McCook, Nebraska
Encyclopedia
McCook is a city in Red Willow County
Red Willow County, Nebraska
-History:Red Willow County was formed in 1873. It was named after the Red Willow Creek.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 11,448 people, 4,710 households, and 3,188 families residing in the county. The population density was 16 people per square mile . There were 5,278 housing...

, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The population was 7,994 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 of Red Willow County
Red Willow County, Nebraska
-History:Red Willow County was formed in 1873. It was named after the Red Willow Creek.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 11,448 people, 4,710 households, and 3,188 families residing in the county. The population density was 16 people per square mile . There were 5,278 housing...

. It was named in honor of Alexander McDowell McCook
Alexander McDowell McCook
Alexander McDowell McCook was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War.-Early life:...

, a Brigadier General
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...

 in the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...

 during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

.

Geography

McCook is located at 40°12′19"N 100°37′34"W (40.205228, -100.626174).

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the city has a total area of 5.4 square miles (14 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 7,994 people, 3,371 households, and 2,154 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 1,485.1 people per square mile (573.7/km²). There were 3,754 housing units at an average density of 697.4 per square mile (269.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.37% White, 0.18% African American, 0.45% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.91% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 0.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.53% of the population. The population was 7,410 in 2009.

There were 3,371 households out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.1% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.1% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 20.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 89.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,105, and the median income for a family was $40,455. Males had a median income of $28,065 versus $18,516 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the city was $16,691. About 7.9% of families and 9.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.7% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The City of McCook has a council-manager style government. As of 2011, council members are Dennis Berry (Mayor), Mike Gonzales (Vice President), Aaron Kircher, Jerry Calvin and Shane Hilker.

The City of McCook is organized into eight different departments and offices, which are the: Public Library, Parks, Trash/Recycling, Fire Department, Senior Citizens Affairs, Police Department, Water Department, and Public Transportation.

The City of McCook also hosts thirteen advisory boards and commissions for public service, public works, and the functions of the aforementioned departments and offices.

The single largest issue faced by the City of McCook has been troubles with water purity. When the federal government's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) changed their guidelines for the acceptable purity of water from nitrates, uranium, etc., McCook's existing concern with safe water (which began in 1988) became even more intense and the city was faced with a decision to either find a new source of water or implement a water purification system to clean up the existing sources. Additional taxes were levied to pay for the purchase of land once belonging to a military setup, but was found to be contaminated. Currently, the city has constructed a water treatment facility. The facility has brought the city into full compliance for nitrate, arsenic and uranium. It is possibly the first facility to treat all three contaminants at once.

Transportation

Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...

, the national passenger rail system, provides service through McCook, operating its California Zephyr
California Zephyr
The California Zephyr is a long passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the midwestern and western United States.It runs from Chicago, Illinois, in the east to Emeryville, California, in the west, passing through the states of Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California...

 daily in both directions between Chicago
Union Station (Chicago)
Union Station is a major train station that opened in 1925 in Chicago, replacing an earlier 1881 station. It is now the only intercity rail terminal in Chicago, as well as being the city's primary terminal for commuter trains. The station stands on the west side of the Chicago River between Adams...

 and Emeryville, California
Emeryville, California
Emeryville is a small city located in Alameda County, California, in the United States. It is located in a corridor between the cities of Berkeley and Oakland, extending to the shore of San Francisco Bay. Its proximity to San Francisco, the Bay Bridge, the University of California, Berkeley, and...

, across the bay from San Francisco, with stops in Omaha, Lincoln, Hastings. Great Lakes Airlines
Great Lakes Airlines
Great Lakes Airlines , is an American regional airline operating domestic scheduled and charter services. Corporate headquarters are located in Cheyenne, Wyoming, with hubs at Denver International Airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, McCarran...

 is currently serving the McCook Regional Airport
McCook Regional Airport
McCook Regional Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located two nautical miles east of the central business district of the City of McCook, in Red Willow County, Nebraska, United States. It was formerly known as McCook Municipal Airport...

 with commercial flights to Denver and Huron, South Dakota
Huron, South Dakota
Huron is a city in Beadle County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 12,592 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Beadle County. Huron was the home of now-defunct Huron University since 1897. Huron is also the home of the South Dakota State Fair...

