Wilson, Kansas

Wilson is a city in Ellsworth County, Kansas, United States.

History

The Butterfield Overland Despatch built a stagecoach station one-half mile south of present-day Wilson in 1865. Three years later, the Kansas Pacific Railway built Wilson Station, named after the surrounding township, at the modern town site. In 1871, The National Land Company surveyed and planned the first town there, naming it Bosland in the hopes of attracting the cattle trade. Settlers from Pennsylvania, including some Pennsylvania Dutch, arrived over the following year. The settlement never became a center of the cattle trade, however, and continued to be known as Wilson, a name the U.S. Post Office officially codified in 1873.

Geography

Wilson is located in north-central Kansas south of the intersection of Interstate 70 and Kansas Highway 232 (K-232), Wilson is northwest of Wichita, west of Kansas City and northwest of Ellsworth, the county seat.

Wilson lies in the Smoky Hills region of the Great Plains, approximately north of the Smoky Hill River and south of Wilson Lake. Wilson Creek, a tributary of the Smoky Hill, flows south along the east side of the city.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 781 people, 331 households, and 203 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 405 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.9% White, 0.4% African American, 0.1% American Indian, 0.3% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 4.0% from two or more races. Hispanics and Latinos of any race were 3.5% of the population.

There were 331 households, of which 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.7% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.82. of 2000, there were 799 people, 333 households, and 205 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 406 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.87% White, 0.13% from other races, and 1.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.13% of the population.

There were 333 households, out of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were married couples living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.4% were non-families. 35.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.5% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 21.5% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 28.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.0 males.

As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $34,821, and the median income for a family was $47,768. Males had a median income of $28,173 versus $23,000 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,622. About 2.0% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.0% of those under age 18 and 12.9% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

thumb|Wilson Downtown Historic District #3 (2014)

As of 2012, 67.2% of the population over the age of 16 was in the labor force. None of the population was in the armed forces, and 67.2% was in the civilian labor force with 65.4% being employed and 1.9% unemployed. The composition, by occupation, of the employed civilian labor force was: 26.7% in service occupations; 26.3% in management, business, science, and arts; 21.9% in production, transportation, and material moving; 12.5% in natural resources, construction, and maintenance; and 12.5% in sales and office occupations. The three industries employing the largest percentages of the working civilian labor force were: educational services, health care, and social assistance (19.5%); manufacturing (15.5%); and public administration (11.3%). As of 2012, the median home value in the city was $49,000, the median selected monthly owner cost was $761 for housing units with a mortgage and $324 for those without, and the median gross rent was $510.

Infrastructure

thumb|right|1915 Railroad Map of Ellsworth County

Transportation

Interstate 70 and U.S. Route 40 run concurrently east-west north of the city, intersecting K-232 which runs north-south along the eastern edge of the city. K-232 terminates at its intersection with the old alignment of U.S. 40 which runs northwest-southeast through Wilson.

The Kansas Pacific (KP) line of the Union Pacific Railroad runs northwest-southeast through Wilson, parallel to the old alignment of U.S. 40.

Utilities

Rolling Hills Electric Co-Op, Inc. provides electric power. Wilson Communications offers landline telephone, internet and cable tv service. The city government is responsible for water provision. Local residents primarily use natural gas for heating fuel; service is provided by Midwest Energy.

Culture

Events

Due to the number of Czech immigrants who settled the area in 1874, Wilson was proclaimed the "Czech Capital of Kansas" on July 10, 1967 by Kansas Governor Robert Docking.

The city also holds a Halloween festival in October and a Christmas festival in December.

In popular culture and the arts

The Midland Hotel, located in Wilson, served as a filming location for the 1973 film Paper Moon.

Notable people

Notable individuals who were born in and/or have lived in Wilson include:

Neva Egan (1914-2011), 1st First Lady of Alaska.
John Kuck (1905-1986), Olympic shot putter, gold medal at 1928 Summer Olympics.

Gallery

Historic Images of Wilson, Special Photo Collections at Wichita State University Library

File:Midland Railroad Hotel from SW 1.JPG|Midland Railroad Hotel (2014)

File:Wilson, Kansas 2505 Avenue E 1.JPG|(2014)

File:Wilson, Kansas Tobias water tower 2.jpg|Tobias water tower (2014)

File:Wilson, Kansas 2407 Avenue E 1.JPG|City hall (2014)

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References

External links

City of Wilson
Wilson - Directory of Public Officials
Ellsworth County Independent/Reporter
Photos of historic Wilson buildings
Wilson city map, KDOT