Keya Paha County was organized in 1884 of land partitioned from Brown County. The name "Keya Paha" is taken from the Dakota language; literally translated, it means "turtle hill". The Dakota name for a set of small hills was given to the county and to the Keya Paha River, which runs through it.
Geography
Keya Paha County lies on the north line of Nebraska. Its north boundary line abuts the south boundary line of the state of South Dakota. The county's terrain consists of low rolling hills, whose level areas are used for agriculture, including center pivot irrigation. The Keya Paha River flows east-southeastward through the northeastern part of the county, while the Niobrara River flows eastward along the south county line. The county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. Keya Paha County is located in Nebraska's Outback region.
As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 983 people, 409 households, and 292 families in the county. The population density was 1.3 people per square mile ; there were 548 housing units at an average density of 0.7 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 99.39% White, 0.20% Native American, and 0.41% from two or more races; 3.87% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race; 46.7% were of German, 10.6% English, 9.8% American, 7.0% Irish and 6.0% Swedish ancestry. There were 409 households out of which 24.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.30% were married couplesliving together, 4.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.60% were non-families. 26.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.91. The county population contained 23.80% under the age of 18, 6.70% from 18 to 24, 23.40% from 25 to 44, 25.40% from 45 to 64, and 20.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 101.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.90 males. The median income for a household in the county was $24,911, and the median income for a family was $28,287. Males had a median income of $18,750 versus $19,107 for females. The per capita income for the county was $11,860. About 22.40% of families and 26.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.30% of those under age 18 and 18.80% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
As of 2008, Keya Paha County was the most Republican of all the counties in Nebraska, with 82.7% of its 707 registered voters registered as Republicans. The last Democratic Presidential candidate to win the county was Woodrow Wilson in 1916. In 1994, Ben Nelson was the last Democratic gubernatorial candidate to carry the county.
