WaKeeney is a city in and the county seat of Trego County, Kansas, United States.

History

James Keeney, a land speculator in Chicago, purchased land at the site of modern-day WaKeeney from the Kansas Pacific Railway in 1877. He and business partner Albert Warren formed Warren, Keeney, & Co., surveyed and plotted the site in 1878, and established a colony there in 1879. They named the colony WaKeeney, a portmanteau of their surnames, and billed it as "The Queen City of the High Plains", advertising and holding celebrations to attract settlers. The colony grew rapidly, but crop failures drove settlers to leave in 1880 as quickly as they had come. By 1882, all that was left were "five poorly patronized retail stores". Years later, Volga Germans began settling the area. at an elevation of 2,447 feet (746 m). Located in northwestern Kansas at the intersection of Interstate 70 and U.S. Route 283, it is northwest of Wichita, east-southeast of Denver, and west of Kansas City.

WaKeeney lies in the High Plains region of the Great Plains approximately north of Big Creek, a tributary of the Smoky Hill River. A small tributary of Big Creek flows south from near the center of the city.

Climate

WaKeeney has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa), experiencing hot, humid summers and cold, dry winters. On average, January is the coolest month, and July is both the warmest month and the wettest month.

|source 2 = National Weather Service

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, WaKeeney had a population of 1,799 people, with 837 households and 482 families. The population density was 1,009.0 inhabitants per square mile (389.6/km). There were 1,004 housing units at an average density of 563.1 per square mile (217.4/km).

0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

Of the 837 households, 22.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 44.8% were married-couple households, 19.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 38.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.9% 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 15.9% of the population.

Income and poverty

The 2016-2020 5-year American Community Survey estimates show that the median household income was $54,805 (with a margin of error of +/- $7,551) and the median family income was $78,125 (+/- $17,778). Males had a median income of $44,231 (+/- $9,782) versus $27,482 (+/- $4,438) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $32,172 (+/- $5,427). Approximately, 7.5% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.8% of those under the age of 18 and 0.5% of those ages 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 1,862 people, 864 households, and 500 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 988 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.9% White, 0.5% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.9% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.6% of the population.

There were 864 households, of which 23.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.6% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.1% were non-families. 36.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.73.

The median age in the city was 48.8 years. 20% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.9% were from 25 to 44; 30.3% were from 45 to 64; and 25.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.

Education

The community is served by WaKeeney USD 208 public school district, which primary and secondary education with two schools in WaKeeney: Trego Grade School (Grades Pre-K-8) and Trego Community High School (9-12).

The Trego Golden Eagles won the Kansas State High School boys class 2A Track & Field championship in 1977 and the boys class 3A Track & Field championship in 1997.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Interstate 70 and U.S. Route 40 run concurrently southeast-northwest immediately south of WaKeeney, intersecting U.S. Route 283 which runs north–south through the city. U.S. 283 runs east–west for one mile in downtown WaKeeney, concurrent with U.S. Route 40 Business and the old alignment of U.S. 40.

Trego WaKeeney Airport is located on the west side of U.S. 283, immediately south of I-70. Publicly owned, it has one concrete runway and is used for general aviation.

Union Pacific Railroad operates one freight rail line, the Kansas Pacific (KP) line, through WaKeeney. It runs east–west through the city.

Media

The local newspaper published in WaKeeney is the weekly Western Kansas World.

K231BG, a translator of radio station KJIL in Copeland, Kansas, broadcasts from WaKeeney on 94.1 FM playing a Contemporary Christian format.

WaKeeney is in the Wichita-Hutchinson, Kansas television market.

Culture

thumb|right|West side of Trego County Courthouse (2017)

Events

Since 1950, WaKeeney has hosted an ornate civic Christmas lighting display, which now includes over 6,000 lights and a 35-foot man-made Christmas tree in the center of town. The tree is ceremonially lit the Saturday night after Thanksgiving through New Years Day.

  • Steve Gotsche (1961- ), PGA Tour and Nationwide Tour golfer
  • Andrew J. Harlan (1815-1907), U.S. Representative from Indiana
  • Frank Mechau (1904-1946), painter
  • Mike Schreiner (1969- ), Leader of Ontario Green Party; Member of the Ontario Legislative Assembly
  • Orrin Upshaw (1874-1937), U.S. Olympic tug of war athlete

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References

Further reading

  • WaKeeney - Official Website
  • WaKeeney - Directory of Public Officials
  • USD 208, local school district
  • History of WaKeeney