WaKeeney, Kansas
WaKeeney is a city in Trego County, Kansas, United States.[4] It is also the county seat of Trego County. In 2020 census, 1,799 people lived there.[3]
WaKeeney, Kansas | |
|---|---|
City and County seat | |
 Trego County fairgrounds exhibit building (2014) | |
 Location within Trego County and Kansas | |
 | |
| Coordinates: 39°1′24″N 99°52′53″W / 39.02333°N 99.88139°W[1] | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Kansas |
| County | Trego |
| Founded | 1879 |
| Incorporated | 1880 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.78 sq mi (4.61 km2) |
| • Land | 1.78 sq mi (4.61 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 2,448 ft (746 m) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 1,799 |
| • Density | 1,000/sq mi (390/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code | 67672 |
| Area code | 785 |
| FIPS code | 20-74450 [1] |
| GNIS ID | 472517 [1] |
| Website | wakeeney.org |
History
changeIn 1877, James Keeney, a land speculator in Chicago, bought land at the place of modern-day WaKeeney from the Kansas Pacific Railway. He, and business partner Albert Warren, created Warren, Keeney, & Co., surveyed and plotted the site in 1878. They created a colony there in 1879.[5] They named the colony WaKeeney, a portmanteau of their last names.
They said it was "The Queen City of the High Plains", advertising and holding celebrations to attract settlers.[6] The colony grew quickly, but crop failures made settlers leave in 1880 as quickly as they had come. By 1882, all that was left were "five poorly patronized retail stores".[7] Years later, Volga Germans began settling the area.[5]
WaKeeney became the county seat in June 1879. It was incorporated as a city in 1880.[5][6]
Geography
changeWaKeeney is at 39°01′24″N 99°52′53″W / 39.023449°N 99.881455°W (39.023449, -99.881455)[2] at an elevation of 2,447 feet (746 m).[8] It is in northwestern Kansas at the intersection of Interstate 70 and U.S. Route 283. It is 162 miles (261 km) northwest of Wichita, 281 miles (452 km) east-southeast of Denver, and 284 miles (457 km) west of Kansas City.[9]
WaKeeney is in the High Plains region of the Great Plains. It is about 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Big Creek, a tributary of the Smoky Hill River.[10][11] A small tributary of Big Creek goes south from near the center of the city.[11]
The United States Census Bureau says that the city has a total area of 1.78 square miles (4.61 km2). All of it is land.[2]
Climate
changeWaKeeney has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa). It has hot, humid summers and cold, dry winters. The average temperature is 52.8 °F (11 °C), and the average yearly precipitation is 23.6 inches (600 mm).[12] Snowfall averages 25.2 inches (640 mm) per year.[13] On average, January is the coldest month, and July is both the hottest month and the wettest month. The hottest temperature ever in WaKeeney was 110 °F (43 °C) in 1980; the coldest temperature ever was -25 °F (-32 °C) in 1989.[14]
| Climate data for WaKeeney, Kansas | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 79 (26) |
84 (29) |
90 (32) |
102 (39) |
101 (38) |
110 (43) |
110 (43) |
107 (42) |
104 (40) |
98 (37) |
89 (32) |
79 (26) |
110 (43) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 40 (4) |
46 (8) |
55 (13) |
66 (19) |
75 (24) |
87 (31) |
93 (34) |
91 (33) |
82 (28) |
70 (21) |
53 (12) |
42 (6) |
67 (19) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 16 (−9) |
21 (−6) |
29 (−2) |
39 (4) |
50 (10) |
60 (16) |
65 (18) |
63 (17) |
53 (12) |
41 (5) |
28 (−2) |
19 (−7) |
40 (5) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −14 (−26) |
−14 (−26) |
−9 (−23) |
11 (−12) |
27 (−3) |
39 (4) |
47 (8) |
47 (8) |
24 (−4) |
12 (−11) |
−4 (−20) |
−25 (−32) |
−25 (−32) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.68 (17) |
0.77 (20) |
1.87 (47) |
2.17 (55) |
3.62 (92) |
2.57 (65) |
3.64 (92) |
2.95 (75) |
2.02 (51) |
1.33 (34) |
1.33 (34) |
0.66 (17) |
23.61 (599) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 5.5 (14) |
4.9 (12) |
4.9 (12) |
1.8 (4.6) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0.3 (0.76) |
0.8 (2.0) |
2.6 (6.6) |
4.5 (11) |
25.3 (62.96) |
| Source: The Weather Channel;[14] National Weather Service[13] | |||||||||||||
People
change| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 418 | — | |
| 1890 | 439 | 5.0% | |
| 1900 | 394 | −10.3% | |
| 1910 | 883 | 124.1% | |
| 1920 | 1,003 | 13.6% | |
| 1930 | 1,408 | 40.4% | |
| 1940 | 1,852 | 31.5% | |
| 1950 | 2,446 | 32.1% | |
| 1960 | 2,808 | 14.8% | |
| 1970 | 2,334 | −16.9% | |
| 1980 | 2,388 | 2.3% | |
| 1990 | 2,161 | −9.5% | |
| 2000 | 1,924 | −11.0% | |
| 2010 | 1,862 | −3.2% | |
| 2020 | 1,799 | −3.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2020 census
changeThe 2020 census says that there were 1,799 people, 837 households, and 482 families living in the city. Of the households, 73.5% owned their home and 26.5% rented their home.
