Kearney, Nebraska

Kearney, Nebraska
FIPS code		31-25055
GNIS feature ID	838076[3]
Website	www.cityofkearney.org

Kearney (

History

In the late 1840s, American settlers traveling westward arrived in significant numbers along the

The first permanent settlement in the area was called Dobytown, located 2 miles (3.2 km) southeast of the present-day Kearney. The "e" in Kearney was added by mistake sometime afterwards by postmen who consistently misspelled the town name; eventually the spelling became nomenclature.^{[9] [10]} The region expanded in 1866 with the arrival of the Union Pacific Railroad. The fixing of a junction point with the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad in 1871 anticipated the establishment of a townsite in the summer of that year. The city of Kearney was incorporated on December 3, 1873, the townsite being fixed a mille north of the Platte River. In 1874, Kearney was chosen to be the seat of Buffalo County, experiencing great population, economic, and infrastructural expansion in subsequent years that transformed the nascent city into the local business, education, and transportation center it remains to this day. This boom would be sustained through the next twenty-years, fueled by a post-Civil War period of frenzied economic expansion and wealth generation (Gilded Age) that was transforming the whole nation. Enterprising investors poured into the burgeoning community from the East and elsewhere, hoping to enrich themselves through ambitious speculative development schemes that, more often than not, turned out to be ill-conceived and economically unsustainable. An irrigation canal, electric street railway, and a five-story opera house were some of the projects to ultimately make it off the drawing board. These flush times would grind to a sudden halt as a result of the agricultural depression and economic crisis of the early 1890s.^[11]

In 1912, the Catholic

Geography

Kearney is located on I-80 with access to the major markets of Omaha-Lincoln, Denver, Kansas City, Des Moines, Wichita and Cheyenne, Kearney is at the center of a seven-state region and 20 million people.^[15]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.00 square miles (33.67 km²), of which 12.77 square miles (33.07 km²) is land and 0.23 square miles (0.60 km²) is water.^[16]

Climate

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	1,782		—
1890	8,074		353.1%
1900	5,634		−30.2%
1910	6,202		10.1%
1920	7,702		24.2%
1930	8,575		11.3%
1940	9,643		12.5%
1950	12,115		25.6%
1960	14,210		17.3%
1970	19,181		35.0%
1980	21,158		10.3%
1990	24,396		15.3%
2000	27,431		12.4%
2010	30,787		12.2%
2020	33,790		9.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[19] 2018 Estimate[20]

Kearney is the principal city of the Kearney, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area, which consists of Buffalo and Kearney counties.

2020 census

The

of any race was 9.0% (3,200) of the population.

Of the 13,361 households, 26.6% had children under the age of 18; 44.2% were married couples living together; 29.2% had a female householder with no husband present. 32.3% of households consisted of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.4 and the average family size was 2.9.

20.9% of the population was under the age of 18, 19.4% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32.1 years. For every 100 females, the population had 97.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 94.1 males.

The 2016-2020 5-year

, including 13.6% of those under the age of 18 and 10.1% of those ages 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the

of any race were 7.3% of the population.

There were 12,201 households, of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.7% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.5% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.96 .

The median age in the city was 29 years. 22.2% of residents were under age 18; 20.5% were between ages 18 and 24; 25.6% were aged 25 to 44; 20.6% were aged 45 to 64; and 11.1% were aged 65 years or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.9% male and 51.1% female.

2000 census

As of the

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 age 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 aged 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

, including 11.8% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Companies headquartered in Kearney include Citizens Telecommunications Company of Nebraska and The Buckle.

According to Buffalo County Economic Development,^[24] the top non-manufacturing employers in the city are:

Top non-manufacturing employers

#	Employer	Employees
1	Good Samaritan Hospital	1,000+
2	University of Nebraska at Kearney	1,000+
3	Kearney Public Schools	750-1,000
4	Buckle (clothing retailer)	750–1,000
5	Kearney Regional Medical Center	500–750
6	HyVee	500–750
7	Cash-Wa	500-750
8	Walmart	250–500
9	Cabelas	250–500

The top manufacturing employers are:

Top manufacturing employers

#	Employer	Employees
1	Baldwin Filters	1,000+
2	Eaton	500-700
3	West Pharmaceutical Services	250–500
4	Chief Industries	100–250
5	BluePrint Engines	100–250
6	Morris Printing Group	100–250

Arts and culture

Kearney is home to several museums, many of which reflect its location on the California, Mormon, Oregon, and Pony Express trails, and the Lincoln Highway.

