Elkhart, Kansas

History

Elkhart was founded in 1913, and was named after Elkhart, Indiana.

Elkhart grew up along the tracks of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, which came in from Dodge City. Elkhart was also the starting point of the Elkhart and Santa Fe Railway. The latter line, both leased to and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Santa Fe railway, was built in 1925 to Felt, Oklahoma, and extended into New Mexico in 1932; but, was abandoned in 1942.

In 1961, the county seat was moved from Richfield to Elkhart.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.11 sqmi, all land.

Climate

Elkhart has a cool semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk) characterized by generally dry winters with extreme temperature variations, and hot summers with occasional heavy precipitation from thunder showers or storms.

During winter, because western Kansas lies both on the edge of the subtropical anticyclones and in the rain shadow of westerly winds crossing the Rocky Mountains, the region is generally dry: no measurable precipitation fell in Elkhart between 25 December 1903 and 2 April 1904, while monthly precipitation above 2 in has never been recorded during January and is observed fewer than one year in ten during November, December or February. Temperatures can vary greatly during this season: strong chinook winds can drive temperatures above 80 F even in the depth of winter, with 70 F reached on average during six days between December and February, seven during November and eight during March. Nevertheless, cold outbreaks from Canada drive temperatures to or below 0 F on an average of 3.6 nights per winter. The coldest temperature recorded in Elkhart has been −22 F on January 19, 1984, while the hottest winter temperature has been 87 F on February 1, 1963.

Snowfall is generally light due to dryness; however in the extremely wet and cold February 1903, 41.0 in fell, being the major factor behind a record seasonal snowfall of 59.0 in between July 1902 and June 1903. In contrast, only a trace of snow was recorded between July 1949 and January 1950.

In the summer, the climate is generally very hot with relief from thunderstorms that provide most of the 18.9 in of precipitation expected during one year. When an upper level anticyclone moves poleward, the atmosphere can become very stable and produce sustained extreme heat: in the hottest month of July 1980, the average maximum was 103.0 F and all but seven days topped 100 F. When the high retreats southward or a trough forms over the interior of the United States during the summer, however, precipitation can be heavy, with 10.91 in falling in April 2016, 10.19 in in June 2004 and 9.86 in in July 1927. The wettest calendar year has been 1941, with 29.74 in and the driest, 1937 when only 9.03 in fell.

|Jan record high F = 83 |Feb record high F = 87 |Mar record high F = 92 |Apr record high F = 96 |May record high F = 104 |Jun record high F = 110 |Jul record high F = 110 |Aug record high F = 108 |Sep record high F = 105 |Oct record high F = 97 |Nov record high F = 91 |Dec record high F = 85

|Jan avg record high F = 70.1 |Feb avg record high F = 74.9 |Mar avg record high F = 83.0 |Apr avg record high F = 88.4 |May avg record high F = 95.7 |Jun avg record high F = 102.4 |Jul avg record high F = 103.2 |Aug avg record high F = 100.9 |Sep avg record high F = 97.6 |Oct avg record high F = 90.6 |Nov avg record high F = 79.4 |Dec avg record high F = 70.5 |year avg record high F = 104.7

|Jan avg record low F = 5.1 |Feb avg record low F = 9.0 |Mar avg record low F = 15.3 |Apr avg record low F = 25.8 |May avg record low F = 36.9 |Jun avg record low F = 50.2 |Jul avg record low F = 57.7 |Aug avg record low F = 55.9 |Sep avg record low F = 42.0 |Oct avg record low F = 27.2 |Nov avg record low F = 16.1 |Dec avg record low F = 6.8 |year avg record low F = -0.1

|Jan record low F = -22 |Feb record low F = -18 |Mar record low F = -18 |Apr record low F = 8 |May record low F = 21 |Jun record low F = 33 |Jul record low F = 45 |Aug record low F = 43 |Sep record low F = 25 |Oct record low F = 6 |Nov record low F = -7 |Dec record low F = -18

|access-date = April 3, 2023 |access-date = April 3, 2023

Demographics

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2020 census

The 2020 United States census counted 1,888 people, 729 households, and 469 families in Elkhart. The racial makeup was 75.05% (1,417) white or European American (69.97% non-Hispanic white), 0.74% (14) black or African-American, 0.74% (14) Native American or Alaska Native, 1.17% (22) Asian, 0.26% (5) Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian, 10.22% (193) from other races, and 11.81% (223) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race was 23.52% (444) of the population.