.

Culture

George W. Norris, who held seats in the U.S. House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 and Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

 from 1903 to 1943, was a resident of McCook. Norris was the driving force behind the conversion of Nebraska's legislature to a unicameral system; in the Senate, he was a leading figure behind the creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...

. His house in McCook is operated as a museum by the Nebraska State Historical Society, and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

. Originally named Main, the principal north-south thoroughfare through central McCook was renamed Norris Avenue in his honor.

Three governors of Nebraska made their homes in McCook: Ralph G. Brooks
Ralph G. Brooks
Ralph Gilmour Brooks was a Nebraska Democratic politician best known for being the 29th Governor of Nebraska. He was governor from 1959 until September 9, 1960 when he died in office. He also ran and lost as a candidate for Nebraska's first district in 1942.-References:#...

, Frank Morrison
Frank B. Morrison
Frank Brenner Morrison served as the 31st Governor of the U.S. state of Nebraska from 1961 to 1967, representing the Democratic Party. He also ran for United States Senate in 1958, 1966 and 1970 but lost all three elections. He lost to Roman L. Hruska in 1958 and 1970 while in 1966 he lost to Carl...

, and Ben Nelson
Ben Nelson
Earl Benjamin "Ben" Nelson is the senior U.S. Senator from Nebraska. He is a member of the Democratic Party and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2000....

, who currently represents Nebraska in the U.S. Senate.

The Harvey P. Sutton House
Harvey P. Sutton House
The Harvey P. Sutton House, also known as the H.P. Sutton House, is a six-bedroom, Frank Lloyd Wright designed Prairie School home at 602 Norris Avenue in McCook, Nebraska...

 at 602 Norris Avenue was designed by influential architect Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...

 in 1905-1907 and built 1907-1908. The classic Prairie-style
Prairie School
Prairie School was a late 19th and early 20th century architectural style, most common to the Midwestern United States.The works of the Prairie School architects are usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped in horizontal bands,...

 house is listed in the National Register of Historic Places; it is the only Wright house known to have been built in Nebraska. The house is used as a private residence, and is not open to the public.

McCook hosts the Buffalo Commons Storytelling Festival each summer. There is also the Heritage Day Celebration and the McCook Balloon Fest in September.

McCook Army Airfield
McCook Army Airfield
McCook Army Airfield was activated on 1 April 1943. It is located nine miles northwest of McCook, a city in Red Willow County, Nebraska, United States and is southwest of Lincoln, Nebraska. It was constructed in 1943...

, active from 1943 through 1945, was located nine miles northwest of McCook.

McCook hosted a professional baseball team, the McCook Braves, who played in the Nebraska State League from 1956-59. In their final season in 1959, the club featured future Baseball Hall of Famer Phil Niekro
Phil Niekro
Philip Henry Niekro , nicknamed "Knucksie" because of his usage and skill level with the knuckleball, is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997....

 and won the NSL championship; both the Braves and the league folded at season's end. Another pitcher on the team, Pat Jordan, later became a writer for the Sporting News and penned the classic baseball book A False Spring about the '59 McCook Braves.

Former professional football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 player Jeff Kinney
Jeff Kinney
Jeffrey Bruce "Jeff" Kinney is a former professional football player, a running back for the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills for five seasons in the NFL. At 6'2" and 215 lb., Kinney was selected by the Chiefs in the first round of the 1972 NFL Draft with the 23rd overall pick...

 is a 1968 graduate of McCook High School. The school's athletic teams are the Bison.

McCook also has one of a growing number of nascent vineyards in the state, the Ravenswood Road Vineyard, run by Harold Davidson. It is situated near the Republican River
Republican River
The Republican River is a river in the central Great Plains of North America, flowing through the U.S. states of Nebraska and Kansas.-Geography:...

.

External links

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