Hoisington, Kansas
Encyclopedia
Hoisington is a city in Barton County
, Kansas
, United States
. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,706.
to the area. They named the settlement after Andrew J. Hoisington, one of the company partners and a prominent businessman in nearby Great Bend
. The railroad reached Hoisington in the fall of 1886, and the settlement was incorporated
as a city in 1887. The post office
, relocated from nearby Buena Vista, was renamed Hoisington in April 1887 as was the train station
, originally named Monon, by 1889.
Hoisington modernized and grew steadily over the following decades. The city's first power plant opened in 1903, and a city water system
was completed in 1904. The railroad, known by that point as the Missouri Pacific, continued to play a central role in the city's development, employing 1,600 local men by 1911. Hoisington became a major freight and passenger operating division, complete with a roundhouse
and shops. Electric street lights were installed in 1915, and the first streets were paved in 1917. The discovery of natural gas
in the area in 1929, followed by the discovery of oil
in the area in the 1930s, diversified and further stimulated the local economy.
On April 21, 2001, Hoisington suffered a large scale disaster, when an F4
tornado
ripped through the city, coming from the southwest corner and traveling almost straight into the middle of the city. However, the city's population and commerce recovered quickly.
region of the Great Plains
. Blood Creek, which flows east into nearby Cheyenne Bottoms
, passes immediately south of the city. Central Hoisington lies 5.5 miles (8.9 km) by road northwest of Cheyenne Bottoms. Situated at the intersection of U.S. Route 281
and K-4
in central Kansas, Hoisington is roughly 15 miles (24.1 km) north of Great Bend
, the county seat
, 105 miles (169 km) northwest of Wichita
, and 234 miles (376.6 km) west-southwest of Kansas City
. The city sits astride the line between North
and South
Homestead Townships.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, Hoisington has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²), all of it land.
was 2,255 people per square mile (870.7/km²). There were 1,361 housing units at an average density of 1,134.2 per square mile (439.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.9% White
, 1.1% African American
, 0.4% American Indian
, 1.1% from some other race, and 2.4% from two or more races. 4.1% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 1,167 households of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18, 48.5% were married couples living together, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.2% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32, and the average family size was 2.98.
In the city, the population was spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 23.3% from 25 to 44, 26.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.9 males age 18 and over.
As of 2009, the median household income in the city was $41,767, and the median family income was $56,767. The median income for males was $39,177 versus $27,009 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $22,651. Approximately 6.9% of families and 9.8% of the population fell below the poverty line, including 6.1% of those under age 18 and 14.5% of those age 65 or over.
431) provides public primary
and secondary education
with four schools in Hoisington:
runs north-south through Hoisington, intersecting and briefly running concurrently
with K-4
which runs east-west through the city.
The Hoisington Subdivision of the Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad
runs east-west around the southern side of the city.
s: The Hoisington Dispatch and Tri-County News.
Radio station
KHOK is licensed
to Hoisington and broadcasts from Great Bend, Kansas
on 100.7 FM
, playing a Country
format.
Fox
affiliate KOCW, a satellite of KSAS-TV
in Wichita
, is licensed to Hoisington and broadcasts on digital channel 14.
series Storm Stories
. The tornado struck during the high school prom, and many of the prom goers were unaware the tornado had even hit—a fact that was the subject of the June 9, 2001 episode of the NPR radio show This American Life
.
Schools
Maps
Barton County, Kansas
Barton County is a county located in Western Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 27,674. Its county seat and most populous city is Great Bend. The county is named in honor of Clara Barton, responsible for the founding of the American Red Cross...
, 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 2,706.
History
In 1886, a group of Barton County businessmen formed the Central Kansas Town Company and founded the town of Hoisington to attract the Kansas and Colorado RailroadMissouri Pacific Railroad
The Missouri Pacific Railroad , also known as the MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers, including the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway , Texas and Pacific...
to the area. They named the settlement after Andrew J. Hoisington, one of the company partners and a prominent businessman in nearby Great Bend
Great Bend, Kansas
Great Bend, named for its location at the historic big bend of the Arkansas River, is the most populous city in and the county seat of Barton County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 15,995.-History:...
