Alliance is a city and the county seat of Box Butte County, in the western part of the state of Nebraska, in the Great Plains region of the United States. Its population was 8,151 at the 2020 census.
Alliance is the home to Carhenge, a replica of Stonehenge constructed with automobiles, which is located north of the city. It is also the location of Alliance Municipal Airport, the least-used airport in the mainland United States.
History
The town was originally named Grand Lake. When the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad came to Grand Lake in 1888, the railroad superintendent, G.W. Holdrege, wanted to change it to a simple one-word name closer to the beginning of the alphabet, which he thought would be better for business. The U.S. Post Office gave Holdrege permission, and he picked "Alliance" for the new name of the town. Alliance was incorporated as a city in 1891.
The Alliance Army Airfield was established in 1942. Construction was completed in August 1943 and the Army Air Corps used the facility as a training base until the end of World War II. The facility was transferred from the federal government to the City of Alliance in 1953 and is currently in use as the Alliance Municipal Airport.
In the Lakota language, Alliance is known as , meaning "Sand River Bend".
Geography
Alliance is located at the western edge of Nebraska's Sand Hills. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.
Climate
Located in the High Plains, Alliance's climate is rather typical of the surrounding region. Under the Köppen climate classification, the town features a BSk climate, commonly described as a "Cold Steppe", with winters just below the threshold needed to be classified as a Continental climate, if it had enough precipitation to not be arid or semi-arid.
The all-time record high for Alliance is , set in 1983, and the all-time record low is , set in 1989. Precipitation is significantly higher in summer than in winter, with the wettest month being June, and the driest month being January.
Demographics
2020 census
The 2020 United States census counted 8,151 people, 3,445 households, and 2,173 families in Alliance. The population density was 1,666.9 per square mile (642.8/km). There were 4,036 housing units at an average density of 825.4 per square mile (318.3/km). The racial makeup was 80.75% (6,582) white, 0.76% (62) black or African-American, 4.17% (340) Native American, 0.82% (67) Asian, 0.06% (5) Pacific Islander, 4.72% (385) from other races, and 8.71% (710) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race was 15.0% (1,286) of the population.
Of the 3,445 households, 29.9% had children under the age of 18; 49.7% were married couples living together; 24.7% had a female householder with no husband present. 33.8% of households consisted of individuals and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.3 and the average family size was 2.9.
25.9% of the population was under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.4 years. For every 100 females, the population had 102.3 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 95.3 males.
The 2016-2020 5-year American Community Survey estimates show that the median household income was $57,898 (with a margin of error of +/- $14,867) and the median family income $83,969 (+/- $16,048). Males had a median income of $42,001 (+/- $8,679) versus $26,975 (+/- $5,462) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $34,457 (+/- $4,215). Approximately, 9.6% of families and 13.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.4% of those under the age of 18 and 13.1% of those ages 65 or over.
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 8,491 people, 3,559 households, and 2,276 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 4,075 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 87.5% White, 0.5% African American, 4.6% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 4.2% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.3% of the population.