We Visited America’s Smallest Town – Population One

If you go to Lincoln, Nebraska, hop on the I-80 freeway and drive through seemingly endless farmland for about three hours, you’ll eventually reach the town of Monowi. This tiny dot on the map, which passes by in the blink of an eye, is officially the smallest incorporated town in the United States. Population: one.

87-year-old Elsie Eiler is officially the only resident of the town. She’s Monowi’s mayor, bartender, and librarian, and she runs the town’s only business – the Monowi Tavern. We weren’t sure what we expected when we set out to meet her, but we were determined to find out just what it's like to live in a town all alone.

When we first contacted Elsie about an interview, she told us that she couldn’t leave her job at the tavern to talk, but that we were welcome to come by for lunch.

Our experience started as an incredibly awkward lunch as we found ourselves sticking out like sore thumbs against locals who all seemed to know each other.

After several hours of waiting patiently for a spare moment of Elsie’s time, we finally got to talk to her, hear her story, and get a glimpse of what life is like in the country’s smallest town. It was well worth the wait.

A Tour and History of Monowi

Taking a full tour of the town of Monowi does not take very long. In fact, you can see the entire town from one spot. 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.

We fell in love with the town’s library, named Rudy’s Library, after Elsie’s late husband. Rudy was a huge fan of books and collected thousands of them over his lifetime.

After he passed away, Elsie took all of the books and built a library for them. We could’ve spent hours sorting through historic newspapers, vintage National Geographic magazines, and classic storybooks.

A Q&A with Elsie

When the lunch rush at the tavern finally calmed down, we had the privilege to ask her some of our burning questions about how she got to Monowi and what it’s like to be the only person living in the town.

Do you like being known as the only resident of America’s smallest town?

Elsie is aware of her reputation as the resident of Monowi, population one, but she never thought it was that big of a deal.

She’s grateful that recognition of the town has helped people realize that there is more to Nebraska than just farmland, but to her, she’s just an ordinary woman living her life.

How did you get to Monowi?

When Elsie 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 neighboring 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. Even after her husband passed away, Elsie knew that Monowi was the only place she ever wanted to call home.

How long have you owned the tavern?

When we visited Elsie in 2021, she was celebrating the 50th year anniversary of her owning the tavern!

What is it like to be mayor of Monowi?

Monowi is an incorporated town, which basically means you handle your own business – pay the bills, take care of the roads, and live life.

Someone needed to be mayor to sign the occasional form from the government, so as the only resident of the town, the responsibility fell on Elsie.

Elsie told us about a rumor circulating online that she held elections for mayor and put out signs campaigning for herself. “That’s crazy,” she said. If anyone else wanted to be mayor, Elsie said she’d happily hand over the title.

What’s been the progression over the years that has led to you being the town’s only resident?

Like many towns in the Great Plains, Elsie told us that there just wasn’t anything to keep the younger people in Monowi.

The only industry is farming, and there are no schools, so everyone had to move away to find work or get an education. 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.

What’s a day in your life like?

When we asked Elsie this question, she laughed and said, “You saw it.”

The Monowi town tavern is open six days a week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and as the tavern’s only employee, she works that shift every day. Sometimes the tavern is busy – Elsie wakes up in the morning, gets the coffee ready and the next thing she knows, it’s time to clean up, go home and get ready to do it all over again.

On other days, business is slow and the hours drag by. Even when she doesn’t want to work, Elsie shows up to work each one of those six days.

Do you ever get lonely?

This was probably the biggest question we had going into this experience, but as we spent the day shadowing Elsie, we noticed that she was not alone a single time.

Elsie herself told us that no, she’s not lonely. The town and her tavern attract many interesting visitors who keep her company, like the local farmers, journalists, and even Arby’s advertising team (yep, she shot a commercial with Arby’s that won a Guinness World Record).

It seems like many people have learned to love and admire the feisty mayor of Monowi.

An Incredible Monowi Experience

An experience that started with a very awkward, very lonely lunch at a tavern ended in us making new friends and hearing incredible stories.

We enjoyed dinner at the tavern with some local friends, tried Rocky Mountain Oysters, and overall enjoyed spending time in the company of friendly Nebraskans. At the end of the night, we left with big smiles on our faces and fond memories of America’s smallest town.

To see our full Monowi experience and meet the amazing Elsie, check out the video below!