Center was founded in 1902. The city was named from its location near the geographical center of Oliver County. Coincidentally, it has also been calculated to be the geographical center of North America. The town is somewhat notable for the blizzard-related death of Hazel Miner, who would go on to be the subject of a song and memorials.
As of the census of 2010, there were 571 people, 252 households, and 169 families living in the city. The population density was. There were 310 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 96.0% White, 0.5% African American, 3.2% Native American, and 0.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.9% of the population. There were 252 households, of which 20.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.5% were married couplesliving together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.9% were non-families. 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.71. The median age in the city was 49.3 years. 19.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.4% were from 25 to 44; 40% were from 45 to 64; and 17% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.3% male and 48.7% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 678 people, 279 households, and 196 families living in the city. The population density was 1,743.8 people per square mile. There were 310 housing units at an average density of 797.3 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 93.81% White, 0.44% African American, 3.39% Native American, and 2.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.59% of the population. There were 279 households, out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.0% were married couples living together, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.4% were non-families. 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.93. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.6% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 22.6% from 25 to 44, 33.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $41,406, and the median income for a family was $57,045. Males had a median income of $54,750 versus $18,393 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,043. About 2.1% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.9% of those under age 18 and 17.8% of those age 65 or over.
