Monowi, Nebraska

Monowi ( ) is an incorporated village in Boyd County, Nebraska, United States. In 2023, only one person lived there. It is the only city in the United States with only one person living there.

The name Monowi means "flower" in an unknown Native American language. Monowi was named after the many wildflowers growing at the original place of the village.

History
Monowi was platted in 1902. This was when the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad was extended to that point. A post office was created in Monowi in 1902. It was used until 1967.

Monowi's peak years were in the 1930s, when it had 150 people living there. Like many other small communities in the Great Plains, its younger residents moved to cities that were growing and had better jobs. During the 2000 census, the village had only two people; only one married couple, Rudy and Elsie Eiler, lived there. Rudy died in 2004. This made his wife the only remaining resident. She acts as mayor, giving herself a liquor license and paying taxes to herself. She is required to make a municipal road plan every year in order to get state funding for the village's four streetlights.

Geography
The United States Census Bureau says that the village has a total area of . All land of it is land. The village is in the far eastern part of Boyd County, in the northeastern part of Nebraska. It is between the Niobrara River and the bigger Missouri River. The closest community to Monowi is Lynch, which is about  away. The village is about  from Omaha.

People

Census data for Monowi is unique. In 2010:
 The total number of people was one (76.5 years old, female, white).
 There was one householder, living alone.
 Of the three houses in Monowi, only one had someone living in there.

In popular culture
Elsie and Rudy's Library was shown on the Today show on May 31, 2005.
Elsie and the Monowi Tavern were featured on CBS Sunday Morning on October 29, 2006, and again on August 12, 2007.
Elsie, the village, the tavern, and library were featured on an episode of Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy, where Larry announced on a radio show that he was having a hotdog roast that very day to help raise money for Elsie's village. Within an hour people began to come. Over one thousand people showed up for the roast to help Elsie. It aired April 12 and May 7, 2011, on The History Channel.
Elsie and the village are featured in a short story about tiny cities on the online video site, Great Big Story.
The village of Monowi, and its only resident Elsie Eiler, were featured on the BBC's The Travel Show in the United Kingdom on March 17, 2018.
The village was used as a starting place for the biggest advertisement poster in the world. It was made by Arby’s, and it was finished on June 13, 2018 
Elsie and the village of Monowi featured in an Arby's commercial. It was first shown on June 19, 2018.
Elsie and the village of Monowi featured in a Prudential commercial, called "The STATE of the US" -- "America's SMALLEST TOWN Monowi, NE". It first aired on September 16, 2018. In the opening shots, Wellness Expert, Alexandra Drane (who has no affiliation with the town) states "Welcome to Monowi, NE... Population, 1" while standing in front of two of the town's small buildings, one with a sign stating "Monowi Home of the Nite Owls" and the other with a sign stating "Welcome to the World Famous Monowi Tavern Only in America". Elsie Eiler (who is never identified by name in the commercial), replies, "Me" and continues with additional dialog by her and the narrator (possibly Alexandra Drane).

Related pages
Hibberts Gore, Maine – a tiny community in the US with a population of one
PhinDeli Town Buford, Wyoming – an unincorporated community in the US with only one person
Rochefourchat, Drôme – a commune in southeastern France with a single resident

References

Other websites

"Welcome to Monowi, Nebraska: population 1" by Will Francome, Megan Garner & Eliot Stein. BBC. 30 January 2018.

Category:Villages in Nebraska