Yates Center, Kansas

Yates Center was founded in August 1875. It was named for Abner Yates, the original owner of the town site, who donated an entire block around the courthouse, land for the churches, a city park, and a lot each for the first two children born in the town.[8][9] Yates Center is the only town in Kansas to be selected as a county seat before there was a house or inhabitant within its boundaries.[9]

Yates Center is located at 37°52′48″N 95°44′4″W / 37.88000°N 95.73444°W / 37.88000; -95.73444 (37.879948, -95.734522).[11] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.05 square miles (7.90 km2), of which, 2.61 square miles (6.76 km2) is land and 0.44 square miles (1.14 km2) is water.[1]

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Yates Center has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[12]

Rexford, Kansas

Rexford was founded in approximately 1887. It was named in honor of a member of the Rexford family who died in a fire that engulfed the family home. They were some of the first settlers in the area and had been there for years.

Rexford is located at 39°28′14″N 100°44′38″W / 39.47056°N 100.74389°W / 39.47056; -100.74389 (39.470512, -100.743975).[9] Rexford is located along U.S. Route 83 about 20 miles north of Interstate 70. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.26 square miles (0.67 km2), all of it land.[1]

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. Occasionally, the area has large blizards in which the entire are can be without electricity. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Rexford has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[10]

Smith Center, Kansas

Smith Center was founded in 1871.[10] The first post office in Smith Center was established in January 1873.[11] Like Smith County, Smith Center was named for Maj. J. Nelson Smith of the 2nd Colorado Cavalry, a pre-war native of Elwood, Kansas, who died leading his regiment on October 21, 1864 at the Battle of the Little Blue River. [12][13]

Smith Center is located at 39°46′43″N 98°47′7″W / 39.77861°N 98.78528°W / 39.77861; -98.78528 (39.778550, -98.785141).[14] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.24 square miles (3.21 km2), all land.[2]

As of the census[3] of 2010, there were 1,665 people, 779 households, and 470 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,342.7 inhabitants per square mile (518.4/km2). There were 928 housing units at an average density of 748.4 per square mile (289.0/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 97.7% White, 0.1% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 0.4% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.0% of the population.

Topeka, Kansas

Topeka (/toʊˈpiːkə/;[9][10]Kansa: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the seat of Shawnee County.[2] It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 127,473.[11] The Topeka Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Shawnee, Jackson, Jefferson, Osage, and Wabaunsee counties, had a population of 233,870 in the 2010 census.

The name Topeka is a Kansa-Osage sentence that means "place where we dug potatoes",[12] or "a good place to dig potatoes".[13] As a placename, Topeka was first recorded in 1826 as the Kansa name for what is now called the Kansas River. Topeka's founders chose the name in 1855 because it "was novel, of Indian origin and euphonious of sound."[14][15] The mixed-blood Kansa Native American, Joseph James, called Jojim, is credited with suggesting the name of Topeka.[16] The city, laid out in 1854, was one of the Free-State towns founded by Eastern antislavery men immediately after the passage of the Kansas–Nebraska Bill. In 1857, Topeka was chartered as a city.

The city is well known for the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, which overturned Plessy vs. Ferguson and declared racial segregation in public schools to be unconstitutional.[17] Three ships of the U.S. Navy have been named USS Topeka after the city.

Weskan, Kansas

Weskan is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Wallace County, Kansas, United States. Weskan is located along U.S. Route 40, 11.5 miles (18.5 km) west-southwest of Sharon Springs. Weskan has a post office with ZIP code 67762 and there is one high school located within the community.[2] The post office in Weskan was established in August 1887.[3]

Richmond, Kansas

Richmond is located at 38°24′9″N 95°15′11″W / 38.40250°N 95.25306°W / 38.40250; -95.25306 (38.402512, -95.252941).[10] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.30 square miles (0.78 km2), all of it land.[1]

As of the census[2] of 2010, there were 464 people, 166 households, and 114 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,546.7 inhabitants per square mile (597.2/km2). There were 189 housing units at an average density of 630.0 per square mile (243.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 95.3% White, 0.4% African American, 1.1% Native American, 1.5% Asian, 0.9% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.1% of the population.

