Nitrogen (N) fertilizer use in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) production has come under scrutiny as a potential source of nitrate (NO₃^-) contamination of streams and ground water.  This study utilized the McConnell-Mitchell Plots to determine the distribution of NO₃^--N in soil cropped to continuous cotton.  Two irrigation methods, furrow flow (FI) and high-frequency center pivot (HFCP), were compared to a dry land (DL) control.  Nitrogen treatments were tested within each irrigation block and ranged from 0 to 168.0 kg N ha^-1 in 33.6-kg N ha^-1 increments.  Nitrogen treatments were discontinued after 18 years from 2000 through 2003.  Soil samples were taken in the early spring (2000 and 2004) to a depth of 1.5 m and analyzed for NO₃^--N.  Distribution of soil NO₃^--N in the FI block was due to sample depth and N treatment in 2000 and 2004.  Differences in soil NO₃^--N in the FI block after suspending N treatments for four years were similar to those found in 2000, although the soil NO₃^--N was generally depleted in 2004 compared to 2000.  The distribution of soil NO₃^--N in the DL block was dependent on the interaction of sample depth with N treatment in 2000 and 2004.  Soil NO₃^--N was minimal in the three lowest N treatments (0-, 33.6-, and 67.2-kg N ha^-1) in 2000.  Greatest amounts of soil NO₃^--N were found in conjunction with the 134.4- and 168.0-kg N ha^-1 treatments.  The distribution of soil NO₃^--N in the HFCP irrigated block was dependent on the interaction of sample depth with N treatment in 2000 and 2004.  Differences in soil NO₃^--N tended to be too small to be of discernable or practical importance.