- Kearney, Missouri
Infobox Settlement
official_name = City of Kearney
settlement_type =City
imagesize =
image_caption =
imagesize =
image_caption =
mapsize = 250x200px
map_caption = Location of Kearney withinMissouri
area_land_km2 = 17.0
area_water_km2 = 0.0
area_total_sq_mi = 6.6
area_land_sq_mi = 6.6
area_water_sq_mi = 0.0
elevation_m = 261
elevation_ft = 856
latd = 39 |latm = 21 |lats = 57 |latNS = N
longd = 94 |longm = 21 |longs = 37 |longEW = W
population_as_of = 2000
population_total = 5472
population_density_km2 = 321.6
mapsize1 =
map_caption1 =
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name =United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 =Missouri
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Clay
government_type =
leader_title =Mayor
leader_name = Bill Dane
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 17.09
total_area_sq_mi= 6.6
established_title = Settled
established_date = 1856
established_title2 = Incorporated
established_date2 = 1869
timezone = Central (CST)
utc_offset = -6
timezone_DST = CDT
utc_offset_DST = -5
postal_code_type =ZIP code
postal_code = 64060
area_code = 816
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 29-38072GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0730123GR|3
footnotes =
website = http://www.ci.kearney.mo.usKearney is a city in Clay County,
Missouri ,United States . The population was 5,472 at the 2000 census. It is most famous for being the birthplace of Jesse James, and there is an annual festival in the third weekend of September to honor the notorious outlaw. [ [http://www.jessejamesfestival.com/html/history.html History ] ]Kearney was unofficially founded in the spring of 1856 by
David T. Duncan andW. R. Cave , and was originally called Centerville. Centerville was composed of what is now the southeastern portion of the town. In 1867, John Lawrence began laying out plans for another small settlement around the newly establishedKansas City and Cameron Railroad subsidiary of theHannibal and Saint Joseph Railroad which was to build theHannibal Bridge establishingKansas City, Missouri as the dominant city in the region. The president of the railroad wasCharles E. Kearney (although there is speculation that it was named afterKearney, Nebraska ). [http://www.kearneymo.com/kearney-mo-history.html] The railroad still operates as theBurlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway . As they grew, the two settlements of Centerville and Kearney were effectively merged, and the town of Kearney, Missouri was officially incorporated in 1869.Geography
Kearney is located at coor dms|39|21|57|N|94|21|37|W|city (39.365845, -94.360239)GR|1. According to the
United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 6.6square mile s (17.0km² ), all of it land.Demographics
As of the
census GR|2 of 2000, there were 5,472 people, 1,910 households, and 1,495 families residing in the city. Thepopulation density was 833.2 people per square mile (321.6/km²). There were 1,995 housing units at an average density of 303.8/sq mi (117.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.3% White, 0.90% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.55% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.9% of the population.There were 1,910 households out of which 49.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.9% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.7% were non-families. 18.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.24.
In the city the population was spread out with 33.6% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 35.4% from 25 to 44, 16.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $56,603, and the median income for a family was $64,540. Males had a median income of $45,721 versus $26,739 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $21,147. About 1.8% of families and 2.5% of the population were below thepoverty line , including 2.3% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.Jesse James
On September 5, 1847,
Jesse Woodson James was born on the James farm, where his family resided to the northeast of the site where Kearney would eventually be established. James formed the infamousJames-Younger gang in 1866, which operated until the Younger brothers were captured in 1876. James formed a new gang in 1879 and continued until his death on April 3, 1882, when he was shot by fellow gang-member Robert Ford. In 1995, forensic analysts visited Kearney and exhumed remains from the Mount Olivet Cemetery which were purportedly those of James himself, and confirmed this fact throughmitochondrial DNA testing. [http://www.eva.mpg.de/genetics/pdf/Stone.JFS.2001.pdf]References
External links
* [http://www.jessejamesfestival.com/html/history.html Information on the Jesse James Festival and History of Kearney]
* [http://www.ci.kearney.mo.us Official website of City of Kearney]
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