Dorrance, Kansas
Encyclopedia
Dorrance is a city in Russell County
, Kansas
, United States
. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 185.
reached the site of Dorrance in June 1867. German, English
, and Irish
settlers followed shortly thereafter, forming a small community by 1870. In early 1872, they were joined by a colony of settlers from Pennsylvania
. A prairie fire destroyed much of the community's business district in March 1879. The town of Dorrance was formally laid out in 1880, named for Oliver Dorrance, the railroad superintendent. The first post office
opened in July 1883. Dorrance was incorporated
in April 1910 and became a center of goods and services for eastern Russell County.
region of the Great Plains
approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) north of the Smoky Hill River
and 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Wilson Lake
. Dorrance is located in north-central Kansas 102 miles (164.2 km) northwest of Wichita
and 214 miles (344.4 km) west of Kansas City
. Located 1/2 mile (0.8 km) south of Interstate 70
, it is roughly 15 miles (24.1 km) east-southeast of Russell
, the county seat
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²), all of it land.
was 616.7 people per square mile (238.1/km²). There were 113 housing units at an average density of 376.7 per square mile (125.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.8% White
, 2.7% American Indian
, and 0.5% Asian. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 0.5% of the population.
There were 85 households out of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.8% were married couples
living together, 2.4% had a male householder with no wife present, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.0% were non-families. 36.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18, and the average family size was 2.84.
In the city, the population was spread out with 21.6% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 22.6% from 25 to 44, 28.6% from 45 to 64, and 22.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.8 males age 18 and over.
As of 2009, the median income for a household in the city was $27,000, and the median income for a family was $33,333. Males had a median income of $43,750 versus $35,417 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $11,490. About 33.3% of families and 49.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 66.7% of those under the age 18 and 0.0% of those age 65 or over.
form of government. The city council
consists of five members, and it meets on the second Saturday of each month.
328, based in Lorraine, Kansas
. Local public school students attend school in nearby Wilson
.
and U.S. Route 40
run concurrently east-west less than a mile north of the city. The old alignment of U.S. 40 runs southeast-northwest through Dorrance, intersecting 200th Boulevard, a paved county road formerly designated K-231, which runs north-south along the city's eastern edge.
The Kansas Pacific (KP) line of the Union Pacific Railroad
runs southeast-northwest through Dorrance parallel to the old alignment of U.S. 40.
.
Toss Back, the company which invented and first produced the "Snap Back" rim used in NBA basketball, was located in Dorrance.
Schools
Maps
Russell County, Kansas
Russell County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. The county's population was 6,970 for the 2010 census...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 185.
History
The Kansas Pacific RailwayKansas Pacific Railway
The Kansas Pacific Railway was a historic railroad company that operated in the western United States in the late 19th century. It was a federally chartered railroad, backed with government land grants. It operated many of the first long-distance lines in the state of Kansas in the 1870s,...
reached the site of Dorrance in June 1867. German, English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
, and Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
settlers followed shortly thereafter, forming a small community by 1870. In early 1872, they were joined by a colony of settlers from Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. A prairie fire destroyed much of the community's business district in March 1879. The town of Dorrance was formally laid out in 1880, named for Oliver Dorrance, the railroad superintendent. The first post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
opened in July 1883. Dorrance was incorporated
Municipal corporation
A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. Municipal incorporation occurs when such municipalities become self-governing entities under the laws of the state or province in which...
in April 1910 and became a center of goods and services for eastern Russell County.
Geography
Dorrance is located at 38°50′49"N 98°35′18"W (38.846977, -98.588338) at an elevation of 1,729 feet (527 m). It lies in the Smoky HillsSmoky Hills
The Smoky Hills are an upland region of hills in the central Great Plains of North America. They are located in the central United States, encompassing north-central Kansas and a small portion of south-central Nebraska. The hills are a dissected plain covered by tallgrass and mixed-grass prairie...
region of the Great Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) north of the Smoky Hill River
Smoky Hill River
The Smoky Hill River is a river in the central Great Plains of North America, running through the U.S. states of Colorado and Kansas.-Names:The Smoky Hill gets its name from the Smoky Hills region of north-central Kansas through which it flows...
and 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Wilson Lake
Wilson Lake (Kansas)
Wilson Lake or Wilson Reservoir is a lake in the U.S. state of Kansas, on the border of Russell County and Lincoln County. It is a reservoir formed by the 130 ft high Wilson Dam on Saline River. The dam was built in 1964 for flood control...
