| Soldier, Kansas | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| Location of Soldier, Kansas | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Kansas |
| County | Jackson |
| Platted | |
| Incorporated | 1878 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–Council |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.2 sq mi (0.4 km2) |
| • Land | 0.2 sq mi (0.4 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,217 ft (371 m) |
| Population (2010)[1] | |
| • Total | 136 |
| • Density | 680/sq mi (262.5/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 66540 |
| Area code(s) | 785 |
| FIPS code | 20-66175[2] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0473447[3] |
Soldier is a city in Jackson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 136.[1] It is part of the Topeka, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area.
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According to area legend, Soldier Creek (which is an outlet of the Kansas River from which the town's name was derived) was first named in the early 1850s when government surveyors were moving through the territory plotting out the 39th parallel and they found two army soldiers camped along the local creek. This was informally named Soldier's Creek but the possessive tense was eventually dropped in everyday conversation.
Throughout the 1850s, settlers began colonizing the area surrounding the creek due to its thick woods which provided timber for building and fuel, wild game, nuts, berries, and other native plants for eating, and water from the creek itself.
In circa 1858, enough settlers were communalized to found a post office which was called Smithland. (Aside from the fact that the office would later become the Soldier Post office, it was actually 1 mile north and 1/4 mile east of the current city limits before being moved there in late 1878) The name was derived from the settler (Smithland) who sold the land to William Cline for the purpose of providing the area with a post office. William Cline continued as the postmaster for an unknown number of years.
Although technically not a township at the time, Soldier's first recorded death occurred with the passing of Mrs. Tamsa M. Cline in May 1857 which was followed by the first birth; that of David Rancier in the fall of that year.
Although Soldier Township was organized on July 4, 1872, the city was not incorporated until September 1878. As stated two paragraphs above, Smithland post office was moved to Soldier and renamed for the city later that year.
Soldier was affected by the June 2008 tornado outbreak sequence: a man was found dead outside the city on the morning of June 11, 2008, killed by a tornado estimated at ½ mile (0.8 km) wide.[4]
Soldier is located at (39.536792, −95.964849).[5] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2), all of it land.
Two churches are located in Soldier: the Soldier Christian Church and the Soldier Methodist Church. Beside its post office, only one business is located in the city: the Soldier Grill, a restaurant. Another business, the Red Rock Ranch, lies 11⁄2 miles outside of the city limits.
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1990 | 135 |
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| 2000 | 122 | −9.6% | |
| 2010 | 136 | 11.5% | |
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As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 122 people, 45 households, and 31 families residing in the city. The population density was 800.6 people per square mile (314.0/km2). There were 58 housing units at an average density of 380.6 per square mile (149.3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 81.15% White, 15.57% Native American, and 3.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.56% of the population.
There were 45 households out of which 37.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.2% were married couples living together, 17.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.1% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.35.
In the city the population was spread out with 32.0% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 21.3% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $18,750, and the median income for a family was $46,000. Males had a median income of $25,417 versus $23,750 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,768. There were 11.5% of families and 21.2% of the population living below the poverty line, including 23.1% of under eighteens and 42.9% of those over 64.
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