Maize is a city in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States, As of the 2020 census, its population was 5,735. The name Maize, derived from a Native American word for "corn", was so named because it is located within the Corn Belt.
History
The Maize Town Company, led by N. F. Neiderlander, founded Maize in 1886 at the first stop outside of Wichita on the Wichita and Colorado Railway. The post office opened that same year as did the town's first church, having relocated from nearby. Maize's first school opened in 1887; its first newspaper opened in 1895. Maize State Bank, the town's first financial institution, opened in 1901, and, by 1908, a business community had emerged. In 1915, the Maize Town Company dissolved, and Maize was incorporated as a city.
Several natural disasters struck Maize in the 1930s and 1940s, including the Dust Bowl in 1934–35, a plague of grasshoppers in 1936, and a flood in 1944.
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2020 census
As of the 2020 census, there were 5,735 people, 2,111 households, and 1,498 families in Maize. The population density was . There were 2,289 housing units at an average density of .
Of the 2,111 households, 40.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 53.4% were married-couple households, 15.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 23.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher was estimated to be 20.5% of the population.
Income and poverty
The 2016-2020 5-year American Community Survey estimates show that the median household income was $59,856 (with a margin of error of +/- $18,462) and the median family income was $75,993 (+/- $24,517). Males had a median income of $48,077 (+/- $8,030) versus $31,755 (+/- $11,804) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $39,703 (+/- $15,974). Approximately, 1.8% of families and 4.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.5% of those under the age of 18 and 0.0% of those ages 65 or over.
2010 census
As of the 2010 census, there were 3,420 people, 1,172 households, and 942 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,284 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.3% White, 1.5% African American, 1.1% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.3% from other races, and 3.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.4% of the population.
There were 1,172 households, of which 49.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% were married couples living together, 15.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 19.6% were non-families. 17.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92 and the average family size was 3.28.
The median age in the city was 30.7 years. 34.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.7% were from 25 to 44; 21.8% were from 45 to 64; and 8.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.6% male and 51.4% female.
Government
Maize has a mayor-council-administrator form of government. The city council consists of the mayor and five members who serve part-time. The mayor is elected to a four-year term while terms for council members are staggered such that two members are up for election every two years.
Education
The community is served by Maize USD 266 public school district, which operates eighteen schools in and around the city.
Infrastructure
Transportation
K-96 runs northwest-southeast through the middle of the city but remains outside of the official city limits. Questions of jurisdictional responsibility relating to highways and infrastructure as well as law enforcement authority have long been an issue of misunderstanding amongst city leaders. City police have no police authority on K-96 unless operating under a deputy sheriff commission granted under the authority of the Sedgwick County Sheriff. Currently, sheriff’s deputies and members of the Kansas Highway Patrol are tasked with all law enforcement and investigative responsibility.
The Hutchinson line of the Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad runs southeast–northwest through Maize.
Maize Airport is a privately owned, public-use airport located two nautical miles (2.3 mi, 3.7 km) southeast of the central business district of Maize.
Notable people
Notable individuals who were born in and/or have lived in Maize include:
- Nancy Kassebaum (born 1932), U.S. Senator from Kansas
- Richard Kassebaum (1960–2008), documentary filmmaker