General Information

Norfolk, Nebraska, population 24,210 (2010 U.S. Census Figures)

Location

Norfolk is located in northeast Nebraska in the Elkhorn River Valley of Madison County. U.S. Highways 81 and 275 and Nebraska Highways 24 and 35 intersect in Norfolk. Norfolk is 112 miles northwest of Omaha, 121 miles north of Lincoln, and 75 miles southwest of Sioux City, Iowa.

Topography

Norfolk sits in the heart of the Elkhorn Valley, with the Sand Hills lying to the west and farmland to the east. The surrounding land is gently rolling. The land is mainly Marshall and Shelby series soils of good absorptive quality, retaining moisture yet providing good drainage.

Hospitals

Emergency Room 402-371-4880 • 2700 W. Norfolk Ave., Norfolk, NE Faith Regional 402-371-4880 • 2700 W. Norfolk Ave., Norfolk, NE

Police

Madison County Sheriff 402-454-2110 • 1313 North Main Street, Madison, NE Norfolk City Police 402-644-8700 • 202 N. 7th, Norfolk, NE, Norfolk, NE

Demographics

POPULATION

Area	Last Census (2000)	Latest Year (2004)	% Change
Norfolk	23,516	24,072	2.4
Madison County	35,226	35,752	1.5
Labor Market Population	104,762	103,365	-1.3

Labor market population is the county population plus the contiguous county population. (Source: Population Division, U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Estimates of the Population, Released August 11, 2005.)

County Age Distribution (2004)

Age	Male	Female	Total
0-17	4,681	4,443	9,124
18-24	2,340	2,088	4,428
25-44	4,629	4,354	8,983
45-64	4,071	4,109	8,180
65+	2,030	3,007	5,037
85+	263	668	931
Total	17,751	18,001
% Split	49.7	50.3

Median Age (2004)

State 35.9 years, County 35.4 years

(Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division, County Population Estimates by Selected Age and Gender: July 1, 2005.)

Fun Facts

First residents were German immigrants who relocated from Wisconson on July 17, 1866.

In 1868, the German farmers asked that a post office be established for their town of “Norfork.” However, government officials, thinking the word had been misspelled, changed it to “Norfolk”.

1877 The Norfolk Daily News began publication.

1900, Norfolk’s first high school class graduation.

1922, WJAG receives its broadcast licence, one of the first in the nation. WJAG is still on the air today.

1934 Karl Stefan ran for Congress where he served until his death in 1951.

1936 TaHaZouka park was established. It housed a small zoo and a mini train known as the Prairie Central Miniature R.R.

1944 The city flooded in May, damaging 176 city blocks, 180 business and 460 private homes.

Did you know:

Norfolk is the birthplace of the Square Turn Tractor

Is the boyhood home of Late Night entertainer Johnny Carson; and…

Was home to Thural Ravenscroft, voice of Tony the Tiger

Norfolk Junction, located south of downtown, was the site of the first railroad depot and had its own small town with shops and hotels.

 

TaHaZouka means “Horn of the Elk”

 

The first Norfolk Historian was Cora Beels

History

On July 17, 1866, a three-train caravan of prairie schooners carrying 44 German families from Ixonia and Watertown, Wisconsin, arrived at the junction of Elkhorn and North Fork Valleys where they were attracted by the rich land open for settlement. These pioneers were joined by others from Wisconsin and formed the community which later became Norfolk. Others, some from New England, soon came to the new settlement and established a grist mill which was operated by water from the North Fork River. A mill store was opened, and this structure determined the location of the town.

How Norfolk Was Named

In 1881, the village of Norfolk was organized. The settlers proclaimed “North Fork” to be their permanent post office address, named after the river, but suggested “Norfork” as the name because it was the simplest compounding of “North Fork.” Postal authorities, thinking the word had been misspelled, changed the spelling to “Norfolk”.