Wamego, Kansas
Encyclopedia
Wamego is a city in Pottawatomie County
, Kansas
, United States
. The population was 4,246 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Manhattan, Kansas
Metropolitan Statistical Area.
, the city has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²), of which, 1.6 square miles (4.1 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (2.40%) is water.
Wamego is located at the intersection of U.S. Route 24 and K-99
. It is about 26 km (16.2 mi) east of Manhattan
, home of Kansas State University
; and about 75 km (46.6 mi) west-northwest of Topeka
, the state capital. The Kansas River
flows along the southern edge of the city.
, featuring a collection of over 25,000 Oz artifacts on permanent loan from Friar Johnpaul Cafiero. The Museum was founded in April 2004, and led to the development of several other small businesses with the oz theme, which have come to be known as the "Oz Cluster." Prominent Oz-related businesses include the Oz Winery and Toto's Tacoz.
On the first weekend of October, Wamego holds its Annual OZtoberFEST, an Oktoberfest-type celebration with an Oz theme. The 2009 Festival hosted 3 of the existing original Munchkins from the MGM movie, Oz Historian and Emmy Award winner John Fricke
, Robert and Roger Baum (Great Grandsons of L. Frank Baum
), Judy Garland
Collector Michael Siewert, and Author Steve Cox. The festival also hosted Hot Air Balloon Rides, Tallgrass Brewery Beer Garden, the Yellow Brick Road Bike Ride, and the Columbian Theatre's Production of The Wizard of Oz.
's surrealist crime drama, Firecracker
. Named on Roger Ebert
's list of the year's best films (2005), the film is based on a true crime that happened in Wamego. Balderson, a Wamego-native, used actual locations where the crime occurred.
of 2000, there were 4,246 people, 1,630 households, and 1,155 families residing in the city. The population density
was 2,615.3 people per square mile (1,012.0/km²). There were 1,740 housing units at an average density of 1,071.7 per square mile (414.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.75% White, 0.73% African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.78% from other races
, and 1.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.88% of the population.
There were 1,630 households out of which 38.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.7% were married couples
living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.1% were non-families. 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the city the population was spread out with 29.4% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 17.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $38,115, and the median income for a family was $46,017. Males had a median income of $29,881 versus $21,974 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $16,307. About 5.7% of families and 8.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.1% of those under age 18 and 18.0% of those age 65 or over.
. The broad river valley is used to grow alfalfa
, sweetcorn
, maize
and wheat
. In the hills around the city, rocky pastures support herds of cattle
. There is a processing plant for alfalfa
in Wamego. The other major industry is a factory which produces attachments for earth-moving and other heavy construction equipment, wholly owned by Caterpillar, Inc.. Many of the residents of the city commute to nearby areas for employment, chiefly Manhattan
and Topeka
.
In 2011, Caterpillar
plans to add a new 40,000-square-foot building to its existing plant in Wamego. The expansion will eventually add 120 jobs to expand the total workforce at Wamego to about 500. The Wamego plant makes buckets, blades, and other tools.
has a branch facility in the city.
Pottawatomie County, Kansas
Pottawatomie County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 21,604. The county seat is Westmoreland. The county takes its name from the Potawatomi tribe of Native Americans...
, 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...
. The population was 4,246 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Manhattan, Kansas
Manhattan, Kansas
Manhattan is a city located in the northeastern part of the state of Kansas in the United States, at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. It is the county seat of Riley County and the city extends into Pottawatomie County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 52,281...
Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
Wamego is located at 39°12′15"N 96°18′30"W (39.204074, -96.308328). According to the United States Census BureauUnited 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 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²), of which, 1.6 square miles (4.1 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (2.40%) is water.
Wamego is located at the intersection of U.S. Route 24 and K-99
K-99 (Kansas highway)
K-99 is a Kansas state highway that runs north–south through the eastern part of the state.K-99 has its northern terminus near Summerfield at the Nebraska state line and its southern end south of Chautauqua where it crosses the Oklahoma border and becomes State Highway 99...
. It is about 26 km (16.2 mi) east of Manhattan
Manhattan, Kansas
Manhattan is a city located in the northeastern part of the state of Kansas in the United States, at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. It is the county seat of Riley County and the city extends into Pottawatomie County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 52,281...
, home of Kansas State University
Kansas State University
Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
; and about 75 km (46.6 mi) west-northwest of Topeka
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
, the state capital. The Kansas River
Kansas River
The Kansas River is a river in northeastern Kansas in the United States. It is the southwestern-most part of the Missouri River drainage, which is in turn the northwestern-most portion of the extensive Mississippi River drainage. Its name come from the Kanza people who once inhabited the area...
flows along the southern edge of the city.
The Wizard of Oz
Located in Wamego is a museum dedicated to The Wizard of OzThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a children's novel written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. Originally published by the George M. Hill Company in Chicago on May 17, 1900, it has since been reprinted numerous times, most often under the name The Wizard of Oz, which is the name of...
, featuring a collection of over 25,000 Oz artifacts on permanent loan from Friar Johnpaul Cafiero. The Museum was founded in April 2004, and led to the development of several other small businesses with the oz theme, which have come to be known as the "Oz Cluster." Prominent Oz-related businesses include the Oz Winery and Toto's Tacoz.
On the first weekend of October, Wamego holds its Annual OZtoberFEST, an Oktoberfest-type celebration with an Oz theme. The 2009 Festival hosted 3 of the existing original Munchkins from the MGM movie, Oz Historian and Emmy Award winner John Fricke
John Fricke
John Fricke is a historian/author on The Wizard of Oz and Judy Garland. He has been a major figure in the Oz community for many years. He recently served as consultant for every aspect of the new 2005 deluxe DVD set of M-G-M's The Wizard of Oz, released by Warner Home Video. This includes his...
