (0.03 square kilometers), is water.
Neligh's Weather Patterns
The weather in Neligh changes a lot throughout the year. Summers are usually warm to hot, and sometimes humid. Winters are cold, and can even be very cold. This type of weather is called a humid continental climate. It means there are big differences in temperature between the seasons.
| Climate data for Neligh, Nebraska | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −1 (31) |
2 (35) |
8 (47) |
16 (60) |
22 (72) |
27 (80) |
31 (87) |
29 (84) |
24 (76) |
17 (62) |
6 (43) |
0 (32) |
15 (59) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −13 (9) |
−11 (13) |
−5 (23) |
1 (34) |
8 (46) |
14 (57) |
16 (61) |
15 (59) |
11 (51) |
3 (37) |
−5 (23) |
−12 (11) |
2 (35) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 15 (0.6) |
18 (0.7) |
41 (1.6) |
61 (2.4) |
97 (3.8) |
100 (4) |
79 (3.1) |
76 (3) |
56 (2.2) |
43 (1.7) |
25 (1) |
18 (0.7) |
630 (24.9) |
| Average precipitation days | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 79 |
| Source: Weatherbase | |||||||||||||
Neligh's Population
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 326 | — | |
| 1890 | 1,209 | 270.9% | |
| 1900 | 1,135 | −6.1% | |
| 1910 | 1,566 | 38.0% | |
| 1920 | 1,724 | 10.1% | |
| 1930 | 1,649 | −4.4% | |
| 1940 | 1,796 | 8.9% | |
| 1950 | 1,822 | 1.4% | |
| 1960 | 1,776 | −2.5% | |
| 1970 | 1,764 | −0.7% | |
| 1980 | 1,893 | 7.3% | |
| 1990 | 1,742 | −8.0% | |
| 2000 | 1,651 | −5.2% | |
| 2010 | 1,599 | −3.1% | |
| 2020 | 1,536 | −3.9% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
Population Details from 2010
In 2010, there were 1,599 people living in Neligh. These people lived in 707 households, and 407 of these were families. The city had about 1,454 people per square mile.
Most of the people in Neligh were White (97.2%). A small number were African American (0.3%), Native American (0.3%), or Asian (0.4%). About 1.2% were from other backgrounds, and 0.8% were from two or more backgrounds. About 4.2% of the population identified as Hispanic or Latino.
Of the households, about 24.6% had children under 18 living there. Many households (47.0%) were married couples. About 39.5% of all households were individuals living alone. Also, 21.2% of households had someone aged 65 or older living by themselves. The average age of people in Neligh was 47.1 years old.
Local Media in Neligh
Neligh has two main local media groups that share news and information: the Antelope County News and the Neligh News & Leader. Both of these groups are part of the Nebraska Press Association.
The Antelope County News started in January 2014 as an online news source. In 2016, it bought The Orchard News and grew to become the first newspaper in the county to print in color. Besides its print and online versions, you can also hear the Antelope County News on radio station WJAG and see it on News Channel Nebraska television.
The Neligh News & Leader provides news for all of Antelope County. It prints and shares over 1,600 copies of its newspaper.
Notable People from Neligh
Neligh has been home to several interesting people who achieved great things:
- John DeCamp - He was a politician (someone who works in government) and also wrote a book called The Franklin Cover-up.
- Robert A. Harper (1862-1946) - He was a botanist, which means he studied plants. He researched fungi, slime molds, and plants. He also taught Greek and Latin at Gates College in Neligh from 1886 to 1888.
- Frank Hughes - He was a talented sport shooter.
- Josephine Roche - She was a successful business person, an activist who worked for change, and a politician. She even served as the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury from 1934 to 1937.
See also
In Spanish: Neligh (Nebraska) para niños
