York was platted in 1869. The city took its name from York County. In 1920, the Nebraska legislature established the State Reformatory for Women in York. The facility was expanded over the years; as of 2017, it operated as the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women, with a rated capacity of 275 beds.
Geography
York is located in . The city sits at the crossroads of Interstate 80, a major east-west highway, and U.S. Route 81, a major north-south highway. 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 7,766 people, 3,253 households, and 1,992 families living in the city. The population density was. There were 3,633 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 94.9% White, 1.0% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.8% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.4% of the population. There were 3,253 households of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.8% were non-families. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.4% 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 2.87. The median age in the city was 39.4 years. 22.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 11.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.9% were from 25 to 44; 25.7% were from 45 to 64; and 18.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.0% male and 51.0% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,081 people, 3,304 households, and 2,101 families living in the city. The population density was 1,433.6 people per square mile. There were 3,532 housing units at an average density of 626.6 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 96.76% White, 0.74% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.74% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 0.58% from other races, and 0.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.56% of the population. There were 3,304 households out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.4% 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 2.90. In the city, the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 11.7% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 18.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.6 males. As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $36,069, and the median income for a family was $45,544. Males had a median income of $31,014 versus $20,086 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,813. About 6.3% of families and 9.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.1% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.
York fielded a number of newspapers in the 1800s. On January 1, 1883, the York Democrat was created from a previous paper, the York Tribune. The York Republican was another newspaper that flourished during this time and was notable for its large circulation. York's current newspaper is the York News-Times. York has two radio stations that have been locally owned since they went on the air in 1954: KAWL and KTMX, providing news, sports, music and entertainment to York and adjacent counties.
Notable people
Doug Bereuter - U.S. Representative from Nebraska, 1979–2004
