Kearney

Kearney is located at 40°423N 99°452W (40.700731, -99.081150) The population was 30,787 in the 2010 census. It is home to the University of Nebraska at Kearney. The westward push of the railroad as the Civil War ended gave new birth to the community. The city has a total area of 13.00 square miles (33.67 km²), of which 12.77 square miles of it is land and 0.23 sq miles (0.60 km²) is water. 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; and 11.1% were 65 years or older. The gender makeup of the city is 48.9% male and 51.1 per cent female. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was2.96. The median income for a family was $29.29, and the city's per capita income was $150.17. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that Kearney's population will rise to 30,000 by the end of the decade. The population of Kearney is expected to reach 30,500 by the year 2050. The estimated population growth rate for the city between 2000 and 2050 is 0.7%. The city is located in the Kearney, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area, which consists of Buffalo and Kearney counties.

Geography

Kearney is located at 40°423N 99°452W (40.700731, -99.081150) on I-80 with access to the major markets of Omaha-Lincoln, Denver, Kansas City, Des Moines, Wichita and Cheyenne. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.00 square miles (33.67 km²) The city is at the center of a seven-state region and 20 million people. It is located on the Missouri River, a tributary of the Platte River, which runs through the city. The city has an area of 12.77 square miles of land, of which 0.23 sq miles (0.60km²) is water. It has a climate of humid subtropical climate (Köppen "Cwb") with an average monthly temperature of °C (°F) of 9.7°F (°C) and an average annual rainfall of 8.7 square miles (12.7 km²). The city's elevation is 9.7 meters (26.2 feet) above sea level. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the city's area to be 13.0 square miles, or 33.67 km². The area to sea level is 8.0 square miles (22.7km²), or 0.738 square kilometers (1.1 sq m).

Demographics

Kearney is the principal city of the Kearney, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area, which consists of Buffalo and Kearney counties. As of the 2010 census, there were 30,787 people, 12,201 households, and 7,015 families residing in the city. The median income for a household in theCity was $34,829. The per capita income for the city was $17,713. About 7.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.9% of those under age 18 and 8.8% over age 65. The city is located on the U.S. Turnpike, which runs through Kearney. It is the main route between Omaha and Omaha, Nebraska, and the Nebraska-Nebraska border. The U.N. World Trade Center is located in Kearney and is one of the largest employers in the state. It was the site of the first World War II-era air base, which was built in the late 1800s. It has a population of 30,000, making it the second-largest city in Nebraska after Omaha. The population of the city is expected to grow to 40,000 by the end of the 20th century, making Kearney the largest city in the United States by that time. It also has the highest percentage of Hispanic or Latino residents, with 7.3% of its population coming from Hispanic or Latinos. In the city, the median age is 29 years, with 22.2% of residents aged 18 and over.

History

Kearney was founded in 1848 as a crossroads on major east-west transportation arteries. Named after famed frontier military officer Stephen W. Kearny, Fort Kearny would become the namesake of the present city. The city of Kearney was incorporated on December 3, 1873, the townsite being fixed a mille north of the Platte River. In 1912, a Catholic Diocese was centered here, with the creation of other dioceses in 1917. In 1997, the city began to be used as a titular see by the Catholic Church. The first permanent settlement in the area was called Dobytown, located 2 miles (3.2 km) southeast of present-day Kearney. The "e" in Kearny was added by mistake sometime afterwards by postmen who consistently misspelled the town name; eventually the spelling became nomenclature. In 1874, Kearney became 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. These flush times would grind to a sudden halt as a result of the agricultural depression and economic crisis of the early 1890s. 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. A canal, electric street railway, and a five-story opera house were some of the projects to ultimately make it off the board.

Government

The council-manager form of government was adopted in 1950. The City Council makes legislative and policy-making decisions. There are five members elected citywide to serve four-year terms. The council appoints a city manager to implement policies, prepare a budget, appoints department heads, and recommends areas that the council needs to attend. One member of the City Council is chosen by the council to be Mayor. Stanley Clouse is the Mayor. Michael W. Morgan currently serves as city manager. He was elected to the position in 1950 and has been in the position since. He has been the city manager for the last four years. He is the son of former mayor and former mayor of Kearney, William Morgan, who died in 2011. He served as mayor from 1969 to 1981. He had been elected to a seat on the council in 1961. He also served as the mayor from 1981 to 1986. The current city manager is Michael Morgan who was elected in 2010. He currently serves in the post for a four year term. The city council is made up of five members. The members serve staggered four year terms which are staggered. The mayor is chosen from among the members of the council for a three-year term which is also staggered. It is the first time the council has had five members on the city council. It has been used in Kearney since it was formed in 1951. It was the first city in the state to be part of the US Census. It had a population of 2,000 in 1950, and now has 3,000.

