Elkhart, Kansas

Elkhart is a city in and the county seat of Morton County, Kansas, United States. The southern edge of the city is the Kansas–Oklahoma state border, and the city is from the Kansas–Colorado border.

History

thumb|left|Elkhart, circa 1905

Elkhart was founded in 1913, and was named after Elkhart, Indiana.

Elkhart grew up along the tracks of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, which came in from Dodge City. Elkhart was also the starting point of the Elkhart and Santa Fe Railway. The latter line, both leased to and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Santa Fe railway, was built in 1925 to Felt, Oklahoma, and extended into New Mexico in 1932; but, was abandoned in 1942.

In 1961, the county seat was moved from Richfield to Elkhart.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.

Climate

Elkhart has a cool semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk) characterized by generally dry winters with extreme temperature variations, and hot summers with occasional heavy precipitation from thunder showers or storms.

During winter, because western Kansas lies both on the edge of the subtropical anticyclones and in the rain shadow of westerly winds crossing the Rocky Mountains, the region is generally dry: no measurable precipitation fell in Elkhart between 25 December 1903 and 2 April 1904, while monthly precipitation above has never been recorded during January and is observed fewer than one year in ten during November, December or February. Temperatures can vary greatly during this season: strong chinook winds can drive temperatures above even in the depth of winter, with reached on average during six days between December and February, seven during November and eight during March. Nevertheless, cold outbreaks from Canada drive temperatures to or below on an average of 3.6 nights per winter. The coldest temperature recorded in Elkhart has been on January 19, 1984, while the hottest winter temperature has been on February 1, 1963.

Snowfall is generally light due to dryness; however in the extremely wet and cold February 1903, fell, being the major factor behind a record seasonal snowfall of between July 1902 and June 1903. In contrast, only a trace of snow was recorded between July 1949 and January 1950.

In the summer, the climate is generally very hot with relief from thunderstorms that provide most of the of precipitation expected during one year. When an upper level anticyclone moves poleward, the atmosphere can become very stable and produce sustained extreme heat: in the hottest month of July 1980, the average maximum was and all but seven days topped . When the high retreats southward or a trough forms over the interior of the United States during the summer, however, precipitation can be heavy, with falling in April 2016, in June 2004 and in July 1927. The wettest calendar year has been 1941, with and the driest, 1937 when only fell.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Elkhart had a population of 1,888, with 729 households and 469 families. The population density was 919.2 per square mile (354.9/km), and there were 907 housing units at an average density of 441.6 per square mile (170.5/km). The median age was 41.1 years. 25.0% of residents were under the age of 18, 7.7% were from 18 to 24, 21.8% were from 25 to 44, 24.0% were from 45 to 64, and 21.5% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.6 males age 18 and over.

There were 729 households, of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.3% were married-couple households, 18.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.2% of households were made up of individuals and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Demographic estimates

The average household size was 2.2 and the average family size was 3.3. The percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher was estimated to be 10.9% of the population.

Income and poverty

The 2016–2020 5-year American Community Survey estimates show that the median household income was $40,765 (with a margin of error of ± $7,305) and the median family income was $49,957 (± $15,144). Males had a median income of $33,125 (± $16,302) versus $26,868 (± $23,251) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $29,531 (± $15,296). Approximately, 13.6% of families and 18.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.8% of those under the age of 18 and 17.3% of those ages 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 2,205 people, 856 households, and 571 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 999 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 87.7% White, 0.1% African American, 1.2% Native American, 2.5% Asian, 6.8% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 20.7% of the population.

There were 856 households, of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.3% were non-families. 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.07.

The median age in the city was 38.4 years. 26.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23% were from 25 to 44; 25.6% were from 45 to 64; and 17.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.7% male and 52.3% female.

Education

The community is served by Elkhart USD 218 public school district. The Elkhart High School mascot is Wildcats.

Notable people

Sanora Babb, writer.
Walter Thane Baker, sprinter, two-time Olympic medalist (1952 and 1956).
Glenn Cunningham, long distance runner, used to hold 1-mile world record, Olympic silver medalist 1936.
Robelyn Garcia, former professional basketball player.
Jerry Simmons, NFL strength and conditioning coach for 23 years, father of Jordon and uncle of Darrin.
Darrin Simmons, football coach, special teams for the Cincinnati Bengals.

References

External links

Elkhart - Official Website
Elkhart - Directory of Public Officials