Beaver Crossing, Nebraska

History

Beaver Crossing was platted in 1875 in anticipation of the building of the railroad which, to the town's dismay, would not arrive until 1887. It was named from a nearby crossing of a trail from Nebraska City to Fort Kearny over Beaver Creek.{{cite web |access-date = November 12, 2025

On May 11, 2014, a powerful EF3 tornado struck Beaver Crossing, damaging virtually every structure. The tornado also caused damage in nearby Cordova. Despite the significant damage, there were no fatalities.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 0.67 sqmi, of which 0.66 sqmi is land and 0.01 sqmi is water.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 403 people, 171 households, and 121 families residing in the village. The population density was 610.6 PD/sqmi. There were 187 housing units at an average density of 283.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 97.8% White, 0.2% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.5% Asian, and 1.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.0% of the population.

There were 171 households, of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.3% were married couples living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 29.2% were non-families. 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.82.

The median age in the village was 47.1 years. 22.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18% were from 25 to 44; 37.3% were from 45 to 64; and 16.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 53.3% male and 46.7% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 457 people, 184 households, and 126 families residing in the village. The population density was 690.7 PD/sqmi. There were 203 housing units at an average density of 306.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 95.19% White, 1.53% African American, 1.97% Native American, 0.22% Asian, and 1.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.66% of the population.

There were 184 households, out of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.6% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 25.6% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.

As of 2000 the median income for a household in the village was $30,455, and the median income for a family was $39,464. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $18,906 for females. The per capita income for the village was $14,967. About 3.4% of families and 6.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.8% of those under age 18 and 14.3% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

• Benjamin Hunkins, pioneer and Wisconsin territorial and state legislator, lived in Beaver Crossing.
• Jan Opperman, race car driver, lived in Beaver Crossing in the mid-1960s.

References

References

1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau.
2. {{GNIS. 2398060
3. "Beaver Crossing, Seward County". University of Nebraska.
4. Rae, Rebekah. (May 12, 2014). "Tornado Obliterates Beaver Crossing, NE". KMTV.
5. "US Gazetteer files 2010". [[United States Census Bureau]].
6. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.
7. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
8. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
9. 'Memorials and Biographical Record and Illustrated Compendium of Biography,' G.H. Orge and Company: 1899, Biographical Sketch of Benjamin Hunkins, pg. 1101
10. [http://www.empaonline.org/jan-opperman.html "Jan Opperman".] [http://www.empaonline.org/ Eastern Motorsport Press Association.] Retrieved August 22, 2016.