Eighty-four-year-old Elsie Eiler is the sole resident of Monowi, Nebraska, a town where she serves as mayor, clerk, treasurer, librarian and bartender. According to the US Census, Monowi is the only incorporated place in the country with just one inhabitant.
Eiler's daily routine involves walking from her trailer to the Monowi Tavern, the town's only business, where she serves pork fritters and beer to regulars. Each year, she holds mayoral elections, voting for herself, and raises about $500 in taxes to maintain the town's three lampposts and water supply.
Once a bustling stop on the Elkhorn Railroad with 150 residents, Monowi began to decline after World War II as farming conditions worsened. The post office and grocery shops closed between 1967 and 1970, followed by the school in 1974. By 1980, the population had dwindled to 18.
Eiler, who grew up on a farm near the town, returned after a brief stint in Kansas City to marry her husband Rudy. The couple reopened the tavern in 1971. After Rudy's death in 2004, Eiler became the town's only resident. Despite the solitude, she says she is happy and not lonely, noting that she is used to the quiet life.
