Kearney, Nebraska
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kearney is a city in Buffalo County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 27,431 at the 2000 census and increased to 28,958 by 2005. It is the county seat of Buffalo CountyGR6. Home of University of Nebraska-Kearney. Kearney is pronounced "kar-ney" (IPA pronunciation: [ˈkɑɹni]), not "ker-ney".
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[edit] Geography
Kearney is located at (40.700731, -99.081150)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 29.0 km² (11.2 mi²). 28.4 km² (11.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (1.96%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 27,431 people, 10,549 households, and 6,160 families residing in the city. The population density was 964.6/km² (2,498.5/mi²). There were 11,099 housing units at an average density of 390.3/km² (1,010.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.18% White, 0.63% African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.92% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.68% from other races, and 1.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.08% of the population.
There were 10,549 households out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.6% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.2% under the age of 18, 23.9% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 17.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,829, and the median income for a family was $46,650. Males had a median income of $30,150 versus $22,366 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,713. About 7.4% of families and 13.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.8% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Attractions
The campus of the University of Nebraska at Kearney is located in the city, and has an annual student population of nearly 7,000. Also located here is the Museum of Nebraska Art, the state's official art collection. Just 2 miles east of town, The Great Platte River Road Archway Monument, spanning Interstate 80, is a museum paying tribute to the area's pioneer history. It was featured in the movie About Schmidt. Just west of town is a housing subdivision know as The 1,733 Estates. This point marks the halfway point between Boston and San Francisco.
The city is also home to the Tri-City Storm, a USHL team, and formerly the Nebraska Cranes, which were the 2006 USBL Champions. Both teams play their games at the FirsTier Events Center, a large arena built originally to house the hockey team. With seating for 5,000, the arena has had the added effect of attracting various big name performers to the city. Previous guests have been Bob Dylan, Larry the Cable Guy, Jeff Foxworthy, and the Harlem Globetrotters.
Beer aficionados will also find a few great places to have a nice, cold drink in Kearney. Usually towns of Kearney's size do not offer microbreweries, but Kearney has two. Thunderhead Brewing and The Platte Valley Brewery are both housed downtown and offer premier homemade beers and exceptional prices. Recently, Thunderhead Brewing won the World Beer Cup for its Espresso Stout, beating out numerous other major-market competitors.
[edit] History
The city was named after nearby Fort Kearny (with an extra "e" added, but pronounced the same), a United States Army outpost along the Oregon Trail in the middle 19th century that was itself named after Col. and later General Stephen W. Kearny. The "e" was added by mistake sometime afterwards by postmen who consistently misspelled the town name. Eventually it just stuck. The current location of the city is on the North side of the Platte River and thanks to the railroad steadily grew.
Recent growth in the city has been dramatic. Each year, Kearney gains about 1,000 more residents and this creates a very lively construction market. The city is expanding quickly to the North, East, and West. The biggest employers in the city are the Good Samaritan Hospital and the University of Nebraska at Kearney. Other major employers include The Buckle Corporate Headquarters, Eaton's Corp., Baldwin Filters, Coleman Powermate, and West Company Pharmaceuticals.
[edit] External links
- City of Kearney, Nebraska
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- Kearney Hub Local Newspaper
There is a good chance that Kearney, Fort Kearny, Col Kearny are all named after Kearney in County Down in Northern Ireland where many of its inhabitants moved from Ireland to set up home in the USA
