Lyons, Kansas

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lyons is a city in Rice County, Kansas, United States. The population was 3,732 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Rice County^GR6.

Francisco Vasquez de Coronado and his men camped near the present location of Lyons on their quest for the Seven Cities of Gold. West of Lyons is a cross commemorating Juan de Padilla, a member of Coronado's expedition who is considered the first Christian martyr in North America.

Lyons' Main Street (U.S. Highway 56) sits on the former location of the Santa Fe Trail.

Since the mid 1980s, Lyons has been a popular spot for skydiving.

[edit] Geography

Lyons is located at 38°20′42″N, 98°12′9″W (38.344962, -98.202493)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.6 km² (2.2 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 3,732 people, 1,546 households, and 1,032 families residing in the city. The population density was 670.2/km² (1,732.5/mi²). There were 1,738 housing units at an average density of 312.1/km² (806.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.16% White, 1.96% African American, 0.75% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 3.75% from other races, and 1.96% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.03% of the population.

There were 1,546 households out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 19.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,945, and the median income for a family was $39,639. Males had a median income of $30,765 versus $17,778 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,206. About 9.1% of families and 11.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.0% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.