Independence, Kansas
Independence is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Kansas, United States.[4] As of the 2010 census, the city population was 9,483.[1]
Geography
Independence is located at (37.228251, -95.711392)[5], along the Verdigris River just south of its confluence with the Elk River. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.0 square miles (13 km2), all of it land.
Demographics
| Historical populations |
| Census |
Pop. |
|
%± |
| 1870 |
435 |
|
—
|
| 1880 |
2,915 |
|
570.1% |
| 1890 |
3,127 |
|
7.3% |
| 1900 |
4,851 |
|
55.1% |
| 1910 |
10,480 |
|
116.0% |
| 1920 |
11,920 |
|
13.7% |
| 1930 |
12,782 |
|
7.2% |
| 1940 |
11,565 |
|
−9.5% |
| 1950 |
11,335 |
|
−2.0% |
| 1960 |
11,222 |
|
−1.0% |
| 1970 |
10,347 |
|
−7.8% |
| 1980 |
10,598 |
|
2.4% |
| 1990 |
9,942 |
|
−6.2% |
| 2000 |
9,846 |
|
−1.0% |
| 2010 |
9,483 |
|
−3.7% |
|
U.S. Decennial Census
|
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 9,846 people, 4,149 households, and 2,609 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,979.4 people per square mile (764.9/km²). There were 4,747 housing units at an average density of 954.3 per square mile (368.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.00% White, 7.17% African American, 1.16% Native American, 0.62% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.10% from other races, and 2.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.84% of the population.
There were 4,149 households out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.8% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.1% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32, and the average family size was 2.93.
In the city the population was spread out, with 25.7% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,574, and the median income for a family was $37,134. Males had a median income of $26,552 versus $20,017 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,496. About 11.4% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.7% of those under age 18 and 13.2% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Primary and secondary education
- Independence High School, grades 9-12
- Independence Middle School, grades 6-8
- Jefferson Elementary School, grades 3-5
- Eisenhower Elementary School, grades Pre-K-2
- Zion Lutheran School, grades Pre-K-8
- St. Andrews School, grades Pre-K-8
- Independence Bible School, grades Pre-K-12
- Tri-County Education Co-operative, special education, all grades
- Sunflower Academy - Child Care Learning Center - Ages 2–5
The Independence Community College main campus is located two miles south of the city. ICC West Campus is located in the city one mile west of the downtown.
Transportation
Independence is located at the intersection of US-75 and US-160. Rail freight service is provided by the Union Pacific Railroad and South Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad. The Independence Municipal Airport (IDP) is located 5 miles (8.0 km) southwest of the center of the city.
Area events
- Neewollah Festival, annual Halloween festival in late October. Neewollah is halloween spelled backwards.
Area attractions
- Independence Community College is home to the William Inge Center for the Arts,[6] which maintains the archives of playwright William Inge (an alumnus), utilizes the writer's boyhood home for a playwrights-in-residence program, and sponsors the annual William Inge Festival. Each year during the festival a lifetime achievement award is bestowed on a nationally-recognized American playwright.
- The State of Kansas designated the childhood home of Laura Ingalls Wilder and the Ingalls family near Independence as an historic site; it is open to visitors. It is the location where the events of the book Little House on the Prairie take place. It includes a cabin modeled after the original and the post office that was originally located at nearby Wayside, Kansas. The Sunnyside School, a one-room schoolhouse that was moved to the site, is also featured. Much of the surrounding countryside retains its open and undeveloped nature. Then located on the Osage reservation, the property is now within the boundaries of the William Kurtis Ranch about 13 miles southwest of downtown Independence.[7]
- Miss Able, a rhesus monkey, was born at Ralph Mitchell Zoo. Miss Able along with Miss Baker, a squirrel monkey, became the first animals to fly in space and return alive on May 28, 1959.
- At the 1964 New York World's Fair, Sinclair Oil sponsored a dinosaur exhibit, featuring life-size replicas of nine different dinosaurs. On flatbed trucks, they toured the United States. Sinclair was acquired by Atlantic Richfield (ARCO). After the acquisition by ARCO, one of the nine dinosaurs, the Corythosaurus, was donated to Riverside Park.
Notable people
- Sheila C. Bair, former Chairwoman, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
- Gerry Bamman, actor
- Donald Graham Burt, Academy Award winning production designer[8]
- Scott Hastings, NBA basketball player
- William Wadsworth Hodkinson, founded Paramount Pictures and ventured into commercial aviation
- Lyman U. Humphrey, newspaper editor, banker, 7th governor of Kansas
- William Inge, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, Academy Award-winning screenwriter
- Bill Kurtis, television journalist
- Alf Landon, 1936 Republican presidential candidate, 26th governor of Kansas
- Mary Howard de Liagre, actress
- Dave McGinnis, NFL coach
- Gareth Porter, historian, journalist and author
- Derek Schmidt, current Attorney General of Kansas
- Harry F. Sinclair, founder of Sinclair Oil
- Ron Warner, NFL football player
References
Further reading
- Independence
- Brown, Ken D. A Guide to Historic Homes in Independence, Kansas Independence: Tribune, 1993.
- Montgomery County
- Humphrey, Lyman U. History of Montgomery County, Kansas. Iola: Duncan, 1903.
- Kansas
- History of the State of Kansas; William G. Cutler; A.T. Andreas Publisher; 1883. (Online HTML eBook)
- Kansas : A Cyclopedia of State History, Embracing Events, Institutions, Industries, Counties, Cities, Towns, Prominent Persons, Etc; 3 Volumes; Frank W. Blackmar; Standard Publishing Co; 944 / 955 / 824 pages; 1912. (Volume1 - Download 54MB PDF eBook),(Volume2 - Download 53MB PDF eBook), (Volume3 - Download 33MB PDF eBook)
External links
- City
- Schools
- Maps