Victoria, Kansas
Encyclopedia
Victoria is a city in Ellis County
, Kansas
, United States
. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,214.
and Scottish
colonists led by a Scotsman named George Grant founded Victoria in 1873 on land he had purchased from the Kansas Pacific Railway
. They named the settlement after Queen Victoria
. Grant intended for Victoria to be a ranch
ing community and was purportedly responsible for bringing the first Aberdeen Angus
cattle to the United States. Most of the colonists, however, were remittance men more interested in sports and dancing than in raising livestock. Their families soon learned of this and reduced the remittances, driving most of the colonists to leave by 1880. Some returned to Britain
; others left for South America
.
In 1876, Volga Germans from villages near Saratov
, Russia
established the settlement of Herzog one half mile north of Victoria. Herzog's Roman Catholic settlers built a series of churches which culminated in the construction of St. Fidelis Catholic Church, known as the "Cathedral of the Plains," in 1911. Herzog grew rapidly and later absorbed Victoria, eventually adopting the older settlement's name. Herzog was officially renamed Victoria in 1913.
Interstate 70
reached Victoria in 1966, passing north of the city.
in the Smoky Hills
region of the Great Plains
. The city sits on the east side of North Fork Big Creek, a tributary
of Big Creek roughly 5 miles (8 km) to the south, itself a tributary of the Smoky Hill River. Victoria is on Kansas Highway 255 (K-255) 1 miles (1.6 km) south of Interstate 70
in northwestern Kansas. The city is approximately 9 miles (14.5 km) east of Hays
, the county seat
. Victoria is 129 miles (207.6 km) northwest of Wichita
and 243 miles (391.1 km) west of Kansas City
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²), all of it land.
was 2,023.3 people per square mile (781.2/km²). There were 530 housing units at an average density of 883.3 per square mile (353.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.5% White
, 0.3% American Indian
, 0.2% African American
, 0.1% from some other race, and and 0.8% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 0.5% of the population.
There were 496 households out of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% were married couples
living together, 3.8% had a male householder with no wife present, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30, and the average family size was 2.93.
In the city, the population was spread out with 22.3% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 21.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.4 males age 18 and over.
As of 2009, the median income for a household in the city was $45,250, and the median income for a family was $63,194. Males had a median income of $37,826 versus $23,942 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $21,700. About 3.2% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.0% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.
form of government. The city council
consists of five members, and it meets on the third Monday of each month.
432 is based in Victoria and operates two public schools in the city:
and U.S. Route 40
run concurrently
east-west roughly one mile north of Victoria. K-255 runs north-south from I-70 to Victoria's northern city limits.
The Kansas Pacific (KP) line of the Union Pacific Railroad
runs northeast-southwest through the southern part of the city.
heritage. Held in August, it includes music concerts, a talent show, a tractor pull, games for children, and other local entertainment.
based on plans by noted church architect John T. Comes
, St. Fidelis was completed in 1911. William Jennings Bryan
gave the church its nickname during a visit in 1912.
Schools
Events
Photos
Maps
Ellis County, Kansas
Ellis County is a county located in Northwest Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 28,452. Its county seat and most populous city is Hays...
, 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 1,214.
History
A group of EnglishEnglish 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 Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
colonists led by a Scotsman named George Grant founded Victoria in 1873 on land he had purchased from the Kansas Pacific Railway
Kansas 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,...
. They named the settlement after Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
. Grant intended for Victoria to be a ranch
Ranch
A ranch is an area of landscape, including various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat or wool. The word most often applies to livestock-raising operations in the western United States and Canada, though...
ing community and was purportedly responsible for bringing the first Aberdeen Angus
Angus cattle
Angus cattle are a breed of cattle much used in beef production. They were developed from cattle native to the counties of Aberdeenshire and Angus in Scotland, and are known as Aberdeen Angus in most parts of the world....
cattle to the United States. Most of the colonists, however, were remittance men more interested in sports and dancing than in raising livestock. Their families soon learned of this and reduced the remittances, driving most of the colonists to leave by 1880. Some returned to Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
; others left for South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
.