The median age was 47.4 years. Of the people, 93.6% were White, 0.6% were Asian, 0.2% were Black, 0.1% were Native American, 0.4% were from some other race, and 5.2% were two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.5% of the people.[3][15]
2010 census
changeThe 2010 census says that there were 1,862 people, 864 households, and 500 families residing in the city.[16]
Infrastructure
changeInterstate 70 and U.S. Route 40 run concurrently southeast-northwest just south of WaKeeney. They intersect U.S. Route 283, which goes north-south through WaKeeney. U.S. 283 goes east-west for one mile in downtown WaKeeney. It is concurrent with U.S. Route 40 Business and the old alignment of U.S. 40.[17]
Trego WaKeeney Airport is on the west side of U.S. 283. It is just south of I-70.[18] The airport is publicly owned. It has one concrete runway. It is used for general aviation.[19]
Union Pacific Railroad has one freight railroad, the Kansas Pacific (KP) line, through WaKeeney. It goes east-west through the WaKeeney.[17][20]
Media
changeThe Western Kansas World is the local newspaper. It is published once per week.[21]
K231BG is a translator of radio station KJIL in Copeland, Kansas. It broadcasts from WaKeeney on 94.1 FM. It plays a Contemporary Christian format.[22][23]
WaKeeney is in the Wichita-Hutchinson, Kansas television market.[24]
Famous people
change- Charles Harris Garrigues (1903-1974), journalist[25]
- Steve Gotsche (1961- ), former PGA Tour and Nationwide Tour golfer[26]
- Andrew J. Harlan (1815-1907), U.S. Representative from Indiana[27]
- Frank Mechau (1904-1946), painter[28]
- Mike Schreiner (1969- ), Green Party of Ontario leader[29] and Member of Provincial Parliament in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 2018 election
- Orrin Upshaw (1874-1937), U.S. Olympic tug of war athlete[source?]
References
change- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "WaKeeney, Kansas". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "DP1: PROFILE OF GENERAL POPULATION AND HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
- ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Homesteading in Trego County - WaKeeney". Kansas Heritage Project. Fort Hays State University. Archived from the original on 2010-06-02. Retrieved 2010-02-09.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "History". WaKeeney, Kansas. Archived from the original on 2010-03-12. Retrieved 2010-02-09.
- ↑ Blackmar, Frank Wilson (1912). Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, Volume 2. Standard Publishing Company. p. 858.
- ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ↑ "City Distance Tool". Geobytes. Archived from the original on 2010-10-05. Retrieved 2010-08-08.
- ↑ "2003-2004 Official Transportation Map" (PDF). Kansas Department of Transportation. 2003. Retrieved 2015-07-16.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "General Highway Map - Trego County, Kansas". Kansas Department of Transportation. 2013. Retrieved 2015-07-16.
- ↑ "Historical Weather for WaKeeney, Kansas, United States of America". Weatherbase. Retrieved 2010-02-06.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 "NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data". National Weather Service Forecast Office - Dodge City, KS. Retrieved 2010-03-02.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Average weather for WaKeeney, KS". The Weather Channel. Retrieved 2010-02-06.
- ↑ "P16: HOUSEHOLD TYPE". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
- ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-07-06.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 "City of WaKeeney [Map]" (PDF). Kansas Department of Transportation. May 2007. Retrieved 2015-07-16.
- ↑ "WaKeeney, KS". Google Maps. Retrieved 2015-07-16.
- ↑ "0H1 - Trego WaKeeney Airport". AirNav.com. Retrieved 2015-07-16.
- ↑ "UPRR Common Line Names" (PDF). Union Pacific Railroad. Retrieved 2015-07-16.
- ↑ "About this Newspaper: Western Kansas world". Chronicling America. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2009-09-27.
- ↑ "K231BG-FM 94.1 MHz". Radio-Locator. Theodric Technologies LLC. Retrieved 2009-09-27.
- ↑ "Station Information Profile". Arbitron. Retrieved 2009-09-27.
- ↑ "Kansas". TV Market Maps. EchoStar Knowledge Base. Archived from the original on 2011-07-26. Retrieved 2015-07-16.
- ↑ Garrigues, George (January 2006). He Usually Lived With a Female: The Life of California Newspaperman Charles Harris (Brick) Garrigues. Los Angeles: Quail Creek Press. ISBN 978-0963483010.
- ↑ Caywood, Kurt (1999-07-20). "Taking aim at the PGA Tour". Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved 2015-07-16.
- ↑ "Harlan, Andrew Jackson (1815-1907)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 2015-07-16.
- ↑ "Frank Mechau Jr". askART. Retrieved 2015-07-16.
- ↑ "Profile: Green Leader Mike Schreiner". CBC News. 2011-08-26. Retrieved 2015-07-16.
Other websites
change
- City
- Schools
- USD 208, local school district
- Historical
- History of WaKeeney Archived 2009-01-07 at the Wayback Machine
- Maps
- WaKeeney City Map, KDOT