. Dorrance is located in north-central Kansas 102 miles (164.2 km) northwest of Wichita
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
and 214 miles (344.4 km) west of Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
. Located 1/2 mile (0.8 km) south of Interstate 70
Interstate 70
Interstate 70 is an Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a Park and Ride near Baltimore, Maryland. It was the first Interstate Highway project in the United States. I-70 approximately traces the path of U.S. Route 40 east of the Rocky...
, it is roughly 15 miles (24.1 km) east-southeast of Russell
Russell, Kansas
Russell is the most populous city in and county seat of Russell County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 4,506.-History:...
, the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the 2010 census, there were 185 people, 85 households, and 51 families residing in the city. The population densityPopulation density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 616.7 people per square mile (238.1/km²). There were 113 housing units at an average density of 376.7 per square mile (125.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.8% White
White American
White Americans are people of the United States who are considered or consider themselves White. The United States Census Bureau defines White people as those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa...
, 2.7% American Indian
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, and 0.5% Asian. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 0.5% of the population.
There were 85 households out of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.8% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 2.4% had a male householder with no wife present, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.0% were non-families. 36.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18, and the average family size was 2.84.
In the city, the population was spread out with 21.6% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 22.6% from 25 to 44, 28.6% from 45 to 64, and 22.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.8 males age 18 and over.
As of 2009, the median income for a household in the city was $27,000, and the median income for a family was $33,333. Males had a median income of $43,750 versus $35,417 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $11,490. About 33.3% of families and 49.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 66.7% of those under the age 18 and 0.0% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Dorrance is a city of the third class with a mayor-councilMayor-council government
The mayor–council government system, sometimes called the mayor–commission government system, is one of the two most common forms of local government for municipalities...
form of government. The city council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
consists of five members, and it meets on the second Saturday of each month.
Education
Dorrance lies within Unified School District (USD)Unified school district
A unified school district or unit school district is a school district which includes both primary school and high school under the same district control....
328, based in Lorraine, Kansas
Lorraine, Kansas
Lorraine is a city in Ellsworth County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 138.-Geography:Lorraine is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 136...
. Local public school students attend school in nearby Wilson
Wilson, Kansas
Wilson is a city in Ellsworth County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 781.-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...
.
Transportation
Interstate 70Interstate 70
Interstate 70 is an Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a Park and Ride near Baltimore, Maryland. It was the first Interstate Highway project in the United States. I-70 approximately traces the path of U.S. Route 40 east of the Rocky...
and U.S. Route 40
U.S. Route 40
U.S. Route 40 is an east–west United States highway. As with most routes whose numbers end in a zero, U.S. 40 once traversed the entire United States. It is one of the original 1920s U.S. Highways, and its first termini were San Francisco, California, and Atlantic City, New Jersey...
run concurrently east-west less than a mile north of the city. The old alignment of U.S. 40 runs southeast-northwest through Dorrance, intersecting 200th Boulevard, a paved county road formerly designated K-231, which runs north-south along the city's eastern edge.
The Kansas Pacific (KP) line of the Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
runs southeast-northwest through Dorrance parallel to the old alignment of U.S. 40.
Points of interest
The Dorrance Historical Society Museum, located downtown, exhibits artifacts from the community's history.In popular culture and the arts
Dorrance was among the filming locations for the 1973 film Paper MoonPaper Moon (film)
Paper Moon is a 1973 American comedy film directed by Peter Bogdanovich and released by Paramount Pictures. The screenplay was adapted from the novel Addie Pray by Joe David Brown, and the film was shot in black-and-white. The film is set during the Great Depression in the U.S. states of Kansas and...
.
Toss Back, the company which invented and first produced the "Snap Back" rim used in NBA basketball, was located in Dorrance.
External links
CitySchools
- USD 112, local school district
Maps
- Dorrance City Map, KDOT
- Russell County Map, KDOT