McCook is a city in Red Willow County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 7,994 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Red Willow County.[3] It was named in honor of American Civil War Brigadier General Alexander McDowell McCook.[citation needed]
McCook is the birthplace of one of Nebraska's two U.S Senators, Ben Nelson.
Geography
McCook is located at 40°12′19″N 100°37′34″W / 40.20528°N 100.62611°W / 40.20528; -100.62611 (40.205228, -100.626174).[4]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.4 square miles (13.9 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 7,994 people, 3,371 households, and 2,154 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,485.1 people per square mile (573.7/km²). There were 3,754 housing units at an average density of 697.4/sq mi (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, and 0.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.53% of the population.
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 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 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 2007 the council members are Aaron Kircher, Jack Rogers, Dennis Berry, Collen Grant and Lonnie Anderson.
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, the national passenger rail system, provides service through McCook, operating its California Zephyr daily in both directions between Chicago and Emeryville, California, across the bay from San Francisco.
Culture
The mascot for McCook High School is the Bison.
McCook is the home town of no fewer than three governors[who?] of Nebraska and George Norris, the person who helped form the framework of Nebraska's unicameral legislature. Norris also was the leading figure behind the creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority. It was the home of Frank Morrison, the influential Democratic governor of Nebraska from 1961-1967. Frank Morrison is the grandfather of the Montana state auditor, John Morrison.
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, with feeds into the Missouri River.
McCook hosts the Buffalo Commons Storytelling Festival each summer.
Former professional football player Jeff Kinney is a 1968 graduate of McCook High School; he was a three-year starter for the Nebraska Cornhuskers at tailback. Kinney was a major factor on the national championship teams of 1970 and 1971, especially during the "Game of the Century" at unbeaten Oklahoma on Thanksgiving in his senior season. He gained 171 yards on 31 carries (5.5 avg.) and scored four touchdowns, the final one with less than two minutes remaining to put Nebraska ahead 35-31, the final score. He was a first-round draft choice (23rd overall) of the Kansas City Chiefs in 1972; he played five seasons in the NFL with the Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills.
A prank in McCook Senior High School involving a car parked next to the school's main office was to be featured on an episode of MTV's High School Stories, but the offer was rejected by principal Andrew Smith. He felt the publicity of the subject matter would present a negative influence on the future and present students of McCook Senior High School.
McCook Army Airfield, active from 1943 through 1945, was located nine miles northwest of McCook.
References
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