Monowi, Nebraska
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Monowi (Template:IPAc-en, Script error: No such module "Respell".) is the least populous incorporated village in the United States by population by having a population of one. It is in Boyd County, Nebraska, United States, and received national and international[1] attention after the 2010 United States census recorded only one resident in the village, Elsie Eiler, who serves as its mayor, librarian, clerk, and treasurer.[2] Although the 2020 census listed Monowi's population as two,[3] this was confirmed to be an example of differential privacy in the census data; Eiler remains the town's sole resident.[4]
According to tradition, the name "Monowi" means "flower" in an unidentified Native American language.[5][6] Monowi was named after the many wildflowers growing at the original site of the village.[7]
History
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| Census | Pop. | Template:Sronly | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | 109 | — | |
| 1920 | 100 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1930 | 123 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1940 | 99 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1950 | 67 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1960 | 40 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1970 | 16 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1980 | 18 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1990 | 6 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 2000 | 2 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 2010 | 1 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 2020 | 2 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[8] 2020[3] | |||
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Monowi was platted in 1902 following the extension of the Mason, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad to the area.[9] A post office was established in Monowi in 1902 and operated until its closure in 1967.[10]
Monowi reached its peak population in the 1930s, when approximately 150 people lived in the village.[11][12] Like many other small communities in the Great Plains, it lost its younger residents to larger cities that were experiencing growth and offering better employment opportunities.[13]
During the 2000 census, the village recorded a total population of two, consisting of a married couple, Rudy and Elsie Eiler.[11] Rudy died in 2004, leaving his wife as the village's sole resident.[13] In this role, she serves as mayor and issued herself a liquor license. She is also required to submit an annual municipal road plan to maintain state funding for the village's four streetlights.[14][13]
Although the village is nearly abandoned, it does have a bar called the Monowi Tavern, operated by Eiler for passing travelers and tourists. She also maintains Rudy's Library, a collection of approximately 5,000 volumes established in memory of her late husband.[11][13]
In 2018, the village was featured in commercials for Arby's and Prudential Financial.[13][15] The village was also used as a starting place for the biggest advertisement poster in the world, which was finished on June 13, 2018.[16]
Census data
After the 1990 census, Eiler noticed that Monowi's population had been miscounted and contacted radio broadcaster Paul Harvey to publicize the error.[17] During the 2020 census, preliminary information appeared to show that Monowi's population had increased to two. However, Eiler denied that anyone had moved into the town, and a spokesperson for the United States Census Bureau explained that the alleged second resident was the result of "noise... add[ed] to the [census] data," in which some individuals are listed in a bordering tract to protect the anonymity of census respondents.[4]
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Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the village has a total area of Script error: No such module "convert"., all land.[18] The village is located in the far eastern portion of Boyd County, in the northeastern region of Nebraska. It is located between the Niobrara River and the larger Missouri River.[19] The nearest community to Monowi is Lynch, located approximately Script error: No such module "convert". away. Omaha, the largest city in the region, is located approximately Script error: No such module "convert". southeast.[20][21]
Demographics
As of 2010, only one person lived in Monowi: a white female named Elsie Eiler, born 1933, living alone in one of the town's three housing units, the others unoccupied.[22]
Education
The area is within Boyd County Public Schools.[23] The area was previously within the Lynch Public Schools district in Lynch.[24] The Lynch district consolidated into the Boyd County district in June 2017.[25]
See also
- Hibberts Gore, Maine – a US community with a population of one
- Buford, Wyoming – an abandoned unincorporated community in the US that gained media attention in 2011 for housing one person
- Ruso, North Dakota – an incorporated city in McLean County, North Dakota, with a population of one
- Rochefourchat, Drôme – a commune in southeastern France with a single resident
References
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External links
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