. The railroad reached Hoisington in the fall of 1886, and the settlement 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...
as a city in 1887. The 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...
, relocated from nearby Buena Vista, was renamed Hoisington in April 1887 as was the train station
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
, originally named Monon, by 1889.
Hoisington modernized and grew steadily over the following decades. The city's first power plant opened in 1903, and a city water system
Water supply network
A water supply system or water supply network is a system of engineered hydrologic and hydraulic components which provide water supply. A water supply system typically includes:# A drainage basin ;...
was completed in 1904. The railroad, known by that point as the Missouri Pacific, continued to play a central role in the city's development, employing 1,600 local men by 1911. Hoisington became a major freight and passenger operating division, complete with a roundhouse
Roundhouse
A roundhouse is a building used by railroads for servicing locomotives. Roundhouses are large, circular or semicircular structures that were traditionally located surrounding or adjacent to turntables...
and shops. Electric street lights were installed in 1915, and the first streets were paved in 1917. The discovery of natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
in the area in 1929, followed by the discovery of oil
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
in the area in the 1930s, diversified and further stimulated the local economy.
On April 21, 2001, Hoisington suffered a large scale disaster, when an F4
Fujita scale
The Fujita scale , or Fujita-Pearson scale, is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation...
tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
ripped through the city, coming from the southwest corner and traveling almost straight into the middle of the city. However, the city's population and commerce recovered quickly.
Geography
Hoisington is located at 38°31′2"N 98°46′42"W (38.517301, -98.778422) at an elevation of 1,847 feet (563 m). It lies on the southern edge of 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...
. Blood Creek, which flows east into nearby Cheyenne Bottoms
Cheyenne Bottoms
Cheyenne Bottoms is one of 29 places in the United States on the List of Ramsar wetlands of international importance. It is located east of US Highway 281, midway between Hoisington and Great Bend in Kansas....
, passes immediately south of the city. Central Hoisington lies 5.5 miles (8.9 km) by road northwest of Cheyenne Bottoms. Situated at the intersection of U.S. Route 281
U.S. Route 281
U.S. Route 281 is a north–south United States highway. At 1,872 miles long it is the longest continuous three-digit U.S. Route....
and K-4
K-4 (Kansas highway)
K-4 is the longest designated state highway in Kansas traversing from north of Scott City at US-83 to US-59 near Nortonville in northeast Kansas. A segment of the highway in McPherson County overlaps Interstate 135, and a section in Topeka runs concurrent with Interstate 70.-Western Kansas:K-4...
in central Kansas, Hoisington is roughly 15 miles (24.1 km) north of Great Bend
Great Bend, Kansas
Great Bend, named for its location at the historic big bend of the Arkansas River, is the most populous city in and the county seat of Barton County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 15,995.-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....
, 105 miles (169 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 234 miles (376.6 km) west-southwest 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...
. The city sits astride the line between North
North Homestead Township, Barton County, Kansas
North Homestead Township is a township in Barton County, Kansas, USA. As of the 2000 census, its population was 133.-Geography:North Homestead Township covers an area of . The incorporated city of Hoisington sits on the township's southern border with South Homestead Township.-References:*...
and South
South Homestead Township, Barton County, Kansas
South Homestead Township is a township in Barton County, Kansas, USA. As of the 2000 census, its population was 343.-Geography:South Homestead Township covers an area of . The incorporated city of Hoisington sits on the township's northern border with North Homestead Township...
Homestead Townships.
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...
, Hoisington has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the 2010 census, there were 2,706 people, 1,167 households, and 721 families 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 2,255 people per square mile (870.7/km²). There were 1,361 housing units at an average density of 1,134.2 per square mile (439.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.9% 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...
, 1.1% African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
, 0.4% 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...
, 1.1% from some other race, and 2.4% from two or more races. 4.1% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 1,167 households of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18, 48.5% were married couples living together, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.2% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32, and the average family size was 2.98.
In the city, the population was spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 23.3% from 25 to 44, 26.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.9 males age 18 and over.
As of 2009, the median household income in the city was $41,767, and the median family income was $56,767. The median income for males was $39,177 versus $27,009 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 $22,651. Approximately 6.9% of families and 9.8% of the population fell below the poverty line, including 6.1% of those under age 18 and 14.5% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Hoisington School District (USDUnified 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....
