Ponca, Native North Americans whose language belongs to the Siouan branch of the Hokan-Siouan linguistic stock (see Native American languages). According to tradition the group lived in the Ohio valley but migrated to the mouth of the Osage River. There the Ponca and the Omaha separated from the main Siouan group and went to SW Minnesota. War with the Sioux forced the Ponca to flee to the Black Hills, in South Dakota. The Ponca subsequently rejoined their allies and moved to the mouth of the Niobrara River, in Nebraska. The Ponca remained there, but the other groups moved on. Lewis and Clark met them in 1804 when the Ponca, recovering from a smallpox epidemic, numbered only some 200. The Ponca's culture was of the Plains area; they farmed corn and hunted buffalo. Raids by the Sioux forced the Ponca to migrate to Oklahoma in 1877. A commission appointed (1880) by President Rutherford B. Hayes studied the land claims of the Ponca; as a result most of them remained in Oklahoma, while a group numbering some 200 returned to their former home in Nebraska. In 1990 there were about 2,800 Ponca in the United States.

Ponca is a city in Dixon County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Sioux City/Iowa/Nebraska/South Dakota Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,062 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Dixon County.

Geography

Ponca is located at (42.563964, -96.710563).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,062 people, 403 households, and 286 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,508.2 people per square mile (585.8/km²). There were 425 housing units at an average density of 603.5/sq mi (234.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.89% White, 0.56% Native American, 0.94% from other races, and 1.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.64% of the population.

There were 403 households out of which 35.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.8% were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 19.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,750, and the median income for a family was $41,250. Males had a median income of $28,472 versus $21,681 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,782. About 7.0% of families and 8.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.5% of those under age 18 and 12.1% of those age 65 or over.

Recreation

Ponca State Park is two miles north of the city. This park is located on the heavily forested high bluffs and steep hills along the Nebraska banks of the Missouri River. The park is the eastern terminus for float trips through the federally designated National Wild and Scenic River.

References

External links

• City website