Scribner was platted in 1870 when the railroad was extended to that point. It was named for publishing magnateCharles Scribner I. Today, Scribner remains a town of trade, even though the railroad no longer serves the town. The Chicago & North Western ended railroad service in spring of 1982; mainly due to the flooding that occurred at that time and the declining freight traffic volumes. The town had hoped that the newly formed Fremont & Elkhorn Valley Railroad would revive railroad service. Unfortunately, the proposed revival was too costly & the tracks were removed in 1988.
Geography
Scribner is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which is land and is water.
As of the census of 2010, there were 857 people, 385 households, and 223 families living in the city. The population density was. There were 443 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 95.7% White, 0.5% African American, 0.8% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1% of the population. There were 385 households of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.0% were married couplesliving together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.3% were non-families. 39.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 25.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age in the city was 50.4 years. 21.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 16.6% were from 25 to 44; 26.5% were from 45 to 64; and 30% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.8% male and 51.2% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 971 people, 389 households, and 245 families living in the city. The population density was 1,523.2 people per square mile. There were 428 housing units at an average density of 671.4 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 98.35% White, 0.31% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.72% from other races, and 0.51% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.93% of the population. There were 389 households out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.94. In the town the population was spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 22.0% from 25 to 44, 17.4% from 45 to 64, and 30.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 79.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.8 males. As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $30,455, and the median income for a family was $40,625. Males had a median income of $31,389 versus $18,553 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,173. About 6.1% of families and 9.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.6% of those under age 18 and 13.3% of those age 65 or over.
