Chanute, Kansas

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Chanute is a city in Neosho County, Kansas, United States. Founded on January 1, 1873, it was named after railroad engineer and aviation pioneer Octave Chanute.

The 2004 United States Census Bureau population estimate for Chanute was 9,043. Although Chanute is the largest city in Neosho County, it is not the county seat, the position held by Erie, Kansas.

According to KANSAS: A Cyclopedia of State History, Embracing Events, Institutions, Industries, Counties, Cities, Towns, Prominent Persons, Etc., "In 1870 when the Leavenworth, Lawrence & Galveston R. R. (now the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe) crossed the Missouri, Kansas and Texas line within the limits of Neosho county four rival towns sprang up, in the vicinity of the junction. They were New Chicago, Chicago Junction, Alliance and Tioga. Two years of the most bitter animosity ensued until the four were consolidated in 1872, and the name of Chanute given it in honor of Octavius Chanute, a railroad civil engineer" [1].

Contents

[edit] History

Though Chanute was not founded until 1873, settlers had begun populating the area as early as 1856. With the LL&G Railroad set to arrive shortly thereafter, the early residents of the towns of Tioga, Chicago Junction, Alliance, and New Chicago needed an innovative solution to an escalating dispute over which town would claim the right to house the LL&G Railroad’s new land office. The towns were unable to settle their differences until an individual by the name of Octave Chanute came to town. Octave was the Chief Engineer and General Superintendent of the LL&G Railroad. In 1872, he suggested the towns merge together to end the bickering. On January 1, 1873 the towns merged and became chartered as the City of Chanute.

With the Southern Kansas Railroad locating a division headquarters in Chanute, the city began to flourish. In 1887, Chanute boasted a rapid growth in flourmills, grain elevators, banks, drug and hardware stores, and natural gas. In 1903, the City of Chanute established the electric utility, and in the years to follow, established the gas, water, wastewater, and refuse utilities. Chanute is one of only a handful of remaining full-service cities in the State of Kansas.

[edit] Geography

Location of Chanute, Kansas

Chanute is located at 37°40′37″N, 95°27′23″W (37.677070, -95.456468)GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.1 km² (6.2 mi²). 15.9 km² (6.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (1.61%) is water.

The Macintosh version of Google Earth, software that allows the user to "fly" over the surface of the earth, mapped with high-quality satellite photography and accurate topographical data, has a default position when started up that is centered exactly on the town of Chanute (specifically, on the corner of Lincoln and Main). This may be verified by running the software on the Macintosh and zooming in from the default start position without rotating the virtual globe at all. This location was set by Dan Webb, who was born and raised in Chanute, graduated from the University of Kansas in 1986, and is now a senior software engineer at Google. Dan is a long time friend of Brian McClendon, who centered the Windows version of Google Earth on his hometown of Lawrence, Kansas.

[edit] Demographics

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1880 887
–
1890 2,826 218.6%
1900 4,208 48.9%
1910 9,272 120.3%
1920 10,286 10.9%
1930 10,277 -0.1%
1940 10,142 -1.3%
1950 10,109 -0.3%
1960 10,849 7.3%
1970 10,341 -4.7%
1980 10,506 1.6%
1990 9,488 -9.7%
2000 9,411 -0.8%

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 9,411 people, 3,864 households, and 2,496 families residing in the city. The population density was 591.8/km² (1,533.7/mi²). There were 4,262 housing units at an average density of 268.0/km² (694.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.20% White, 1.42% African American, 1.11% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.39% from other races, and 2.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.89% of the population.

There were 3,864 households out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.9% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 88.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,912, and the median income for a family was $36,630. Males had a median income of $25,696 versus $17,938 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,288. About 12.0% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.3% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Education

[edit] Unified School District #413 Public Schools

Chanute public schools (Unified School District #413) include four elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. Elementary schools include: Lincoln Kindergarten, Alcott Elementary, Hutton Elementary, and Murray Hill Elementary. Chanute’s middle school is Royster Middle School. Chanute’s high school is Chanute High School. Chanute’s public school system also includes a separately housed but Chanute High School-affiliated New Beginnings Academy, a program for students lacking credits to graduate and designed for individuals who have dropped out or are in danger of dropping out of high school. High school credits for New Beginnings Academy are provided by Chanute High School.