, Robert and Roger Baum (Great Grandsons of L. Frank Baum
L. Frank Baum
Lyman Frank Baum was an American author of children's books, best known for writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
), Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
Collector Michael Siewert, and Author Steve Cox. The festival also hosted Hot Air Balloon Rides, Tallgrass Brewery Beer Garden, the Yellow Brick Road Bike Ride, and the Columbian Theatre's Production of The Wizard of Oz.
Filmmaking
Wamego served as the backdrop for the independent film production of Steve BaldersonSteve Balderson
Stephen Clark Balderson is an American film director.-Early life:Balderson was born in Manhattan, Kansas and raised in nearby Wamego, Kansas until the age of twelve, when his family moved to Manhattan. Balderson attended Manhattan High School. Though his class attendance was poor, Balderson...
's surrealist crime drama, Firecracker
Firecracker (2005 film)
Firecracker is a 2005 thriller film directed by Steve Balderson, starring Karen Black and Mike Patton of Faith No More.-Synopsis:Firecracker is a tale of murder in small town Wamego, Kansas. The film portrays abuse, suffering, denial, and dreams of escape...
. Named on Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
's list of the year's best films (2005), the film is based on a true crime that happened in Wamego. Balderson, a Wamego-native, used actual locations where the crime occurred.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 4,246 people, 1,630 households, and 1,155 families residing in the city. The population density
Population 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 2,615.3 people per square mile (1,012.0/km²). There were 1,740 housing units at an average density of 1,071.7 per square mile (414.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.75% White, 0.73% African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.78% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.88% of the population.
There were 1,630 households out of which 38.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.7% 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, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.1% were non-families. 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the city the population was spread out with 29.4% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 17.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $38,115, and the median income for a family was $46,017. Males had a median income of $29,881 versus $21,974 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 $16,307. About 5.7% of families and 8.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.1% of those under age 18 and 18.0% of those age 65 or over.
Industry
The primary industry of the area is agricultureAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
. The broad river valley is used to grow alfalfa
Alfalfa
Alfalfa is a flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae cultivated as an important forage crop in the US, Canada, Argentina, France, Australia, the Middle East, South Africa, and many other countries. It is known as lucerne in the UK, France, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, and known as...
, sweetcorn
Sweetcorn
Sweet corn is a variety of maize with a high sugar content. Sweet corn is the result of a naturally occurring recessive mutation in the genes which control conversion of sugar to starch inside the endosperm of the corn kernel...
, maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
and wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
. In the hills around the city, rocky pastures support herds of cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
. There is a processing plant for alfalfa
Alfalfa
Alfalfa is a flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae cultivated as an important forage crop in the US, Canada, Argentina, France, Australia, the Middle East, South Africa, and many other countries. It is known as lucerne in the UK, France, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, and known as...
in Wamego. The other major industry is a factory which produces attachments for earth-moving and other heavy construction equipment, wholly owned by Caterpillar, Inc.. Many of the residents of the city commute to nearby areas for employment, chiefly Manhattan
Manhattan, Kansas
Manhattan is a city located in the northeastern part of the state of Kansas in the United States, at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. It is the county seat of Riley County and the city extends into Pottawatomie County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 52,281...
and Topeka
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
.
In 2011, Caterpillar
Caterpillar Inc.
Caterpillar Inc. , also known as "CAT", designs, manufactures, markets and sells machinery and engines and sells financial products and insurance to customers via a worldwide dealer network. Caterpillar is the world's largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas...
plans to add a new 40,000-square-foot building to its existing plant in Wamego. The expansion will eventually add 120 jobs to expand the total workforce at Wamego to about 500. The Wamego plant makes buckets, blades, and other tools.
Education
Wamego is served by Unified School District 320, which provides Kindergarten through 12th grade public education. Highland Community CollegeHighland Community College (Kansas)
-External links:...
has a branch facility in the city.
Points of interest
- The Columbian TheatreThe Columbian TheatreThe Columbian Theatre is a richly historic music hall from the turn of the 20th century located in Wamego, Kansas.-Early history:This music hall was built in 1893 by J. C. Rogers, a Wamego banker...
- The Oz Museum
- Oz Winery
- Wamego City Park and Windmill
- Poppyfield Gallery
- Vin Vivante and Little Apple Winery
- Walter Percy Chrysler boyhood home
- Patti PagePatti PageClara Ann Fowler , known by her professional name Patti Page, is an American singer, one of the best-known female artists in traditional pop music. She was the best-selling female artist of the 1950s, and has sold over 100 million records...
Exhibit
Notable people
- Steve BaldersonSteve BaldersonStephen Clark Balderson is an American film director.-Early life:Balderson was born in Manhattan, Kansas and raised in nearby Wamego, Kansas until the age of twelve, when his family moved to Manhattan. Balderson attended Manhattan High School. Though his class attendance was poor, Balderson...
, filmmaker - Walter ChryslerWalter ChryslerWalter Percy Chrysler was an American machinist, railroad mechanic and manager, automotive industry executive, Freemason, and founder of the Chrysler Corporation.- Railroad career :...
, automobile manufacturer - Travis MetcalfTravis MetcalfTravis A. Metcalf is a professional baseball player, currently playing for the Lancaster Barnstormers of the Atlantic League...
, professional baseball player - Benjamin Butler (artist)Benjamin Butler (artist)Benjamin Butler is an American artist, based in Brooklyn, New York.-Biography:Born in Westmoreland, Kansas and raised in Wamego, Kansas, Butler studied painting at Emporia State University before attending graduate school at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago to earn his Masters of Fine...
, painter