Waterloo, Nebraska
Encyclopedia
Waterloo is a village in Douglas County
, Nebraska
, United States
. The population was 459 at the 2000 census
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the village has a total area of 0.4 square miles (1 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 459 people, 183 households, and 124 families residing in the village. The population density
was 1,292.7 people per square mile (492.3/km²). There were 190 housing units at an average density of 535.1 per square mile (203.8/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 98.69% White, 0.87% from other races
, and 0.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.61% of the population.
There were 183 households out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.7% were married couples
living together, 4.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the village the population was spread out with 28.1% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 100.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.8 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $45,625, and the median income for a family was $55,156. Males had a median income of $36,875 versus $21,827 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $19,089. None of the families and 1.4% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 2.3% of those over 64.
History notes "a spectacular train wreck" near Waterloo in 1873, when a $30,000 cargo of fish bound for California fell into the Elkhorn River just east of the town.
For many years Waterloo was the world's largest producer of vine and seed corn. Coy & Sons, started in 1879, became Cornhusker Seed in the 1950s. Other companies were: Emerson Seed, Omaha Elevator, Hively Seed, Hopper Grain, Waldron Seed, Western Seed & Irrigation, Waterloo Elevator and Stimmel Seed. The J.C.Robinson Seed Company was established in 1888 and is still owned and managed by the family. It became the biggest, most prominent, and is the only one at this location today. The largest single vine seed sale occurred in the 1920s when eight railcar-loads of cucumber seeds were shipped.
Several shootings in the 1880s, and a promotional fight between a bulldog and bobcat in 1889, brought notoriety to the town. As a recreation area, Waterloo had a small excursion boat called "The Swastika," owned by H.A.Simmons. A humorous note in our history is a 1910 ordinance prohibiting barbers from eating onions.
In 1903 the Waterloo Women's Club started our library. Carrie Nation, the Kansas saloon smasher, visited Waterloo in 1908. In 1920 it was reported that 26 women voted.
Governor Franklin D.Roosevelt visited the Sumnick family farm south of Waterloo in 1932. They visited him in Washington when he became president.
A viaduct built over the Union Pacific mainline near Waterloo in 1936 was often called "Cochran Alps," because of the efforts by Governor Robert L.Cochran to have it constructed. It was replaced by a new one in 1986.
Because of its location on two very unpredictable rivers, Waterloo has been ravaged by many floods. A bond issue in 1965 resulted in a levee to help protect the town. Waterloo has a fire and rescue department. Chief John Love, after 36 years of service, retired in 1987.
The current population of Waterloo is about 450.
Douglas County, Nebraska
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 463,585 people, 182,194 households, and 115,146 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,401 people per square mile . There were 192,672 housing units at an average density of 582 per square mile...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 459 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
.
Geography
Waterloo is located at 41°17′13"N 96°17′18"W (41.287021, -96.288387).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the village has a total area of 0.4 square miles (1 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 459 people, 183 households, and 124 families residing in the village. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,292.7 people per square mile (492.3/km²). There were 190 housing units at an average density of 535.1 per square mile (203.8/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 98.69% White, 0.87% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.61% of the population.
There were 183 households out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.7% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 4.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the village the population was spread out with 28.1% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 100.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.8 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $45,625, and the median income for a family was $55,156. Males had a median income of $36,875 versus $21,827 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the village was $19,089. None of the families and 1.4% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 2.3% of those over 64.
History
The Village of Waterloo, on the Elkhorn and Platte Rivers, was founded by two men: John Logan, who came in 1863 right after his discharge from the Second Nebraska Volunteer Cavalry, and Elias Kelsey, who arrived in 1867. Logan established a post office in 1864, and a school in 1865. Designated a station on the Union Pacific Railroad in 1870, the town's future was assured. Named "Waterloo" [presumably for a battlefield in Belgium], an attempt to incorporate in 1871 failed, as did a second attempt. The third petition in 1883 was successful, by which time an addition had already been made.History notes "a spectacular train wreck" near Waterloo in 1873, when a $30,000 cargo of fish bound for California fell into the Elkhorn River just east of the town.
For many years Waterloo was the world's largest producer of vine and seed corn. Coy & Sons, started in 1879, became Cornhusker Seed in the 1950s. Other companies were: Emerson Seed, Omaha Elevator, Hively Seed, Hopper Grain, Waldron Seed, Western Seed & Irrigation, Waterloo Elevator and Stimmel Seed. The J.C.Robinson Seed Company was established in 1888 and is still owned and managed by the family. It became the biggest, most prominent, and is the only one at this location today. The largest single vine seed sale occurred in the 1920s when eight railcar-loads of cucumber seeds were shipped.
Several shootings in the 1880s, and a promotional fight between a bulldog and bobcat in 1889, brought notoriety to the town. As a recreation area, Waterloo had a small excursion boat called "The Swastika," owned by H.A.Simmons. A humorous note in our history is a 1910 ordinance prohibiting barbers from eating onions.
In 1903 the Waterloo Women's Club started our library. Carrie Nation, the Kansas saloon smasher, visited Waterloo in 1908. In 1920 it was reported that 26 women voted.
Governor Franklin D.Roosevelt visited the Sumnick family farm south of Waterloo in 1932. They visited him in Washington when he became president.
A viaduct built over the Union Pacific mainline near Waterloo in 1936 was often called "Cochran Alps," because of the efforts by Governor Robert L.Cochran to have it constructed. It was replaced by a new one in 1986.
Because of its location on two very unpredictable rivers, Waterloo has been ravaged by many floods. A bond issue in 1965 resulted in a levee to help protect the town. Waterloo has a fire and rescue department. Chief John Love, after 36 years of service, retired in 1987.
The current population of Waterloo is about 450.
Notable Natives & Citizens
- William Denton, territorial representative in 1866-67, who later opened one of the first stores in town.
- Isaac Noyes, state senator from 1892-1900.
- James Riggs, state senator in 1903.
- Mabel Wilson (known throughout the state for her knowledge of Nebraska Indians and wild flowers) and her husband, Otto, who were awarded second place in the National Yard and Garden Contest in 1931.
- Aunt Eckie Teal, a great Christian woman who had no children of her own, raised 15 orphans.
- An inventor, P.H.Dubois, who patented a horse collar fastener in 1899.
- John Douglas Pederson, with patents in 1905-06 dealt mostly with slide or pump action and repeating shotguns manufactured by Remington Armory.
- Hiland Noyes and Richard Fies who invented a bank coin counter.
- Eugene Jacobson who designed and patented the marsh buggy and muskeg tractor. He also spearheaded research and development of the technology for measuring gasoline and other liquid hydrocarbons for Gulf Oil.
- Dan Shepherd who invented and patented a telescopic gun sight in 1981, sold as the Shepherd Scope.
External links
- History of Waterloo University of Nebraska