[edit] Private Schools

Chanute is also home to two private schools: Saint Patrick Catholic School and Chanute Christian Academy. Saint Patrick Catholic School provides schooling for students from kindergarten through the fifth grade while Chanute Christian Academy provides schooling for students from kindergarten through the twelfth grade.

[edit] Colleges

Chanute’s only college is the Neosho County Community College known locally as NCCC. Neosho County Community College is a public, two-year institution, that currently provides post-secondary education for just under 3,200 students.

[edit] Tourist Attractions

The Chanute area has many tourist attractions known for their historical significance and small-town charm.

[edit] The Chanute Art Gallery

The Chanute Art Gallery, unique for a small town, houses a permanent core collection of over 500 works of art and special collections include: The Luigi Kasimir Etchings, European and Oriental art, The Kansas Prairie Printmakers, as well as works of art from local and area artists.

[edit] The Martin and Osa Johnson Safari Museum

The Martin and Osa Johnson Safari Museum offers award winning exhibits and programs that highlight the achievements of Martin and Osa Johnson, pioneering documentary filmmakers, photographers, authors, explorers, and Kansans. A trip to the museum allows one to relive the Johnsons’ 1917-1936 adventures in Africa, Borneo and the South Seas. Additional exhibits feature the rich cultures and art of Africa.

[edit] Other Local Area Attractions

Another recent and popular addition to Chanute's list of attractions includes the Carlson Brothers Farm where one can enjoy a challenging corn maze, nature trail hike, farm animals, hayrack rides, labyrinth, flower maze, camping, fishing, antique farm equipment, family gathering and local gifts and produce sold in the comfort of an air conditioned barn. Local antique stores, flea markets, farmers markets, and historic downtown tours are also available.

[edit] Transportation

[edit] Location

Chanute is within a two-hour drive from several major metropolitan areas including:

Rank City Name City Proper
Population		 Metropolitan Statistical
Area Population
1 Kansas City, Missouri 444,387 1,925,319
2 Tulsa, Oklahoma 383,764 881,815
3 Wichita, Kansas 353,823 584,671
4 Springfield, Missouri 150,704 390,986
5 Topeka, Kansas 121,809 227,820
6 Joplin, Missouri 46,830 164,235

[edit] Highways

Major highways running through Chanute are US-169 (North-South) and K-39 (East-West). US-75 and US-59 both are within 10 miles of Chanute. These highways provide easy access to I-70, I-35, and US-400. A full-line of trucking companies serves Chanute.

[edit] Railways

The South Kansas Oklahoma (SKO) Railroad serves Chanute, as well as Southern and Eastern Kansas and Northern Oklahoma. The SKO connects to several major railroads allowing local businesses the opportunity to bid and negotiate their rail transportation costs to acquire the best possible price to all locations throughout North America.

[edit] Airports

Chanute's Martin Johnson Municipal Airport is one of the nicest general aviation airports in Kansas with a 4,255-foot runway and taxiway. Expansion of services and infrastructure is in the planning stages, including new T-hangars and pavement improvements.

[edit] Workforce

Chanute has a viable workforce. Centered between Neosho, Allen, Wilson and Woodson Counties, Chanute draws workers to its broad base of commercial and industrial businesses from over a 45-mile radius on a daily basis. Chanute businesses’ employ workers from an active workforce of nearly 21,500 people and a population base of close to 45,500 people. Current unemployment in Chanute is 4.2%, similar to that within the four county area. Union activity is very low at less than 5% with no strikes or labor-management concerns in the last ten years.

[edit] Local Major Employing Industries

[edit] Ash Grove Cement

Ash Grove Cement Company, a longtime leader in the cement manufacturing industry and headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, operates nine cement plants and one lime plant in nine states around the country. Ash Grove is the fifth largest cement manufacturer in the United States, and operates some of the most efficient and best maintained in the country and have an annual production capacity of more than 7.8 million tons of cement. The Chanute plant, established in 1908 and employing approximately 150 workers had rebuilt the original plant in 2001 making it one of the newer cement plants in the United States. An annual payroll of $6 million makes it one of Chanute's most valuable industries.

