This U.S. town has only one resident —Here’s why

Monowi is the smallest incorporated town in the United States with just one resident.

Monowi is a village in Boyd County, Nebraska, United States. It garnered national and international recognition after the 2010 United States census counted only one resident of the village, Elsie Eiler. She's the town’s sole resident, mayor, librarian, and bartender — all rolled into one. But why does a whole town have only one resident?

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What Happened To Monowi?

Monowi wasn’t always this quiet. Back in the 1930s, the town was home to around 150 residents. It flourished thanks to the Elkhorn Railroad and nearby farming activities. Locals once enjoyed access to grocery stores, restaurants, and even a jail, making it a fully functioning rural town. But like many communities on the American Great Plains, Monowi’s fate changed during the Great Depression.

The economic downturn and collapsing rural infrastructure drove people to cities in search of better opportunities. Families became smaller, younger generations moved away, and the once-thriving town began to fade.

By the early 2000s, Elsie Eiler and her husband Rudy were the only two residents left in Monowi. When Rudy passed away in 2004, Elsie remained, making her the town's only inhabitant. But far from giving in to isolation, Elsie chose to carry on the legacy of her community.

How Did Elsie Get To Monowi?

In an interview with Yahoo! creators, Elsie shared that when she was 1.5 years old, her family moved to a farm just outside of town. She attended 1st through 8th grade in Monowi and then went to high school in a neighbouring town. After graduating, she and her husband, who she met in 3rd grade, moved to Texas to work for an airline.

Elsie said that she and her husband could have moved anywhere, but they both knew that Monowi was where they wanted to live for the rest of their lives so they moved back.

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Elsie As Mayor, Taxpayer, and Bartender

Monowi is made up of only three habitable buildings in the town – the tavern, the library, and Elsie’s house. There are other houses, churches, and trailers in town, but they’ve all fallen into disrepair, left by residents seeking a bigger life.

Elsie isn’t just a resident of the town, she’s also Monowi’s mayor, treasurer, clerk, and librarian. Every year, she files a municipal budget, maintains town records, and issues a liquor license to herself to legally operate the Monowi Tavern, which has become something of a roadside attraction. Locals and travellers alike stop by for a drink and to meet the woman who runs a town all by herself.

In memory of her late husband Rudy, Elsie also runs the Monowi Library, a building filled with over 5,000 books and magazines. It stands not just as a place for reading, but as a heartfelt tribute to the man who shared the last years of Monowi's decline with her.

In 2020, Monowi's population briefly appeared to double from one to two due to a bureaucratic error. The census had added an extra person to protect Elsie's identity, causing temporary confusion.

Elsie acknowledges that there is nothing to keep the younger people in Monowi. The only industry is farming, and there are no schools. The school that Elsie attended when she was younger closed down as the population shrunk, grocery stores shut down and the population dwindled until it was just Elsie.

However, Elsie said she’s not lonely. The town and her tavern attract many interesting visitors who keep her company, like the local farmers, journalists, and tourists. Through her dedication, the memory of Monowi lives on, inviting curiosity and admiration from across the world.

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