Emporia, Kansas

Emporia, Kansas
City and County seat
Downtown Emporia (2012)
Downtown Emporia (2012)
Official seal of Emporia, Kansas
Logo for City of Emporia
Location of Emporia within Lyon County and Kansas
Location of Emporia within Lyon County and Kansas
KDOT map of Lyon County (legend)
KDOT map of Lyon County (legend)
Coordinates: 38°24′14″N 96°11′34″W / 38.40389°N 96.19278°W / 38.40389; -96.19278[1]
CountryUnited States
StateKansas
CountyLyon
Founded1857
Incorporated1870 [2]
Government
[2]
 • TypeCommission-Manager
 • MayorSusan Brinkman[3]
 • City ManagerTrey Cocking[4]
Area
[5]
 • Total12.25 sq mi (31.72 km2)
 • Land12.13 sq mi (31.42 km2)
 • Water0.11 sq mi (0.30 km2)  0.9%
Elevation
[1]
1,142 ft (348 m)
Population
 (2020)[6]
 • Total24,139
 • Density2,000/sq mi (760/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
66801[7]
Area code620
FIPS code20-21275
GNIS ID485571[1]
Websiteemporiaks.gov

Emporia is a city in Lyon County, Kansas, United States.[1][8] It is also the county seat of Lyon County. In 2020, 24,139 people lived there.[6] Emporia is between Topeka and Wichita at the intersection of U.S. Route 50, Interstates 335 and 35 on the Kansas Turnpike. Emporia is also a college town because it has Emporia State University and Flint Hills Technical College.

History

Sixth Avenue c. 1912

Emporia was created in 1857. It was named after ancient Carthage, a place known in history as a prosperous center of commerce.[9]

In 1953, Emporia was where Veterans Day was first celebrated in the United States. U.S. Representative Edward Rees introduced legislation in The United States Congress to rename Armistice Day as Veterans Day. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the bill into law on October 8, 1954.[10]

On June 8, 1974, an F4 tornado hit Emporia. It killed six people, and it injured 200 people. It caused $25 million in damages.[11]

On Sunday, March 6, 1988 a heavily armed gunman walked into the Calvary Baptist Church during services and started shooting. The gunman was Cheunphon Ji, who was 29 years old. He killed one person and injured four people.[12][13]

Geography

Emporia is in east-central Kansas. It is about 108 miles (174 km) southwest of Kansas City, 58 miles (93 km) southwest of Topeka, and 87 miles (140 km) northeast of Wichita. It is on the eastern edge of the Flint Hills. The United States Census Bureau says that the city has a total area of 12.25 square miles (31.73 km2). Of that, 12.13 square miles (31.42 km2) is land and 0.11 square miles (0.28 km2) is water.[5] The Neosho River goes along the northern part of the city. The Cottonwood River, one of its tributaries, goes along the city's southern edge and of two large city parks, Peter Pan and Soden's Grove.

Weather

The city gets about 60 rainy days per year. It gets about 59 days with high temperatures of 90 °F (32 °C) or higher, and 124 days with low temperatures below freezing. The average temperature in January is 29 °F (−2 °C), and in July it is 79 °F (26 °C). It gets about 10.2 inches (25.9 cm) of snow every year.[14]

Climate data for Emporia, Kansas
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °F (°C) 40
(4) 		46
(7) 		52
(11) 		66
(18) 		76
(24) 		86
(30) 		91
(32) 		91
(32) 		84
(28) 		70
(21) 		54
(12) 		44
(6) 		67
(19)
Average low °F (°C) 19
(−7) 		24
(−4) 		29
(−1) 		43
(6) 		53
(11) 		63
(17) 		68
(20) 		67
(19) 		57
(13) 		46
(7) 		31
(0) 		23
(−5) 		44
(6)
Average precipitation inches (cm) 0.7
(1) 		1.2
(3) 		2.3
(5) 		2.4
(6) 		4.3
(10) 		4.9
(12) 		5.1
(13) 		3.9
(10) 		3.1
(7) 		2.9
(7) 		1.1
(2) 		0.9
(2) 		32.8
(83)
Source: Weatherbase[14]

People

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1860843—
18702,168157.2%
18804,631113.6%
18907,55163.1%
19008,2238.9%
19109,05810.2%
192011,27324.5%
193014,06724.8%
194013,188−6.2%
195015,66918.8%
196018,19016.1%
197023,32728.2%
198025,2878.4%
199025,5120.9%
200026,7604.9%
201024,916−6.9%
202024,139−3.1%
U.S. Decennial Census
2010-2020[6]

Emporia is the principal city of the Emporia Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Lyon and Chase counties.

2020 census

The 2020 census says that there were 24,139 people, 9,876 households, and 5,468 families living in Emporia. Of the households, 53.3% owned their home and 46.7% rented their home.