In 1876, Volga Germans from villages near Saratov
Saratov
-Modern Saratov:The Saratov region is highly industrialized, due in part to the rich in natural and industrial resources of the area. The region is also one of the more important and largest cultural and scientific centres in Russia...
, Russia
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
established the settlement of Herzog one half mile north of Victoria. Herzog's Roman Catholic settlers built a series of churches which culminated in the construction of St. Fidelis Catholic Church, known as the "Cathedral of the Plains," in 1911. Herzog grew rapidly and later absorbed Victoria, eventually adopting the older settlement's name. Herzog was officially renamed Victoria in 1913.
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...
reached Victoria in 1966, passing north of the city.
Geography
Victoria is located at 38°51′13"N 99°8′51"W (38.853588, -99.147456), at an elevation of 1,926 feet (587 m). It lies about 9 miles (14.5 km) north of the Smoky Hill RiverSmoky 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...
in the Smoky Hills
Smoky 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...
. The city sits on the east side of North Fork Big Creek, a tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of Big Creek roughly 5 miles (8 km) to the south, itself a tributary of the Smoky Hill River. Victoria is on Kansas Highway 255 (K-255) 1 miles (1.6 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...
in northwestern Kansas. The city is approximately 9 miles (14.5 km) east of Hays
Hays, Kansas
Hays is a city in and the county seat of Ellis County, Kansas, United States. The largest city in northwestern Kansas, it is the economic and cultural center of the region. It is also a college town, home to Fort Hays State University...
, 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....
. Victoria is 129 miles (207.6 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 243 miles (391.1 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...
.
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 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the 2010 census, there were 1,214 people, 496 households, and 316 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 2,023.3 people per square mile (781.2/km²). There were 530 housing units at an average density of 883.3 per square mile (353.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.5% 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...
, 0.3% 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...
, 0.2% 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...
, 0.1% from some other race, and and 0.8% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 0.5% of the population.
There were 496 households out of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% 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, 3.8% had a male householder with no wife present, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30, and the average family size was 2.93.
In the city, the population was spread out with 22.3% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 21.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.4 males age 18 and over.
As of 2009, the median income for a household in the city was $45,250, and the median income for a family was $63,194. Males had a median income of $37,826 versus $23,942 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 $21,700. About 3.2% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.0% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Victoria 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 third Monday of each month.
Primary and secondary education
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....
432 is based in Victoria and operates two public schools in the city:
- Victoria Grade School (Grades Pre-K-8)
- Victoria High School (9-12)
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
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...
east-west roughly one mile north of Victoria. K-255 runs north-south from I-70 to Victoria's northern city limits.
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 northeast-southwest through the southern part of the city.
Culture
Events
The Herzogfest is Victoria's annual community festival, held to celebrate the city's ethnic GermanGerman American
German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 51 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group...
heritage. Held in August, it includes music concerts, a talent show, a tractor pull, games for children, and other local entertainment.
Points of interest
St. Fidelis Catholic Church, nicknamed the "Cathedral of the Plains," is located in Victoria. Local Roman Catholic residents, having outgrown a series of church buildings as their population grew, began construction of the church in 1909. Built from native limestoneLimestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
based on plans by noted church architect John T. Comes
John T. Comes
John T. Comes was a Pittsburgh-based architect best remembered for his many buildings for Roman Catholic communities throughout the United States.-Childhood and architectural education:...
, St. Fidelis was completed in 1911. William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan was an American politician in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. He was a dominant force in the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, standing three times as its candidate for President of the United States...
gave the church its nickname during a visit in 1912.
See also
- Walker Army AirfieldWalker Army Airfield (Kansas)Walker Army Airfield is an abandoned airfield located north of Interstate 70 in Ellis County, 4 miles northeast of Victoria, Kansas....
, an abandoned World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
airfield.
External links
CitySchools
- USD 432, local school district
Events
Photos
Maps
- Victoria City Map, KDOT
- Ellis County Map, KDOT