Russell, Kansas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Russell is a city in Russell County, Kansas, United States. The population was 4,696 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Russell CountyGR6.
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[edit] Geography
Russell is located at (38.889807, -98.857113)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.7 km² (4.9 mi²), all land.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 4,696 people, 2,057 households, and 1,250 families residing in the city. The population density was 369.3/km² (956.9/mi²). There were 2,436 housing units at an average density of 191.6/km² (496.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.13% White, 0.96% African American, 0.57% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.30% from other races, and 0.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.00% of the population.
There were 2,057 households out of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.9% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.2% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.82.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.4% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 24.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,217, and the median income for a family was $37,813. Males had a median income of $25,109 versus $17,757 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,690. About 11.3% of families and 14.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.6% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Notable Natives
- Russell received national attention and was typecast as an all-American town pursuant to Bob Dole's failed 1996 presidential bid as a Republican. Dole, originally from Russell, was shown getting a haircut and eating at a local cafe to emphasize his hometown roots. Dole's house still stands at 1035 N. Maple St. in Russell.
- Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter was born to immigrant parents in Wichita, Kansas, and grew up in Russell, Kansas. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and served as an editor of the Yale Law Journal
- The father of Billionaire Philip Anschutz also grew up in Russell where he founded Farmer's State Bank. Anschutz himself grew up in neighboring Hays, Kansas.
[edit] Education
Russell serves as the base of operations of Unified School District 407, which services all of Russell County except for the far northwestern portion.
The city of Russell has four schools: Simpson Elemenatry School (Grades K-2), Bickerdyke Elementary School (3-5), Ruppenthal Middle School (6-8) and Russell High School (9-12). The building housing Ruppenthal Middle School was built in 1938 as Russell High School and became the middle school building in the fall of 1961, when Russell High moved to a new complex at 565 E. State St., just east of US 281. Both the Simpson and Bickerdyke buildings opened in the fall of 1952.
The Russell High School Broncos sponsor six sports for boys (football, basketball, baseball, golf, tennis, and track and field) and six for girls (volleyball, basketball, fast-pitch softball, golf, tennis, and track and field). The RHS boys' basketball team won state championships in 1949, 1952, 1953, 1956, and 1963 under legendary coach Amos Morris, who is a member of the Kansas State High School Activities Association Hall of Fame. The gymnasium at RHS is named for Morris. The school added another boys' basketball state title in 1979, and that fall, the RHS football team reached the finals of the Class 4A state playoffs, losing to Maur Hill-Mount Academy of Atchison.
Shaffer Field, home to the RHS football team, hosted the KSHSAA 8-man football state championships from 1983-1989 and again from 2002-05.
[edit] External links
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
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