The median age was 32.3 years. Of the people, 67.9% were White, 2.6% were Black, 2.3% were Asian, 0.9% were Native American, 0.1% were Pacific Islanders, 15.0% were from some other race, and 11.2% were two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 28.3% of the people.[15][16]

2010 census

The 2010 census says that there were 24,916 people, 9,812 households, and 5,571 families living in Emporia.[17]

Economy

Emporia has several big private-sector employers.[18] In the past, a Tyson Foods beef-packing plant employed more than 2,400 workers.[18] Hostess Brands has a bakery in Emporia. Hopkins Manufacturing Corporation, created in Emporia in 1953,[19] makes products for the car market. The Braum dairy store chain, based in Oklahoma City, started in Emporia in 1952 under the name Peter Pan.[20] Simmons Pet Food has a multi-acre plant in Emporia that makes wet dog food.[21]

On January 25, 2008, Tyson said it would fire 1,500 workers (more than 60 percent) by March 25, 2008.[22] The company said it needed to move to western Kansas, where the cattle are raised.[23] The Tyson plant creates almost 10 percent of the local economy.[24]

Infrastructure

Transportation

Plumb Administration Building & Albert Taylor Hall at Emporia State University (2012)
Lyon County courthouse (2009)

The city is served by the Emporia Municipal Airport.

Bus

LCAT or Lyon County Area Transportation provides bus service in Emporia. It provides fixed-route bus service to the city of Emporia, and paratransit service to the disabled and the rest of Lyon County. The buses are a service of Lyon County. It gets a lot of financial support from the Kansas Department of Transportation. The Greyhound Lines has a bus stop in Emporia.[25]

Highways

Media

The Emporia Gazette is the city's main newspaper. It is published six days per week.[26] The Gazette also publishes a Spanish language monthly newspaper, La Voz.[27] Emporia State University publishes a bi-weekly student newspaper, the Emporia State University Bulletin.[28]

Emporia is an important place for broadcast media for east-central Kansas.[29] One AM radio station and ten FM radio stations are licensed to and/or broadcast from the city.[29] Emporia is in the Topeka, Kansas television market. One television station, a translator of the Fox affiliate in Topeka, broadcasts from the city.[30][31]

Famous people

Famous people who were born in and/or have lived in Emporia include actor R. Lee Ermey,[32] journalist William Allen White,[33] and college basketball coach Dean Smith.[34]

Related pages

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Emporia, Kansas
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "City of Emporia". The League of Kansas Municipalities. May 26, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Emporia City Commission". Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  4. ↑ "City Manager's Office Directory". Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "QuickFacts: Emporia city, Kansas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  7. ↑ United States Postal Service (2012). "USPS - Look Up a ZIP Code". Retrieved February 15, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  9. ↑ Federal Writers' Project (1939). Kansas: A Guide to the Sunflower State. Works Progress Administration. p. 186. ISBN 9780403021673.
  10. ↑ "Declaring Emporia, Kansas, to Be the Founding City of the Veterans Day Holiday -- (Senate -- October 31, 2003)". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on September 7, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2007.
  11. ↑ "1974 Emporia Tornado". National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, Topeka, Kansas. Retrieved August 19, 2007.
  12. ↑ "Gunman Kills Man in Church". New York Times.
  13. ↑ "It did happen here". The Emporia Gazette. April 19, 2007. Archived from the original on April 9, 2013. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Emporia, Kansas, United States of America". Weatherbase. 2007. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
  15. ↑ "DP1: PROFILE OF GENERAL POPULATION AND HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  16. ↑ "P16: HOUSEHOLD TYPE". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
  17. ↑ "2010 City Population and Housing Occupancy Status". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Private Sector Employees". Regional Development Association of East Central Kansas. Archived from the original on June 29, 2007. Retrieved August 20, 2007.
  19. ↑ "Emporia's 2003 Employer of the Year". Hopkins Manufacturing Corporation. Retrieved August 26, 2007.
  20. ↑ "Our History". Braum's Online, LLC. Archived from the original on September 2, 2007. Retrieved August 26, 2007.
  21. ↑ "Facilities". Menu Foods Income Fund. Archived from the original on August 19, 2007. Retrieved August 26, 2007.
  22. ↑ "Tyson will eliminate slaughter in Emporia". Emporia Gazette. January 25, 2008. Archived from the original on July 29, 2012. Retrieved January 26, 2008.
  23. ↑ "Tyson Plant in Emporia Ceasing Operations". WIBW-TV. January 25, 2008. Archived from the original on January 27, 2008. Retrieved January 26, 2008.
  24. ↑ "Emporia Leaders Say They'll Make Do". KAKE-TV. January 26, 2008. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved January 26, 2008.
  25. ↑ "Greyhound Lines - Bus stops in Kansas". Archived from the original on August 28, 2010. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
  26. ↑ "Emporia Gazette". Mondo Times. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
  27. ↑ "Record Details - La Voz". Kansas Press Association. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
  28. ↑ "Emporia State University Bulletin". Mondo Times. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 "Radio Stations in Emporia, Kansas". Radio-Locator. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
  30. ↑ "Topeka, Kansas (TV market map)". EchoStar Knowledge Base. Archived from the original on October 15, 2011. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
  31. ↑ "KTMJ TV 43". Mondo Times. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
  32. ↑ "R. Lee Ermey". IMDb. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  33. ↑ "William Allen White". Kansas Historical Society. Archived from the original on December 23, 2015. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  34. ↑ "Dean E. Smith". Basketball Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on August 31, 2009. Retrieved December 31, 2015.

Other websites

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