Norfolk is a city located in Madison County, Nebraska, 113 miles northwest of Omaha at the intersection of U.S. Route 81 and U.S. Route 275. It is the only micropolitan area in northeast Nebraska.
Norfolk is the eastern terminus of the Cowboy Trail.
Norfolk is located at 42°1'59" North, 97°25'16" West (42.033106, -97.421017), along the Elkhorn River at the spot where its north fork tributary enters the main stream.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 26.1 km2 (10.1 mi2). 25.8 km2 (10.0 mi2) of it is land and 0.3 km2 (0.1 mi2) of it is water. The total area is 0.99% water.
As of the census of 2000, there are 23,516 people, 9,360 households, and 5,868 families residing in the city. The population density is 910.7/km2 (2,358.0/mi2). There are 10,072 housing units at an average density of 390.1/km2 (1,009.9/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 91.41% White, 1.16% African American, 1.53% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 4.19% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. 7.61% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 9,360 households out of which 31.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% are married couples living together, 9.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 37.3% are non-families. 30.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.8% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.43 and the average family size is 3.06.
In the city the population is spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 13.4% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 90.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $34,609, and the median income for a family is $45,460. Males have a median income of $31,445 versus $21,397 for females. The per capita income for the city is $16,990. 11.0% of the population and 7.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 11.6% of those under the age of 18 and 12.2% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Norfolk's economy is heavily rooted in manufacturing. Its largest employers include:
In the late summer of 1865, three scouts were sent from a German Lutheran settlement near Ixonia, Wisconsin near Watertown to find productive, inexpensive farmland. They traveled from Chicago to St. Joseph, Missouri by train, and then traveled by ferry to Omaha to begin their search. After initially spurning West Point as too crowded, they finally laid claim to land about four miles north of where the North Fork of the Elkhorn River joined the main branch in September of that year.
On May 23, 1866, 124 settlers representing 42 families set out for Northeast Nebraska in three wagon trains. They arrived a few months later, on July 15. (Pangle, 1929).
The name "Norfolk" is traditionally pronounced "Norfork" by Nebraskans. When the city was incorporated (as a village) in 1881, it was named after the "north fork" tributary of the Elkhorn River on which it lies, but abbreviated as "Norfork". The United States Postal Service assumed that "Norfork" was a mistake and changed the name to "Norfolk". This became the official spelling, but the local pronunciation did not change.
Norfolk briefly held the county seat for Madison county, from approximately 1867 to 1875. In a four-city election, nearby Battle Creek and Madison eliminated Norfolk from consideration, and after Madison won the runoff election, the county seat permanently moved there. Norfolk has tried unsuccessfully to win back the county government: unsuccessfully contesting the 1875 election to the Nebraska Supreme Court; failing to gain enough of a majority in a new vote in 1886; and most recently, losing an election to Madison for placement of a county courthouse in the 1970s.
On September 26, 2002, Norfolk was the site of one of the deadliest bank robberies in the 2000s when three gunmen robbed a US Bank branch, killing five people in the process.
Source:
NorfolkNebraska.com
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