[edit] Chanute Manufacturing/Chanute Fin Tube/Chanute Tubular Services

Chanute Manufacturing is located on forty-seven acres of land with 200,000 square-feet of high bay manufacturing facilities. This plant site is served by five rail spurs with a total of 7,600 feet of track on the property. Manufacturing areas are served by twenty-two overhead cranes with capacities up to 200 tons and thirty-six foot hook heights. Annual capacity of the plant exceeds close 400,000 man hours. Chanute Manufacturing is the most experienced fabricator of heat recovery products in North America, and recognized as the leader in quality workmanship. Two additional companies are located on the property: Chanute Fin Tube and Chanute Tubular Services. Chanute Fin Tube, a joint venture company, produces high frequency resistance welded, spiral-wound finned tubes, either solid or serrated, in carbon, alloy or stainless steel. The close proximity of the finning operation and the manufacturing plant allows significant savings in packaging and freight as well as working capital reduction as a result of “just-in-time” scheduling. Chanute Tubular Services supports utilities with maintenance and repair with replacement tubes, bent elements, coil assemblies, and fabricated headers. Chanute Tubular Services incorporates all of the manufacturing capabilities and expertise of the Chanute Manufacturing plant, plus the tubular processing equipment necessary to provide components and assemblies ranging from individual bent tubes to complete replacement coils. Capabilities include tube bending, hot-bending for tight radius bends, weld overlay, and finning capabilities that include spiral and solid fin configurations. Chanute has a dedicated header fabrication shop equipped with TIG, FCAW, and Subarc welding stations and CNC prep equipment for branch connections and tubefield drilling/machining. Chanute also stocks a large inventory of loose tubes ready for quick delivery.

[edit] NuWa Industries/Custom Campers

NuWa Industries, the oldest existing manufacturer of recreational fifth wheels, has been in Chanute since 1969. NuWa Industries can be credited with being the first company to build glide rooms for recreational vehicles (although they were not automated). NuWa Industries can also be credited for introducing major innovations, creating the widest variety of floor plans, and perfecting fabrication standards in the fifth wheel recreational vehicle industry. NuWa currently employs approximately 275 workers and is most notably known for its HitchHiker series of fifth wheel recreational vehicles.

Custom Campers, a smaller recreational vehicle manufacturer in Chanute was acquired by NuWa Industries in the 1980's. Custom Campers was put in charge of manufacturing the HitchHiker II series of fifth wheel so that they could focus on smaller, lighter, less expensive fifth wheels, while the NuWa Industries factory focused on larger, more expensive full time trailers. Custom Campers is a separate corporation and operates independently of NuWa Industries in a different location in Chanute, and has its own service department and staff of 200 employees.

[edit] Young's Welding, Inc./Rolco Trailers

Young's Welding, Inc. is a local Chanute family-owned industry that specializes in Original Equipment Manufacturer products using advanced welding and steel fabrication technology. Established in 1934, Young's Welding, Inc. has followed a steady course of expanding technical skills and services, serving customers in the custom steel fabrication, recreational vehicle, trailer frame, storage tanks, steel building trusses, structural steel, steel concrete forms, conveyor systems, and signage industries. Its 144,000 square-foot manufacturing facility and approximately 115 employees annually produce more than 6,000 tons of steel products and related goods.

Rolco Trailers, a family-owned boat-trailer manufacturer has been in operation and based in Chanute since 1958. In January 2000, the Rolco Trailers product line was purchased by Young's Welding, Inc. and the integrated into Young's Welding, Inc.'s preexisting manufacturing facility.

[edit] Chanute Workforce Center

Chanute Workforce Center is an office of the Kansas Department of Commerce operating as a local one stop. Wagner-Peyser (Job Service)services are available to employers and job seekers as a matching service at this location. Many other employer services are available at this office. Workforce Investment Act services are available including On-the-Job training and classroom training available to individuals who qualify for eligibility set by federal guidelines. Many types of training such as nursing, respiratory therapy, truck driving, manufacturing, etc. are available through the center. Contact 620-431-4950 to find employment or to list employment opportunities without charge through the Kansas Job Link system.

[edit] Notable Natives

  • Martin and Osa Johnson - Adventurers
  • Paul Lindblad- MLB player
  • Ralph Miller - Hall of Fame basketball coach
  • Brett Olson - University of Kansas basketball player
  • Amanda Carraway - Miss Kansas (1999) and Miss Kansas Teen USA (1996)
  • Jeff Guiot - University of Kansas basketball player
  • Dan Webb - Software Engineer, Google Earth for Mac OS X
  • Jennifer Knapp - Christian Singer-Songwriter

[edit] External links

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