Education

University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK) is located in the city. The campus is a 235-acre (0.95 km²) residential campus with more than 37 buildings. Central Community College has a branch campus in Kearney. Kearney Public Schools operates 3 preschools, 12 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and Kearney High School. Between 1963 and 1991 the school was known as Kearney State College. It was founded in 1905 as Nebraska State Normal School at Kearny and became Nebraska State Teachers College in 1921. The college's name was changed to University of Kearney in 1991, when it joined the University of Nebraska system. The city is also home to the Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center (YRCT) and the Kearney Catholic High School, at the YRCT. The town is home to a number of churches, including Zion Lutheran and Faith Christian School of Kearneys. It is also the home of the American Red Cross, which has a mission to help people in need of food and shelter in the U.S. and around the world.

Transportation

The city operates Kearney Regional Airport located east of the city. The Union Pacific Railroad east-west main line runs through Kearney. Greyhound Bus Lines stops to pick up or discharge passengers in Kearney at 112 W. Talmadge Rd. United Express offers twice-daily service to Denver International Airport, as well as a daily non-stop flight to O'Hare Airport in Chicago, IL. The city is home to the University of Nebraska-Kearney, which was founded in 1883. It is also home to Kearney High School, which opened in 1894. It was named after Kearney, Nebraska, the site of the town's first public school, which operated from 1894-1895. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is based in the city, and the U.N. College of Engineering is based at Kearney University, which has a campus on the outskirts of town. The town has a population of 2,000. It also has a post office, postmaster, postmistress, and bus station, all of which are located in the same area of Kearney as the city's airport. The airport is located on a former rail line that was built in the early 1900s. The rail line was built to connect the city with Denver and Chicago. It has since been converted into a major air hub, with flights to and from the Chicago area. The United States Air Force has a base station in the town, which is located near the airport.

Local attractions

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. President Bill Clinton toured the Great Platte River Road Archway Monument on December 8, 2000, while on a visit to Kearney. Jack Nicholson was filmed in a scene at the Archway for the movie About Schmidt. The 5,500 seat Viaero Event Center hosts concerts, events, and performances. The Tri-City Storm, a United States Hockey League team, is based in Kearney and plays in the National Hockey League's Tri-City Arena. Two microbreweries, Thunderhead Brewing and the Platte Valley Brewery, are located in downtown Kearney, along with the University of Nebraska at Kearney's George W. Frank House and the Robert M. Merryman Performing Arts Center, located in the city's Central Elementary School. The Classic Car Collection is an automotive museum containing over 210 automobiles. In 2013, the Shrine Bowl State High School All-Star Football Game was moved from Lincoln to Kearneys to host the Nebraska All-star Football Game. The Nebraska State Museum houses artworks spanning 175 years, from the 19th century to the present. The Museum of Nebraska Art is the state's official art collection, and is located in a building that dates back to the 18th century. The Kearney Public Library has a collection of more than 2,000 books, including many works of art by Abraham Lincoln.

Local media

The Kearney Hub is a local newspaper based in Kearney, Nebraska. The Hub is owned by the Kearney Chamber of Commerce. It is also the home of the local radio station, KRNY FM 102.3. It also has its own television station, KQKY FM 105.9.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Kearney, Buffalo County, Nebraska = 87. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 44. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 97. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Kearney = 4 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 33,790 individuals with a median age of 30.5 age the population grows by 9.80% in Kearney, Buffalo County, Nebraska population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 2,271.29 residents per square mile of area (876.95/km²). There are average 2.34 people per household in the 11,886 households with an average household income of $44,261 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 3.00% of the available work force and has dropped -3.76% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 29.48%. The number of physicians in Kearney per 100,000 population = 282.5.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Kearney = 23.8 inches and the annual snowfall = 27.8 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 77. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 229. 89 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 11.4 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 39, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Kearney, Buffalo County, Nebraska which are owned by the occupant = 53.28%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 32 years with median home cost = $117,910 and home appreciation of 0.73%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $14.45 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $9,631 per student. There are 15.5 students for each teacher in the school, 256 students for each Librarian and 438 students for each Counselor. 6.81% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 23.23% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 13.03% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).