• The Great Platte River Road Archway Monument spans Interstate 80 at mile marker 274 and contains exhibits that trace the history of the Great Platte River Road from the Oregon Trail days to the present.^[25] President Bill Clinton toured the Great Platte River Road Archway Monument on December 8, 2000, while on a visit to Kearney.^[26] Jack Nicholson was filmed in a scene at the Archway for the movie About Schmidt.^[27]
• The Museum of Nebraska Art, the state's official art collection, houses artworks spanning 175 years, from the 19th century to the present.^[28]
• The George W. Frank House is an 1890s historic mansion located at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. The Robert M. Merryman Performing Arts Center, located in the city's Central Elementary School, is a 750 seat theater completed in 2006.^[29]
• The Trails & Rails Museum is home to many of the county's historic structures from the late 1800s-through the mid-1900s.
• The 5,500 seat Viaero Event Center hosts concerts, events, and performances, and is home to the Tri-City Storm, a United States Hockey League team.^[30]
• In 2013, the Shrine Bowl State High School All-Star Football Game was moved from Lincoln to Kearney.^[31]
• Two
  microbreweries, Thunderhead Brewing and the Platte Valley Brewery, are located in downtown Kearney.^[32]
• The Classic Car Collection is an automotive museum containing over 210 automobiles.[33]

Sports

• Kearney Yankees, 1956–1959, minor league baseball team affiliated with the New York Yankees
• Tri-City Storm, Tier I junior ice hockey team in the West Division of the United States Hockey League (USHL)

Government

The council-manager form is used in Kearney. The City Council makes legislative and policy-making decisions. There are five members elected citywide to serve four-year terms which are staggered. The council manager form of government was adopted in 1950. Michael W. Morgan currently serves as city manager.^{[citation needed]}

The council appoints a city manager to implement policies, prepare a budget, appoints department heads, and recommends areas that the council needs to attend. There are five members elected citywide serving staggered four-year terms. One member of the City Council is chosen by the council to be Mayor. Stanley Clouse is the Mayor.^[34][35]

Education

Primary and secondary schools

• Kearney High School^[36]
• Zion Lutheran School
• Faith Christian School of Kearney
• Kearney West High School, at the Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center^[37]
• Kearney Catholic High School

Post-Secondary Schools

• Central Community College has a branch campus in Kearney.^[38]

• University of Nebraska
  system.

Media

Newspaper

• Kearney Hub

Radio

• KGFW AM 1340
• KXPN (AM) 1460
• KGFW FM 96.1
• KKPR-FM 98.9
• KRNY FM 102.3
• KQKY FM 105.9

Television

• KHGI-TV

Transportation

The city operates

stops to pick up or discharge passengers in Kearney at 112 W. Talmadge Rd.

Notable people

• Drew Anderson, MLB player
• Jon Bokenkamp, writer and producer^[40]
• Cyrus Allen Black, taxidermist, decoy-maker and amateur baseball player
• Solomon Butcher, photographer of the Homestead era in Nebraska, lived in Kearney for about a decade, beginning in 1902
• Alexander H. Conner, politician
• Leslie Easterbrook, actress
• Tom Kropp, professional basketball player
• James A. Lake, evolutionary biologist
• Lorraine Langford, Nebraska politician
• Kyle Larson, NFL player^[41]
• Stephen R. Lawhead, author
• Brett Maher, NFL player^[42]
• David Martin, congressman
• Andy Pessoa, actor
• Peter George Peterson
  , U.S. Secretary of Commerce 1972–73, co-founder of the Blackstone Group
• Ryan Quincy, Emmy-winning animator, producer, and voice actor
• Tim Schlattmann, screenwriter
• Dan Schlissel, record producer and label founder (Stand Up! Records, -ismist Recordings)
• Kathy Lou Schultz, poet and scholar
• Charlie Tuna, radio personality
• Elizabeth T. Uldall, linguist
• Chuck Welch, artist
• Don Welch, American poet and academic, professor at the University of Nebraska at Kearney
• Dale E. Wolf, businessman and politician

In popular culture

• Dexter (season 6), episode 7 ("Nebraska", airdate November 13, 2011) was set in Kearney, Nebraska.^[43][44]
• The Echo Maker, book by Richard Powers. The events of the book partly take place in Kearney, Nebraska.^[45]

References

External links

• "City of Kearney". cityofkearney.org.
• "Kearney Hub". kearneyhub.com (local newspaper).
• "Buffalo County Economic Development Council". www.ci.kearney.ne.us.
• "Kearney" . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911.