Independence, Kansas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Independence is a city in Montgomery County, Kansas, United States. The population was 9,846 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Montgomery CountyGR6.
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[edit] Geography
Independence is located at (37.228251, -95.711392)GR1, 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 12.9 km² (5.0 mi²), all land.
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| <tr><td align="center"> 1870</td><td align="right">435</td><td align="right">1880</td><td align="right">2,915</td><td align="right">570.1%</td></tr><tr><td align="center"> 1890</td><td align="right">3,127</td><td align="right">7.3%</td></tr><tr><td align="center"> 1900</td><td align="right">4,851</td><td align="right">55.1%</td></tr><tr><td align="center"> 1910</td><td align="right">10,480</td><td align="right">116.0%</td></tr><tr><td align="center"> 1920</td><td align="right">11,920</td><td align="right">13.7%</td></tr><tr><td align="center"> 1930</td><td align="right">12,782</td><td align="right">7.2%</td></tr><tr><td align="center"> 1940</td><td align="right">11,565</td><td align="right">-9.5%</td></tr><tr><td align="center"> 1950</td><td align="right">11,335</td><td align="right">-2.0%</td></tr><tr><td align="center"> 1960</td><td align="right">11,222</td><td align="right">-1.0%</td></tr><tr><td align="center"> 1970</td><td align="right">10,347</td><td align="right">-7.8%</td></tr><tr><td align="center"> 1980</td><td align="right">10,598</td><td align="right">2.4%</td></tr><tr><td align="center"> 1990</td><td align="right">9,942</td><td align="right">-6.2%</td></tr><tr><td align="center"> 2000</td><td align="right">9,846</td><td align="right">-1.0%</td></tr> | ||
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 9,846 people, 4,149 households, and 2,609 families residing in the city. The population density was 764.9/km² (1,979.4/mi²). There were 4,747 housing units at an average density of 368.8/km² (954.3/mi²). 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.
[edit] History
On April 28, 1930, Independence was the site of organized baseball's first night game. The Independence team lost 13-3 to Muskogee, its Western Association rival.
Almost 76 years later, on April 11, 2006, the small city made national news when it was reported that a young woman was abducted at gunpoint and held for about 15 hours by an unknown man driving a white van, who allegedly kidnapped the high school student from her front yard and forced her to jog to a lumberyard nearby, where the man's vehicle was parked; an AMBER Alert was issued, and camera crews roamed the streets, seeking interviews with friends of the alleged victim. However, on April 13, Independence faced the embarrassment of learning that the incident was only a hoax on the part of the young woman, and that she had actually spent the day by herself not far from town.
On July 4, 2006, one man was injured in a fireworks explosion just after 4:00 PM. He was believed to be setting up the towns fireworks display.
[edit] Weather Effects
On August 25th a horrific storm hit Independence, leaving 4/5ths of the small town powerless. One day later another storm hit, slowing down the repair progress.
[edit] Points of Interest
- Independence hosts the annual Halloween "Neewollah" festival the last full week of October. It lasts anywhere from a week to a week and a half. B
- The high school colors are orange and black and the mascot is a bulldog.
- Journalist Bill Kurtis once worked for radio station KIND and has been a part-owner of the station in the past.
- The state of Kansas designated the childhood home of Laura Ingalls Wilder and the Ingalls family at Independence as a historic site, which is open to visitors. It is the location from which the events of the book Little House on the Prairie take place. It includes a cabin modeled after the original (at the William Kurtis ranch), and the original post office. Much of the surrounding countryside retains its open and undeveloped nature.
[edit] Notable Natives
- William Inge, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright.
- Bill Kurtis, television journalist.
- Miss Able, space monkey.
- Patrick Townson, editor of Telecom-Digest.
- Alf Landon, 1936 Republican presidential candidate
[edit] External links
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
Breezy Mangan, is soon to be the record holder for fattest person in Independence because of her addiction to Mcdonalds Happy Meals
