De Soto, Kansas

De Soto, Kansas
City
Motto: "Building On Small Town Values"

Location within Johnson County and Kansas
Coordinates: 38°57′54″N 94°57′44″W / 38.96500°N 94.96222°WCoordinates: 38°57′54″N 94°57′44″W / 38.96500°N 94.96222°W
Country United States
State Kansas
Counties Johnson, Leavenworth
Settlement 1828
Incorporated 1857
Government
 • Type Mayor–Council
 • Mayor Timothy Maniez
 • City Clerk Lana McPherson
 • Council President Rick Walker
Area[1]
 • Total 11.20 sq mi (29.01 km2)
 • Land 11.07 sq mi (28.67 km2)
 • Water 0.13 sq mi (0.34 km2)
Elevation 860 ft (262 m)
Population (2010)[2]
 • Total 5,720
 • Estimate (2013)[3] 5,911
 • Density 510/sq mi (200/km2)
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes 66018-66019
Area code(s) 913
FIPS code 20-17850 [4]
GNIS feature ID 0479178 [5]
Website desotoks.us

De Soto /dəˈsoʊtoʊ/ is a city in Johnson and Leavenworth counties in the U.S. state of Kansas,[6] and part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The vast majority of the city, 11.13 sq. mi., lies within Johnson County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 5,720.[7] The area code is 913, and the two zip codes are 66018 and 66019.

History

De Soto began in the spring of 1857, named for sixteenth-century Spanish explorer, Hernando De Soto.[8][9] In 1858, John Possum, a Shawnee Indian, and Hattie Possum sold 80 acres to John F. Legate, S. Todd and Stratton and Williams for $1,200. The next sale was 80 acres to the De Soto Town Company in July 1861 for $1,176. Major James B. Abbott is remembered as one of the town’s pioneer landowners and the builder of Abbot Hall. Today, Abbot Hall is one of two town museums.

With the construction of the 9,080 acre Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant south of De Soto, De Soto's population boomed in the early 1940s during WWII. In May 1943, The Kansas City Star article reported "a town rapidly growing, with a population increase from 400 to 1,000 persons in under a year". This sudden overflow in population put a great strain on housing and other resources in the city; however, many original residents prospered during this time, buying property and starting new businesses. Production flowed steadily at the Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant until the plant went on standby in March 1948, with small scale production following shortly after.

Geography

De Soto is located at 38°57′54″N 94°57′44″W / 38.96500°N 94.96222°W (38.965081, -94.962285)[10] along the Kansas River. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.20 square miles (29.01 km2), of which, 11.07 square miles (28.67 km2) is land and 0.13 square miles (0.34 km2) is water.[1]

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
186035—
1870102191.4%
188014138.2%
189022358.2%
19002261.3%
19102406.2%
1920231−3.7%
193031938.1%
194045442.3%
19503,422653.7%
19602,543−25.7%
19702,217−12.8%
19802,061−7.0%
19902,29111.2%
20004,56199.1%
20105,72025.4%
Est. 20135,9113.3%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census

As of the census[2] of 2010, there were 5,720 people, 2,007 households, and 1,523 families residing in the city. The population density was 516.7 inhabitants per square mile (199.5/km2). There were 2,204 housing units at an average density of 199.1 per square mile (76.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 89.7% White, 0.8% African American, 0.8% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 5.9% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.6% of the population.

There were 2,007 households of which 41.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.4% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 24.1% were non-families. 19.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.25.

The median age in the city was 35.4 years. 28.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.5% were from 25 to 44; 26.3% were from 45 to 64; and 9.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.2% male and 49.8% female.

2000 census

As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 4,561 people, 1,642 households, and 1,246 families residing in the city. The population density was 403.0 people per square mile (155.6/km²). There were 1,730 housing units at an average density of 152.9 per square mile (59.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.80% White, 0.20% African American, 0.94% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 1.69% from other races, and 1.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.86% of the population. 22.2% were of German, 14.3% American, 13.0% English and 10.7% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 1,642 households out of which 41.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.1% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.1% were non-families. 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.23.

In the city the population was spread out with 30.5% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 8.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 103.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $47,426, and the median income for a family was $53,219. Males had a median income of $36,203 versus $31,682 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,141. About 3.2% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.1% of those under age 18 and 13.1% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Between 1999 and 2000, a barn that had originally been built in the 1880s was moved piece by piece from a farmstead and placed on the Zimmerman farm at the northwest corner of the Kill Creek Road and K-10 interchange.[11] The barn was historically called the White-Waitmann barn but after its erection in 2000, by contractors and community volunteers, it also became known as the Zimmerman barn. The barn was not only a piece of American history, but it became well known throughout the community because the owner, Darrel Zimmerman, allows the public to pay a fee and use the barn for events such as weddings, graduations, and other meetings. However, a fierce storm demolished the barn in May 2010. The barn was rebuilt in 2013, after it was determined that Zimmerman could not locate another historic-looking barn to move on the location.[12]

The Day After was filmed from Edgerton Road to the main De Soto exit K-285(Lexington Ave) on K-10 as Interstate 70.

Economy

Three local corporations, Goodcents Franchise Systems, Inc., Great American Bank and Custom Foods, Inc., are headquartered in De Soto. Huhtamaki Americas, Inc. and Engineered Air, two international enterprises, chose De Soto for their North American headquarters. In addition, Intervet, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of animal health supplies, selected De Soto for one of its four U.S. manufacturing facilities.

Largest employers

as of March 2014, the largest employers in the city are:

# Employer # of Employees
1 De Soto USD #232 1,071
2 Huhtamaki 640
3 Engineered Air 250
4 Merck Animal Health 175
5 Rehrig Pacific 110
6 Custom Foods Inc 98
7 Goodcent's Deli Fresh Subs 95
8 Hillside Village 85

Government

The De Soto government consists of a mayor and five council members. The council meets the first and third Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. The current mayor is Timothy Maniez. City Hall is located at 32905 West 84th Street.

Education

The city of De Soto is served by the De Soto school district.

Other local education institutions near De Soto include:

Library

The Johnson County Library System maintains the De Soto Downtown Library.

Transportation

K-10

K-285 (decommissioned)

Utilities

Media

Notable people

See also

References

Further reading

County
Kansas

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to De Soto, Kansas.