The city name honors local cattle foreman John “Hooker” Threlkeld, who came to the area in 1873. It has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names.[6] The city's motto, referring to the alternative interpretation of its name, is "It's a location, not a vocation".[7]
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 1,788 people, 702 households, and 511 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,960.4 inhabitants per square mile (756.9/km2). There were 812 housing units at an average density of 890.3 per square mile (343.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 96.13% White, 0.11% African American, 1.73% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.01% from other races, and 1.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.60% of the population.
There were 702 households, out of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.8% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.1% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.0% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,688, and the median income for a family was $39,113. Males had a median income of $30,694 versus $20,217 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,086. About 9.1% of families and 10.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.0% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.
