Valentine

Valentine, Saint, d. c.270, Roman martyr priest. The customs connected with him in English-speaking countries are probably a survival from a period when a pagan festival associated with love occurred about Feb. 14, which was his feast day until it was dropped from the liturgical calendar in 1969. He is now popularly considered the patron of lovers and the helper of those unhappily in love.

(died 3rd century, Rome; feast day February 14) Christian martyr whose legend inspired the lover's holiday Valentine's Day. According to tradition, he was a Roman priest and physician who died during the persecution of Christians by the emperor Claudius II Gothicus and was buried on the Via Flaminia. The priest signed a letter to his jailer's daughter, whom he had befriended and with whom he had fallen in love, “from your Valentine.” The legend of the bishop of Terni, Italy—also called Valentine and also martyred in Rome—may refer to the same person.

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Lovers' holiday celebrated on February 14, the feast day of St. Valentine, one of two 3rd-century Roman martyrs of the same name. St. Valentine is considered the patron of lovers and especially of those unhappily in love. The feast day became a lovers' festival in the 14th century, probably as an extension of pagan love festivals and fertility rites celebrated in mid-February. Today it is marked by the exchange of romantic cards (valentines), flowers, and other gifts.

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(died 3rd century, Rome; feast day February 14) Christian martyr whose legend inspired the lover's holiday Valentine's Day. According to tradition, he was a Roman priest and physician who died during the persecution of Christians by the emperor Claudius II Gothicus and was buried on the Via Flaminia. The priest signed a letter to his jailer's daughter, whom he had befriended and with whom he had fallen in love, “from your Valentine.” The legend of the bishop of Terni, Italy—also called Valentine and also martyred in Rome—may refer to the same person.

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(born Dec. 26, 1891, New York, N.Y., U.S.—died June 7, 1980, Pacific Palisades, Calif.) U.S. writer and perennial bohemian. Miller wrote about his Brooklyn, N.Y., childhood in Black Spring (1936). Tropic of Cancer (1934), a monologue about his life as an impoverished expatriate in Paris, and Tropic of Capricorn (1939), which draws on his earlier New York phase, were banned as obscene in the U.S. and Britain until the 1960s. The Air-Conditioned Nightmare (1945) is a critical account of a tour of the U.S. He settled on the California coast, where he became the centre of a colony of admirers and wrote his Rosy Crucifixion trilogy, Sexus, Plexus, and Nexus (U.S. ed., 1965).

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(born Dec. 26, 1891, New York, N.Y., U.S.—died June 7, 1980, Pacific Palisades, Calif.) U.S. writer and perennial bohemian. Miller wrote about his Brooklyn, N.Y., childhood in Black Spring (1936). Tropic of Cancer (1934), a monologue about his life as an impoverished expatriate in Paris, and Tropic of Capricorn (1939), which draws on his earlier New York phase, were banned as obscene in the U.S. and Britain until the 1960s. The Air-Conditioned Nightmare (1945) is a critical account of a tour of the U.S. He settled on the California coast, where he became the centre of a colony of admirers and wrote his Rosy Crucifixion trilogy, Sexus, Plexus, and Nexus (U.S. ed., 1965).

Learn more about Miller, Henry (Valentine) with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Valentine is a city in Cherry County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 2,820 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Cherry County.

In 2007 National Geographic Adventure Magazine included Valentine in its list of the best ten wilderness towns and cities.

Geography

Valentine is located at (42.873686, -100.550308).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.0 square miles (5.2 km²), all of it land.

Valentine is immediately north of the Niobrara River, on the northern edge of the Sandhills physiographic region. Merritt Reservoir, created by a dam on the Snake River, is located about 48 km (30 mi.) southwest of Valentine. Snake Falls, the largest falls in Nebraska, is located on the Snake River between the reservoir (a few miles downstream) and Valentine. Smith Falls, the tallest falls in Nebraska, is located on a small stream tributary to the Niobrara River about east of Valentine in Smith Falls State Park.

Climate

Valentine experiences extremes of heat and cold annually. Typically, temperatures in the town exceed for a few summer days and drop below zero for a few winter nights. Summer afternoon temperatures average around with lows near . In the wintertime, highs are typically about freezing, with lows in the single digits.

Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Rec High °F	72	78	85	100	99	110	114	108	104	96	86	74
Norm High °F	33.8	39.4	48.4	59.8	71.2	81.9	88.3	86.9	77.2	63.5	45.9	36.7
Norm Low °F	7.8	13.7	22.1	32.4	43.7	53.2	59.1	57.3	45.8	33.1	20.1	10.5
Rec Low °F	−30	−31	−29	3	18	30	38	34	17	−1	−22	−39
Precip (in)	0.3	0.48	1.11	1.97	3.2	3.01	3.37	2.2	1.61	1.22	0.72	0.33
Source: USTravelWeather.com

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,820 people, 1,209 households, and 733 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,401.1 people per square mile (541.7/km²). There were 1,373 housing units at an average density of 682.2/sq mi (263.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.20% White, 0.04% African American, 5.78% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.21% from other races, and 1.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.89% of the population.

There were 1,209 households out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.3% were non-families. 36.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 21.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 87.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,359, and the median income for a family was $39,138. Males had a median income of $26,549 versus $18,285 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,101. About 8.3% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.3% of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

• Valentine Rural High School
• Valentine Middle School
• Valentine Elementary School
• Grace Lutheran School

Notable residents

• James Dahlman worked as a brand inspector for the Wyoming Stock Association in Valentine in the 1890s. Later he became the eight-term Omaha mayor from 1906 to 1930.

Trivia

• Valentine is nicknamed "America's Heart City.
• A large red neon heart (a star during the Christmas season) is found on the pine-covered Minnechaduza Creek canyon wall at the north end of Main Street.
• Valentine is named after Edward K. Valentine, who as a congressman from Nebraska, was the chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture during his six years in office (1879–1885). He was instrumental in getting the settlers' grievances redressed by the federal government.
• Valentine participates in an annual re-mailing program where thousands of pieces of mail flow into the local United States Post Office so that they can be re-mailed with a special Valentine's Day postmark and verse.
• Valentine was nearly destroyed two years in a row: A large storm with extremely high winds caused extensive damage to trees and buildings in July 2005, and in July 2006 the "Big Rock Fire" engulfed over of land.
• The fictional character Becky Donaldson, from the TV Show Full House, was a native of Valentine.

References

External links

• City of Valentine
• Valentine Rural High School
• Cody Foster and Co.