Mackay, Idaho
Encyclopedia
Mackay is a city in Custer County
Custer County, Idaho
Custer County is a rural mountain county located in the center of the U.S. state of Idaho. Established in 1881, it was named for the General Custer Mine, where gold was discovered five years earlier . The population was 4,342 at the 2000 census; it is estimated to have fallen to 4,166 by 2007...

, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The population was 566 at the 2000 census.

Geography

Mackay is located at 43°54′43"N 113°36′49"W (43.911880, -113.613669), at an elevation of 5,905 feet (1,800 m).

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the city has a total area of 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²), all of it land.

About 20 miles (32.2 km) north of Mackay is Idaho's highest mountain: Borah Peak
Borah Peak
Borah Peak is the highest mountain in the U.S. state of Idaho. It is located in the central section of the Lost River Range, within the Challis National Forest in eastern Custer County. The peak is named for William Borah , a prominent U.S...

, with a peak altitude of 12,662 feet (3,813 m). Mt. McCaleb, 11,427 feet (3,483 m), overlooks the city.

Climate

The climate of Mackay ranges from lows of -40°F (-40°C) to highs of +30°F (-1°C) in the winter. In the summer, temperatures range from lows of 30°F (-1°C) to highs of 100°F (38°C) in some areas. Mackay has a fairly dry climate, typical of high desert bordering alpine areas.

Sports

The main athletic attraction in the city is Mackay High School. The Miners have won ten state championships in football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 in the 1A (previously A-4) division and five state championships in basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

. Volleyball, girls' basketball and track are other athletic opportunities in Mackay.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 566 people, 261 households, and 149 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 651.8 people per square mile (251.2/km²). There were 353 housing units at an average density of 406.5 per square mile (156.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.59% White, 0.35% Native American, 0.71% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 0.35% from two or more races. Hispanic 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 married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 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
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the city was $14,237. About 13.0% of families and 18.4% of the population were below the poverty line, 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
1983 Borah Peak earthquake
The 1983 Borah Peak earthquake occurred on October 28, 1983, in the Lost River Range at Borah Peak in central Idaho, United States. The most significant earthquake recorded in the state, it occurred on a Friday morning at 8:06 am MDT. The earthquake was a magnitude 7.3, and 6.9 on the Richter scale...

 occurred at 8:06 am MDT
Mountain Time Zone
The Mountain Time Zone of North America keeps time by subtracting seven hours from Coordinated Universal Time, also known as Greenwich Mean Time, during the shortest days of autumn and winter , and by subtracting six hours during daylight saving time in the spring, summer, and early autumn...

, measured at 6.9 on the Richter Scale
Richter magnitude scale
The expression Richter magnitude scale refers to a number of ways to assign a single number to quantify the energy contained in an earthquake....

. 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 in particular, about 50 miles (80.5 km) southeast of Challis
Challis, Idaho
Challis is a city in Custer County, Idaho, United States. The population was 909 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Custer County.-History:...

, 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.

Further reading

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