Wisner is a city in northwestern Cuming County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,170 at the 2010 census.
History
Wisner was platted in 1871 shortly before the railroad was extended to that point. It was named for Samuel P. Wisner, a railroad official for the Sioux City & Pacific Railroad. The Chicago & North Western ended railroad service in the spring of 1982, after years of declining freight traffic volumes (which had been happening since the mid-1970s) & flooding damaged many sections of the track & abandonment was applied for. The tracks were removed a few years later.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.
Demographics
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 1,170 people, 506 households, and 323 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 579 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.9% White, 0.1% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.4% of the population.
There were 506 households, of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% were married couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.2% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.82.
The median age in the city was 44.6 years. 22.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21% were from 25 to 44; 25.5% were from 45 to 64; and 24.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.3% male and 51.7% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,270 people, 564 households, and 350 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 598 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.35% White, 0.39% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.16% from other races, and 0.71% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.55% of the population.
There were 564 households, out of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.80.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.1% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 21.7% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 27.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males.
As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $32,188, and the median income for a family was $40,938. Males had a median income of $28,056 versus $18,869 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,268. About 3.8% of families and 9.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.3% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.
Livestock industry
Wisner is known as the livestock center of Nebraska; their economic activities include farming, and cattle and hog feeding. There are approximately 130,000 cattle boarders feeding in Wisner over 15 feedlots at one time. Louis Dinklage, a pioneer of commercial cattle feeding, got his start in Wisner and funded many of Wisner's public attractions.
Louis Dinklage and Dinklage Co. Louis Dinklage was inducted into the Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame in 2013. Dinklage is considered one of the pioneers of commercial cattle feeding. He started his operation with only 25 to 30 head of cattle, but by 1923 had expanded to 400 head of cattle. He originally had a goal of 1,000 head of cattle, but by the late 1930s he fed roughly 3,000 to 4,000 head of cattle with a shovel and a team of horses. By the 1960s, Dinklage had 65,000 head of cattle, which made him the largest private cattle-feed operator in the United States. Louis Dinklage influenced and mentored many of Nebraska's top cattle feeders and was instrumental in founding Dinklage Feedyards.