Monowi, Nebraska

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Monowi (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell) is the smallest incorporated town in the United States. It is in Boyd County, Nebraska, United States, and received national and international<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Although the 2020 census listed Monowi's population as two,<ref name="2020Pop">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> this was confirmed to be an example of differential privacy in the census data; Eiler remains the town's sole resident.<ref name="Monowi2">Template:Cite news</ref>

According to tradition, the name "Monowi" means "flower" in an unidentified Native American language.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Monowi was named after the many wildflowers growing at the original site of the village.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

History

File:Rudy's Library, Monowi, Nebraska, USA.jpg

Rudy's Library

File:Monowi Voter Registration.png

Screenshot of voter registration

Monowi was platted in 1903 following the extension of the Mason, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad to the area.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A post office was established in Monowi in 1902 and operated until its closure in 1967.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Monowi reached its peak population in the 1930s, when approximately 150 people lived in the village.<ref name="atlasobscura">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name="LastResidentNYT"/>

During the 2000 census, the village recorded a total population of two, consisting of a married couple, Rudy and Elsie Eiler.<ref name="atlasobscura"/> Rudy died in 2004, leaving his wife as the village's sole resident.<ref name="LastResidentNYT"/> 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.<ref name="reid">Template:Cite newsTemplate:Subscription required</ref><ref name="LastResidentNYT"/>

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.<ref name="atlasobscura"/><ref name="LastResidentNYT">Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2018, the village was featured in commercials for Arby's and Prudential Financial.<ref name="LastResidentNYT"/><ref>Template:Citation</ref> The village was also used as a starting place for the biggest advertisement poster in the world, which was finished on June 13, 2018.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref name="Monowi2" />

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the village has a total area of Template:Convert, all land.<ref name="Gazetteer files">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name="State Map">Template:Cite map</ref> The nearest community to Monowi is Lynch, located approximately Template:Convert away. Omaha, the largest city in the region, is located approximately Template:Convert southeast.<ref name="distance">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Omaha">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Demographics

Census data for Monowi highlights its uniqueness, owing to the numerical singularity of its population. As of 2010:<ref name="wwwcensusgov">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• The total population was one (Born 1935, female, white, named Elsie).
• She was the sole householder, living alone.
• Of the three housing units in Monowi, only hers was occupied.

Education

The area is within Boyd County Public Schools.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The area was previously within the Lynch Public Schools district in Lynch.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Lynch district consolidated into the Boyd County district in June 2017.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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 – a incorporated city in McLean County, North Dakota, with a population of one
• Rochefourchat, Drôme – a commune in southeastern France with a single resident

External links

• "Welcome to Monowi, Nebraska: population 1" by Will Francome, Megan Garner & Eliot Stein. BBC. 30 January 2018.