There were 166 households of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.2% were married couples living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.3% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.2% 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 2.97.

Solomon, Kansas

Solomon is located at 38°55′7″N 97°22′11″W / 38.91861°N 97.36972°W / 38.91861; -97.36972 (38.918578, -97.369665).[12] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.85 square miles (2.20 km2), all of it land.[2]

As of the census[3] of 2010, there were 1,095 people, 433 households, and 295 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,288.2 inhabitants per square mile (497.4/km2). There were 465 housing units at an average density of 547.1 per square mile (211.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 96.1% White, 0.3% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.9% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.1% of the population.

There were 433 households of which 35.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.9% were non-families. 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.08.

Towanda, Kansas

In 2010, the Keystone-Cushing Pipeline (Phase II) was constructed a few blocks west of Towanda (immediately west of SW River Valley Rd), running north to south through Butler County, with much controversy over tax exemption and environmental concerns (if a leak ever occurs).[11][12]

Towanda is located at 37°47′45″N 96°59′58″W / 37.79583°N 96.99944°W / 37.79583; -96.99944 (37.795921, -96.999380),[13] along the Whitewater River. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.06 square miles (2.75 km2), all of it land.[2]

As of the census[3] of 2010, there were 1,450 people, 524 households, and 397 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,367.9 inhabitants per square mile (528.1/km2). There were 577 housing units at an average density of 544.3 per square mile (210.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 95.3% White, 0.3% African American, 1.1% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.4% Pacific Islander, 0.5% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.7% of the population.

Westmoreland, Kansas

Westmoreland is located at 39°23′41″N 96°24′51″W / 39.39472°N 96.41417°W / 39.39472; -96.41417 (39.394770, -96.414154).[10] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.52 square miles (1.35 km2), all of it land.[1]

As of the census[2] of 2010, there were 778 people, 301 households, and 192 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,496.2 inhabitants per square mile (577.7/km2). There were 337 housing units at an average density of 648.1 per square mile (250.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 96.5% White, 0.4% African American, 0.9% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 0.9% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.4% of the population.

There were 301 households of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.2% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.97.

Fort Riley

Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in North Central Kansas, on the Kansas River, also known as the Kaw, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 101,733 acres (41,170 ha) in Geary and Riley counties.[1] The portion of the fort that contains housing development is part of the Fort Riley census-designated place, with a residential population of 7,761 as of the 2010 census.[2] The fort has a daytime population of nearly 25,000. The ZIP Code is 66442.

Fort Riley is named in honor of Major General Bennet C. Riley, who led the first military escort along the Santa Fe Trail. The fort was established in 1853 as a military post to protect the movement of people and trade over the Oregon, California, and Santa Fe trails. In the years after the Civil War, Fort Riley served as a major United States Cavalry post and school for cavalry tactics and practice. The post was a base for skirmishes with Native Americans after the Civil War ended in 1865, during which time George A. Custer was stationed at the fort.

In 1887, Fort Riley became the site of the United States Cavalry School. The famous all-black 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments, the soldiers of which were called "Buffalo Soldiers", were stationed at Fort Riley at various times in the 19th and early 20th centuries. During World War I, the fort was home to 50,000 soldiers, and it is sometimes identified as ground zero for the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, which its soldiers were said to have spread all over the world. Since the end of World War II, various infantry divisions have been assigned there. Most notably, from 1955 to 1996 the post was home to the famed 1st Infantry Division, also called "Big Red One". Between 1999–2006, the post was headquarters to the 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized) and known as "America's Warfighting Center". In August 2006, the Big Red One relocated its headquarters to Fort Riley from Leighton Barracks, Germany.