Of the 729 households, 31.7% had children under the age of 18; 50.3% were married couples living together; 24.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 29.2% of households consisted of individuals and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher was estimated to be 10.9% of the population.

25.0% of the population was under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 21.8% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 21.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.5 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 109.2 males.

The 2016–2020 5-year American Community Survey estimates show that the median household income was $40,765 (with a margin of error of ± $7,305) and the median family income was $49,957 (± $15,144). Males had a median income of $33,125 (± $16,302) versus $26,868 (± $23,251) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $29,531 (± $15,296). Approximately, 13.6% of families and 18.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.8% of those under the age of 18 and 17.3% of those ages 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 2,205 people, 856 households, and 571 families residing in the city. The population density was 1045.0 PD/sqmi. There were 999 housing units at an average density of 473.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 87.7% White, 0.1% African American, 1.2% Native American, 2.5% Asian, 6.8% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 20.7% of the population.

There were 856 households, of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.3% were non-families. 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.07.

The median age in the city was 38.4 years. 26.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23% were from 25 to 44; 25.6% were from 45 to 64; and 17.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.7% male and 52.3% female.

Education

The community is served by Elkhart USD 218 public school district. The Elkhart High School mascot is Wildcats.

Notable people

• Sanora Babb, writer.
• Walter Thane Baker, sprinter, two-time Olympic medalist (1952 and 1956).
• Glenn Cunningham, long distance runner, used to hold 1-mile world record, Olympic silver medalist 1936.
• Robelyn Garcia, former professional basketball player.
• Jerry Simmons, NFL strength and conditioning coach for 23 years, father of Jordon and uncle of Darrin.
• Darrin Simmons, football coach, special teams for the Cincinnati Bengals.

References

References

1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
2. {{GNIS. 2394655
3. "Profile of Elkhart, Kansas in 2020". United States Census Bureau.
4. Kansas State Historical Society. (1916). "Biennial Report of the Board of Directors of the Kansas State Historical Society". Kansas State Printing Plant.
5. "Profile for Elkhart, Kansas". [[ePodunk]].
6. "History". Morton County.
7. "Texas County". Dianna Everett, Oklahoma Historical Society.
8. (April 1, 1978). "Railroads of Oklahoma, June 6, 1870 to April 1, 1978". State of Oklahoma Department of Transportation, Survey Division.
9. "Cimarron County". Norma Gene Young, Oklahoma Historical Society.
10. "Morton County Facts; mtcoks.com".
11. "US Gazetteer files 2010". [[United States Census Bureau]].
12. "US Census Bureau, Table P16: HOUSEHOLD TYPE".
13. "US Census Bureau, Table DP1: PROFILE OF GENERAL POPULATION AND HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS".
14. "Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
15. "US Census Bureau, Table P1: RACE".
16. "US Census Bureau, Table P2: HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE".
17. "US Census Bureau, Table S1501: EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT".
18. "US Census Bureau, Table S1903: MEDIAN INCOME IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS (IN 2020 INFLATION-ADJUSTED DOLLARS)".
19. "US Census Bureau, Table S2001: EARNINGS IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS (IN 2020 INFLATION-ADJUSTED DOLLARS)".
20. "US Census Bureau, Table S1701: POVERTY STATUS IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS".
21. "US Census Bureau, Table S1702: POVERTY STATUS IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS OF FAMILIES".
22. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
23. "Elkhart USD 218". USD 218.