| Victoria, Kansas | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| St. Fidelis Catholic Church, 1997 | |
| Location of Victoria, Kansas | |
| Detailed map of Victoria | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Kansas |
| County | Ellis |
| Founded | 1873 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.6 sq mi (1.5 km2) |
| • Land | 0.6 sq mi (1.5 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,926 ft (587 m) |
| Population (2010)[1] | |
| • Total | 1,214 |
| • Density | 2,023.3/sq mi (781.2/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 67671 |
| Area code(s) | 785 |
| FIPS code | 20-73775[2] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0484729[3] |
| Website | City Website |
Victoria is a city in Ellis County, Kansas, United States.[3] As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,214.[1]
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A group of English and Scottish colonists led by a Scotsman named George Grant founded Victoria in 1873 on land he had purchased from the Kansas Pacific Railway. They named the settlement after Queen Victoria. Grant intended for Victoria to be a ranching community and was purportedly responsible for bringing the first Aberdeen Angus cattle to the United States. Most of the colonists, however, were remittance men more interested in sports and dancing than in raising livestock. Their families soon learned of this and reduced the remittances, driving most of the colonists to leave by 1880. Some returned to Britain; others left for South America.[4][5][6]
In 1876, Volga Germans from villages near Saratov, Russia established the settlement of Herzog one half mile north of Victoria. Herzog's Roman Catholic settlers built a series of churches which culminated in the construction of St. Fidelis Catholic Church, known as the "Cathedral of the Plains," in 1911. Herzog grew rapidly and later absorbed Victoria, eventually adopting the older settlement's name. Herzog was officially renamed Victoria in 1913.[7]
Interstate 70 reached Victoria in 1966, passing north of the city.[5]
Victoria is located at (38.853588, -99.147456),[8] at an elevation of 1,926 feet (587 m).[3] It lies about 9 miles (14 km) north of the Smoky Hill River in the Smoky Hills region of the Great Plains.[9] The city sits on the east side of North Fork Big Creek, a tributary of Big Creek roughly 5 miles (8.0 km) to the south, itself a tributary of the Smoky Hill River. Victoria is on Kansas Highway 255 (K-255) 1-mile (1.6 km) south of Interstate 70 in northwestern Kansas. The city is approximately 9 miles (14 km) east of Hays, the county seat.[10] Victoria is 129 miles (208 km) northwest of Wichita and 243 miles (391 km) west of Kansas City.[11]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.6 km2), all of it land.[12]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1920 | 600 |
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| 1930 | 637 | 6.2% | |
| 1940 | 884 | 38.8% | |
| 1950 | 988 | 11.8% | |
| 1960 | 1,170 | 18.4% | |
| 1970 | 1,246 | 6.5% | |
| 1980 | 1,328 | 6.6% | |
| 1990 | 1,157 | −12.9% | |
| 2000 | 1,208 | 4.4% | |
| 2010 | 1,214 | 0.5% | |
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As of the 2010 census, there were 1,214 people, 496 households, and 316 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,023.3 people per square mile (781.2/km²). There were 530 housing units at an average density of 883.3 per square mile (353.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.5% White, 0.3% American Indian, 0.2% African American, 0.1% from some other race, and and 0.8% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 0.5% of the population.[1]
There were 496 households out of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% were married couples living together, 3.8% had a male householder with no wife present, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30, and the average family size was 2.93.[1]
In the city, the population was spread out with 22.3% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 21.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.4 males age 18 and over.[1]
As of 2009, the median income for a household in the city was $45,250, and the median income for a family was $63,194. Males had a median income of $37,826 versus $23,942 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,700. About 3.2% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.0% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.[13]
Victoria is a city of the third class with a mayor-council form of government. The city council consists of five members, and it meets on the third Monday of each month.[14]
Unified School District (USD) 432 is based in Victoria and operates two public schools in the city:[15]
Interstate 70 and U.S. Route 40 run concurrently east-west roughly one mile north of Victoria. K-255 runs north-south from I-70 to Victoria's northern city limits.[10]
The Kansas Pacific (KP) line of the Union Pacific Railroad runs northeast-southwest through the southern part of the city.[10][16]
The Herzogfest is Victoria's annual community festival, held to celebrate the city's ethnic German heritage. Held in August, it includes music concerts, a talent show, a tractor pull, games for children, and other local entertainment.[17]
St. Fidelis Catholic Church, nicknamed the "Cathedral of the Plains," is located in Victoria. Local Roman Catholic residents, having outgrown a series of church buildings as their population grew, began construction of the church in 1909.[7] Built from native limestone based on plans by noted church architect John T. Comes, St. Fidelis was completed in 1911.[7][18] William Jennings Bryan gave the church its nickname during a visit in 1912.[19]
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