Victoria, Kansas

city in Kansas, United States

Victoria is a city in Ellis County, Kansas, United States.[4] In 2020, 1,129 people lived there.[3]

Victoria, Kansas
The Basilica of St. Fidelis (1997)
Location within Ellis County and Kansas
Location within Ellis County and Kansas
KDOT map of Ellis County (legend)
Coordinates: 38°51′14″N 99°08′51″W / 38.85389°N 99.14750°W / 38.85389; -99.14750[1]
CountryUnited States
StateKansas
CountyEllis
Founded1873
Incorporated1913
Named forQueen Victoria
Area
 • Total0.60 sq mi (1.55 km2)
 • Land0.60 sq mi (1.55 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation1,933 ft (589 m)
Population
 • Total1,129
 • Density1,900/sq mi (730/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
67671
Area code785
FIPS code20-73775
GNIS ID2397136[1]
Websitevictoriaks.com

History

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Commemorative statue of a Volga German pioneer family in Victoria (1997)

A group of British people led by a Scotsman named George Grant created Victoria in 1873. They created it on land he had bought from the Kansas Pacific Railway. They named the settlement after Queen Victoria.[5] Grant wanted Victoria to be a ranching community. He was apparently 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 animals. Their families soon learned of this and lowered the remittances. This caused most of the colonists to leave by 1880. Some returned to Britain; others left for South America.[6][7][8]

In 1876, Volga Germans from villages near Saratov, Russia created the settlement of Herzog one half mile north of Victoria. Herzog's Roman Catholic settlers built a many churches. Herzog grew quickly and later took over Victoria, eventually taking the older settlement's name. Herzog was officially renamed Victoria in 1913.[9]

In 1942, the U.S. Army built Walker Army Airfield 3 miles northeast of Victoria. During World War II, thousands were put there at the airfield. The military closed the base in 1946.[10]

In 1966, Interstate 70 reached Victoria, going north of the city.[7]

Geography

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Victoria is at 38°51′14″N 99°8′51″W / 38.85389°N 99.14750°W / 38.85389; -99.14750 (38.853758, -99.147397).[2] It has an elevation of 1,926 feet (587 m).[4] It is on Kansas Highway 255 (K-255) 1-mile (1.6 km) south of Interstate 70 in northwestern Kansas. Victoria is about 9 miles (14 km) east of Hays (the county seat), 129 miles (208 km) northwest of Wichita, and 243 miles (391 km) west of Kansas City.[11][12]

The city is about 9 miles (14 km) north of the Smoky Hill River in the Smoky Hills region of the Great Plains.[13] The city is on the east side of the North Fork of Big Creek, part of the Smoky Hill River watershed.[11]

The United States Census Bureau says that the city has a total area of 0.60 square miles (1.55 km2). All of it is land.[2]

People

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Historical population
Census Pop.
1920600
19306376.2%
194088438.8%
195098811.8%
19601,17018.4%
19701,2466.5%
19801,3286.6%
19901,157−12.9%
20001,2084.4%
20101,2140.5%
20201,129−7.0%
U.S. Decennial Census

2020 census

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The 2020 United States Census says that there were 1,129 people, 479 households, and 308 families living in Victoria. Of the households, 79.5% owned their home and 20.5% rented their home.

The median age was 41.8 years. Of the people, 95.3% were White, 0.5% were Black, 0.2% were Native American, 1.1% were from some other race, and 2.9% were two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.4% of the people.[3][14]

2010 census

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The 2010 United States Census says that there were 1,214 people, 496 households, and 316 families living in Victoria.[15]

Infrastructure

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Transportation

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Interstate 70 and U.S. Route 40 go concurrently east-west about one mile north of Victoria. K-255 goes north-south from I-70 to Victoria's northern city limits.[11]

The Kansas Pacific (KP) line of the Union Pacific Railroad goes northeast-southwest through the southern part of the city.[11][16]

Utilities

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Water, sewage, and trash are done of the city government. Midwest Energy, Inc. gives electric power.[17] Local residents mostly use natural gas for heating fuel; service is provided by Kansas Gas Service.[18][17]

Victoria is in the Wichita-Hutchinson, Kansas television market.[19]

Famous people

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Sister cities

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References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Victoria, Kansas
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 "DP1: PROFILE OF GENERAL POPULATION AND HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  4. 4.0 4.1 "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  5. Heim, Michael (2007). Exploring Kansas Highways. p. 32. ISBN 9780974435886.
  6. "Homesteading in Ellis County - Victoria". Kansas Heritage Project. Fort Hays State University. Archived from the original on 2010-05-30. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
  7. 7.0 7.1 Pfeifer, Mary (2000-08-02). "History of Victoria". City of Victoria. Archived from the original on 2008-12-02. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
  8. "Victoria". Kansas Historical Society. Archived from the original on 2010-12-04. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
  9. "Homesteading in Ellis County - Herzog". Kansas Heritage Project. Fort Hays State University. Archived from the original on 2010-05-30. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
  10. "U.S. Army and Air Force Wings Over Kansas". Kansas Historical Quarterly. 25 (1). Kansas State Historical Society: 334–360. Spring 1959.
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 "General Highway Map - Ellis County, Kansas" (PDF). Kansas Department of Transportation. 2010-06-01. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
  12. "City Distance Tool". Geobytes. Archived from the original on 2010-10-05. Retrieved 2010-04-15.
  13. "2003-2004 Official Transportation Map" (PDF). Kansas Department of Transportation. 2003. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
  14. "P16: HOUSEHOLD TYPE". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  15. "American FactFinder 2". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-07-20.
  16. "UPRR Common Line Names" (PDF). Union Pacific Railroad. Retrieved 2010-04-15.
  17. 17.0 17.1 "Utilities in Victoria". City of Victoria. Archived from the original on 2012-08-13. Retrieved 2012-07-17.
  18. "Victoria, Kansas". City-Data. Retrieved 2012-07-17.
  19. "Kansas". TV Market Maps. EchoStar Knowledge Base. Archived from the original on 2011-07-26. Retrieved 2014-09-18.
  20. Dean, Rick (2004-08-11). "Starting over again". Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved 2015-07-09.
  21. Forsythe, James L. The English Colony at Victoria, Another View. Retrieved 29 July 2013
  22. "Nate Dreiling - 2013 Football". Pittsburg State University. Retrieved 2015-07-09.
  23. "James (Scotty) Philip, Saving the Buffalo". Black Hills Visitor. Retrieved 2015-07-09.
  24. Graham, Ruth (2019-09-03). "Theodore McCarrick Still Won't Confess: Banished in the dead of night to a mistrustful Kansas town after sexual abuse allegations, the defrocked archbishop of D.C. speaks publicly for the first time since his fall from grace". Slate. Retrieved 2019-09-03.
  25. "Interactive City Directory". Sister Cities International. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.

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