Mackay (pronounced ) is a town in Custer County,

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

, United States. The population was 439 at the 2020 census. The town is pronounced "Mackie" with the accent on the first syllable.

Highways

- US 93 - to Challis (north) and

Arco Arco may refer to: Places * Arco, Trentino, a town in Trentino, Italy * Arco, Idaho, in the United States * Arco, Minnesota, a city in the United States * ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California, home of the Sacramento Kings Companies * ARCO (b ...

(south)

Etymology

The town was named in honor of John William Mackay who owned the local copper mines. The nearby Mackay Peak in the White Knob Mountains is also named after him.

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 of it land. About north of Mackay is Idaho's highest mountain:

Borah Peak Borah Peak, also known as Mount Borah or Beauty Peak, is a mountain in the western United States and the highest summit in Idaho. One of the most prominent peaks in the contiguous United States, it is located in the central section of the Lost ...

, with a summit

elevation The elevation of a geographic location (geography), ''location'' is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational equipotenti ...

of . Mt. McCaleb, , overlooks the city.

Climate

The climate of Mackay ranges from lows of to highs of + in the winter. In the summer, temperatures range from lows of to highs of in some areas. Mackay has a fairly dry climate, typical of high desert bordering alpine areas.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 517 people, 247 households, and 137 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 352 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.8%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.2%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.6% Native American, and 0.4% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.0% of the population. There were 247 households, of which 21.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 44.5% were non-families. 39.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.72. The median age in the city was 47.5 years. 21.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.3% were from 25 to 44; 31.4% were from 45 to 64; and 22.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.6% male and 48.4% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 566 people, 261 households, and 149 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 353 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.59%

, 0.35% Native American, 0.71% from other races, and 0.35% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 2.30% of the population. There were 261 households, out of which 23.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were

living together, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.9% were non-families. 39.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.86. In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.4% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 21.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $23,807, and the median income for a family was $31,667. Males had a median income of $38,750 versus $20,357 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $14,237. About 13.0% of families and 18.4% 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 19.5% of those under age 18 and 19.8% of those age 65 or over.

1983 earthquake

On Friday, October 28, 1983, the Borah Peak earthquake occurred at 8:06 am MDT, measured at 6.9 on the

moment magnitude scale The moment magnitude scale (MMS; denoted explicitly with or Mwg, and generally implied with use of a single M for magnitude) is a measure of an earthquake's magnitude ("size" or strength) based on its seismic moment. was defined in a 1979 paper ...

. The Challis-Mackay region experienced rather thorough damage, with 11 commercial buildings and 39 homes with major damage; while another 200 houses were damaged, minor to moderately. Chickens were running all through the streets. Mackay experienced the most severe damage. Most of the city's large buildings on its Main Street were damaged, to some extent; eight of these buildings were deemed condemned and closed down. Most of these buildings were built from materials such as brick, concrete block, and stone, each varying.

Notable residents

* Chase A. Clark, 18th

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

of Idaho (1941–43) and

federal judge Federal judges are judges appointed by a federal level of government as opposed to the state/provincial/local level. United States A U.S. federal judge is appointed by the U.S. president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in accordance with Arti ...

* Marilyn Howard, politician and educator

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities in Idaho Cities in Custer County, Idaho