Cozad, Nebraska
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Cozad is a city in Dawson County,
Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...
, United States. The population was 3,977 at the 2010 census. The town is on the
Great Plains The Great Plains is a broad expanse of plain, flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include th ...
of central Nebraska, along the
Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...
and
U.S. Route 30 U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route of the United States Numbered Highway System, with the highway traveling across the Northern U.S. With a length of , it is the third-longest U.S. Highway, afte ...
, just north of the
Platte River The Platte River () is a major American river, in the state of Nebraska. It is about long; measured to its farthest source via its tributary, the North Platte River, it flows for over . The Platte River is a tributary of the Missouri River, w ...
. The 100th meridian, which roughly marks the eastward boundary of the arid plains, passes just west of the town as is marked nearby on a prominent sign across U.S. 30. In the early 1860s, the meridian was a stop along the
Pony Express The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company. During its 18 months of opera ...
.


History

Cozad was founded in 1873 by John J. Cozad, murderer, gambler,
Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
native, and father of painter
Robert Henri Robert Henri (; June 24, 1865 – July 12, 1929) was an American painter and teacher. As a young man, he studied in Paris, where he identified strongly with the Impressionists, and determined to lead an even more dramatic revolt against A ...
. Cozad was often regarded as immoral among the citizens of the early town. He purchased 40,000 acres of land from the
Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...
and laid out the future town. He built houses on some of the land to entice people to settle. He sold off most of the land to future residents who named the town after him. Cozad also founded
Cozaddale, Ohio Cozaddale is an unincorporated community in southeastern Hamilton Township, Warren County, Ohio, United States. It is two miles west of Pleasant Plain, and three miles north of Goshen, Ohio. History Cozaddale was platted by John J. Cozad in 1 ...
, a small, unincorporated village 25 miles northeast of Cincinnati. The city includes at least two museums: the 100th Meridian Museum and the
Robert Henri Museum The Robert Henri Museum is an art and history museum in Cozad, Nebraska that contains sketches, drawings, and paintings by Robert Henri. The Museum is located in Henri's former home. The Henri Museum is a non-profit educational 501(c)(3) organiza ...
. The
Cozad Downtown Historic District The Cozad Downtown Historic District in Cozad, Nebraska is a historic district which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018. The Hendee Hotel in Cozad, built in 1879 for John J. Cozad, the founder of the city of Cozad, is ...
, an area roughly bounded by 9th, 7th, H and F Streets, was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 2018. The
Hendee Hotel The Hendee Hotel is a historic hotel building in Cozad, Nebraska. It was built in 1879 for John J. Cozad, the founder of the city of Cozad. With One of his sons, Robert Henri, became a painter. Cozad shot a man in 1882, and he sold the hotel to S ...
, today the main building of the Robert Henri Museum, and
Allen's Opera House Allen's Opera House is a historic commercial building in Cozad, Nebraska. It was built by Charles Hart and Mr. Shanholt in 1906 for Charles E. Allen, a businessman and banker who co-owned the Cozad State Bank and the Allen General Store. With Bot ...
are also NRHP-listed.


Geography

According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of , all land.


Demographics

Cozad is part of the
Lexington, Nebraska Lexington is a city in Dawson County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 10,348 at the 2020 census, making it the 16th most populous city in Nebraska. It is the county seat of Dawson County. Lexington is located in southern Nebraska, ...
Micropolitan Statistical Area.


2010 census

At the 2010 census there were 3,977 people in 1,656 households, including 1,058 families, in the city. The population density was . There were 1,881 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.4% White, 0.4% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 5.2% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.3%. Of the 1,656 households 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.1% were non-families. 31.6% of households were one person and 15.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age was 39.3 years. 26.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24% were from 25 to 44; 24.9% were from 45 to 64; and 17.8% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.


2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 4,163 people in 1,722 households, including 1,127 families, in the city. The population density was . There were 1,851 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.39% White, 0.17% African American, 0.43% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 3.82% from other races, and 1.75% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.95% of the population. Of the 1,722 households 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.5% were non-families. 30.4% of households were one person and 14.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.95. The age distribution was 26.4% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.8 males. The median household income was $32,392, and the median family income was $43,413. Males had a median income of $27,217 versus $20,089 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,139. About 9.8% of families and 12.1% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 17.1% of those under age 18 and 11.3% of those age 65 or over.


Government

Cozad uses an elected mayor and a city council consisting of four council members, with the city clerk handling day-to-day operations. The city also has a seven-member police department with centralized dispatch out of the county sheriff's office in Lexington.


Notable people

*
Heather Armbrust Heather Marie Armbrust (née Policky) (born July 21, 1977) is an American professional female bodybuilder. Early life and education Armbrust was born in 1977 and raised in Cozad, Nebraska. She became interested in bodybuilding at the age of ...
, IFBB professional bodybuilder, was born in Cozad *
Dan Christensen Dan Christensen (October 6, 1942 – January 20, 2007) was an American abstract painter He is best known for paintings that relate to Lyrical Abstraction, Color field painting, and Abstract expressionism. Christensen was born in Cozad, Ne ...
, American
abstract painter Abstract art uses visual language of shape, form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. ''Abstract art'', ''non-figurative art'', ''non-objective art'', and ''non ...
, was born in Cozad * Jared Crick,
NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...
defensive end *
Kirstin Cronn-Mills Kirstin Cronn-Mills is an American author of children's books including the Minnesota Book Award finalist ''The Sky Always Hears Me And the Hills Don't Mind'' (2009) and ''Beautiful Music for Ugly Children'' (2012) which was a Stonewall Book Awa ...
, young adult author * Chris Dishman,
NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...
lineman *
Robert Henri Robert Henri (; June 24, 1865 – July 12, 1929) was an American painter and teacher. As a young man, he studied in Paris, where he identified strongly with the Impressionists, and determined to lead an even more dramatic revolt against A ...
, American painter of the
Ashcan School The Ashcan School, also called the Ash Can School, was an artistic movement in the United States during the late 19th-early 20th century that produced works portraying scenes of daily life in New York, often in the city's poorer neighborhoods. T ...
, was the son of John J. Cozad. His boyhood home, the
Hendee Hotel The Hendee Hotel is a historic hotel building in Cozad, Nebraska. It was built in 1879 for John J. Cozad, the founder of the city of Cozad. With One of his sons, Robert Henri, became a painter. Cozad shot a man in 1882, and he sold the hotel to S ...
, now the
Robert Henri Museum The Robert Henri Museum is an art and history museum in Cozad, Nebraska that contains sketches, drawings, and paintings by Robert Henri. The Museum is located in Henri's former home. The Henri Museum is a non-profit educational 501(c)(3) organiza ...
, is open to the public in the summer months.


References


External links


City of Cozad
* {{Authority control Cozad, Nebraska Lexington Micropolitan Statistical Area Pony Express stations 1873 establishments in Nebraska Populated places established in 1873