431) provides public primary
Primary education in the United States
Primary education in the United States typically refers to the first six years of formal education in most jurisdictions. Primary education may also be referred to as elementary education and most schools offering these programs are referred to as elementary schools...
and secondary education
Secondary education in the United States
In most jurisdictions, secondary education in the United States refers to the last six or seven years of statutory formal education. Secondary education is generally split between junior high school or middle school, usually beginning with sixth or seventh grade , and high school, beginning with...
with four schools in Hoisington:
- Roosevelt Elementary School (Grades Pre-K-2)
- Lincoln Elementary School (3-4)
- Hoisington Middle School (5-8)
- Hoisington High School (9-12)
Transportation
U.S. Route 281U.S. Route 281
U.S. Route 281 is a north–south United States highway. At 1,872 miles long it is the longest continuous three-digit U.S. Route....
runs north-south through Hoisington, intersecting and briefly running concurrently
Concurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...
with K-4
K-4 (Kansas highway)
K-4 is the longest designated state highway in Kansas traversing from north of Scott City at US-83 to US-59 near Nortonville in northeast Kansas. A segment of the highway in McPherson County overlaps Interstate 135, and a section in Topeka runs concurrent with Interstate 70.-Western Kansas:K-4...
which runs east-west through the city.
The Hoisington Subdivision of the Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad
Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad
The Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad is a shortline railroad operating in the western United States.The tracks Kansas and Oklahoma operate on include the Kansas City-Colorado main line formerly operated by the Missouri Pacific and later Union Pacific railways....
runs east-west around the southern side of the city.
Media
Hoisington has two weekly newspaperNewspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s: The Hoisington Dispatch and Tri-County News.
Radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
KHOK is licensed
City of license
A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator....
to Hoisington and broadcasts from Great Bend, Kansas
Great Bend, Kansas
Great Bend, named for its location at the historic big bend of the Arkansas River, is the most populous city in and the county seat of Barton County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 15,995.-History:...
on 100.7 FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
, playing a Country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
format.
Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
affiliate KOCW, a satellite of KSAS-TV
KSAS-TV
KSAS-TV is the Fox-affiliated television station for Wichita, Kansas. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 26 from a transmitter in Colwich. The station can also be seen on Cox channel 4 and in high definition on digital channel 2004...
in 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...
, is licensed to Hoisington and broadcasts on digital channel 14.
In popular culture and the arts
The April 2001 storm was featured on an episode of The Weather ChannelThe Weather Channel
The Weather Channel is a US cable and satellite television network since May 2, 1982, that broadcasts weather forecasts and weather-related news, along with entertainment programming related to weather 24 hours a day...
series Storm Stories
Storm Stories
Storm Stories is a non-fiction television series aired on The Weather Channel and Zone Reality hosted and narrated by meteorologist and Storm-Tracker Jim Cantore. Storm Stories showcases various types of severe weather, such as tornadoes, hurricanes, and blizzards. Each episode features a famous...
. The tornado struck during the high school prom, and many of the prom goers were unaware the tornado had even hit—a fact that was the subject of the June 9, 2001 episode of the NPR radio show This American Life
This American Life
This American Life is a weekly hour-long radio program produced by WBEZ and hosted by Ira Glass. It is distributed by Public Radio International on PRI affiliate stations and is also available as a free weekly podcast. Primarily a journalistic non-fiction program, it has also featured essays,...
.
Notable people
Notable individuals who were born in and/or have lived in Hoisington include:- Kathryn EamesKathryn EamesKathryn Eames was an American cinema, television and stage actress. She worked for more than 50 years as an actress.-Early life:...
, actress - Kari WahlgrenKari WahlgrenKari K. Wahlgren is an American voice actress who has provided English language voices for dozens of anime titles and video games. Her debut role was as one of the main characters of FLCL, Haruko Haruhara. She had a live-action role as Tinker Bell in the 2003 Damion Dietz film Neverland...
, voice actress
External links
CitySchools
- USD 431, local school district
Maps
- Hoisington City Map, KDOT
- Barton County Map, KDOT