Independence, Kansas

History

The Osage Indians had settled much of southeast Kansas over the course of the 1830s and 40s and sold land claims over the course of the 1860s to incoming American homesteaders and moved into Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma) where they became settled farmers, selling their whole remaining claim to the United States government in 1870 for $1.25 an acre.

Independence was settled on land that was purchased from the Osage Nation in September 1869 by George A. Brown for the price of $50. Brown originally called the townsite Colfax after Schuyler Colfax, vice president under President Ulysses S. Grant. On August 21, 1869 a group of Oswego, Kansas men led by R. W. Wright settled there with the intent to make Independence the county seat. E. E. Wilson and F D. Irwin opened the first store in October 1869, naming it Wilson & Irwin Groceries. Independence was designated county seat in 1870.

On April 17, 1930 the city was the first to use a permanent lighting system for an exhibition baseball game: it was held between the Independence Producers and House of David semi-professional baseball team of Benton Harbor, Michigan. The Independence team won with a score of 9 to 1 before a crowd of 1,700 spectators.

Miss Able, a rhesus monkey, was born at Ralph Mitchell Zoo. Miss Able along with Miss Baker, a squirrel monkey, became the first monkeys that the United States used in its space program to fly in space; they returned alive on May 28, 1959.

Geography

Independence is located along the Verdigris River just south of its confluence with the Elk River. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.75 sqmi, of which, 7.74 sqmi is land and 0.01 sqmi is water.

Climate

Independence has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by hot, humid and unpleasant summers, and chilly though extremely variable winters. Precipitation is heavy in summer due to frequent incursions of very moist air from the Gulf of Mexico: as much as 7.69 in fell on May 27, 1984 and a maximum daily fall of 3.49 in can be expected in an average calendar year. The wettest month has been June 2007 when 19.53 in was reported, whereas July 1935 saw a mere 0.03 in. The winters are drier and cold, although temperatures in winter are very erratic, ranging from an average of four afternoons in the three winter months above 70 F to an average of three mornings below 0 F. Winters are much drier than the summer, with November 1986 and October 1952 seeing not even a trace of precipitation.

Overall the wettest calendar year has been 1908 with 60.29 in – although the incomplete year of 2007 likely had more than this – and the driest 1952 with only 18.27 in. The hottest month has been July 1936 with an average of 88 F and a mean maximum of 104.8 F, while the coldest has been January 1979 with an average of 18.8 F, a mean maximum of only 28.9 F and a mean minimum of 8.7 F. The hottest monthly mean minimum was in July 2011 with a mean low as high as 74.3 F.

|Jan record high F = 78 |Feb record high F = 88 |Mar record high F = 98 |Apr record high F = 101 |May record high F = 102 |Jun record high F = 109 |Jul record high F = 115 |Aug record high F = 116 |Sep record high F = 111 |Oct record high F = 99 |Nov record high F = 88 |Dec record high F = 80

|Jan avg record high F = 68.5 |Feb avg record high F = 73.4 |Mar avg record high F = 81.2 |Apr avg record high F = 85.6 |May avg record high F = 89.3 |Jun avg record high F = 93.6 |Jul avg record high F = 100.0 |Aug avg record high F = 100.3 |Sep avg record high F = 95.4 |Oct avg record high F = 87.3 |Nov avg record high F = 77.4 |Dec avg record high F = 68.7 |year avg record high F = 101.7

|Jan avg record low F = 6.4 |Feb avg record low F = 10.9 |Mar avg record low F = 19.4 |Apr avg record low F = 30.9 |May avg record low F = 42.0 |Jun avg record low F = 54.8 |Jul avg record low F = 61.5 |Aug avg record low F = 58.7 |Sep avg record low F = 45.4 |Oct avg record low F = 31.6 |Nov avg record low F = 20.8 |Dec avg record low F = 10.5 |year avg record low F = 2.4

|Jan record low F = -19 |Feb record low F = -23 |Mar record low F = -5 |Apr record low F = 15 |May record low F = 28 |Jun record low F = 42 |Jul record low F = 46 |Aug record low F = 43 |Sep record low F = 29 |Oct record low F = 16 |Nov record low F = 5 |Dec record low F = -16

|access-date = May 2, 2023 |access-date = May 2, 2023

Demographics

| align-fn = center 2010-2020

2020 census

The 2020 United States census counted 8,548 people, 3,627 households, and 2,088 families in Independence. The racial makeup was 79.12% (6,763) white or European American (76.13% non-Hispanic white), 5.5% (470) black or African-American, 1.66% (142) Native American or Alaska Native, 0.88% (75) Asian, 0.05% (4) Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian, 2.56% (219) from other races, and 10.24% (875) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race was 8.24% (704) of the population.

Of the 3,627 households, 28.5% had children under the age of 18; 36.8% were married couples living together; 32.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 36.0% 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 15.8% of the population.

24.8% of the population was under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 19.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 109.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 111.3 males.

The 2016-2020 5-year American Community Survey estimates show that the median household income was $38,963 (with a margin of error of +/- $4,924) and the median family income was $50,299 (+/- $5,851). Males had a median income of $31,436 (+/- $4,208) versus $23,707 (+/- $4,084) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $27,652 (+/- $3,039). Approximately, 14.7% of families and 21.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.3% of those under the age of 18 and 12.0% of those ages 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 9,483 people, 3,950 households, and 2,430 families living in the city. The population density was 1225.2 PD/sqmi. There were 4,528 housing units at an average density of 585.0 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 84.2% White, 6.5% African American, 1.6% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 2.3% from other races, and 4.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.5% of the population.

There were 3,950 households, of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.9% were married couples living together, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.5% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.95.

The median age in the city was 36.9 years. 26% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.5% were from 25 to 44; 24.9% were from 45 to 64; and 15.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.4% male and 51.6% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 9,846 people, 4,149 households, and 2,609 families living in the city. The population density was 1,979.4 PD/sqmi. There were 4,747 housing units at an average density of 954.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 87.00% White, 7.17% African American, 1.16% Native American, 0.62% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.10% from other races, and 2.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.84% of the population.

There were 4,149 households, out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.8% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.1% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% 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 2.93.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.7% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,574, and the median income for a family was $37,134. Males had a median income of $26,552 versus $20,017 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,496. About 11.4% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.7% of those under age 18 and 13.2% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Area attractions

• The William Inge Center for the Arts at Independence Community College maintains the archives of playwright and alumnus, William Inge.
• At the 1964 New York World's Fair, Sinclair Oil sponsored a dinosaur exhibit, featuring life-size replicas of nine different dinosaurs. On flatbed trucks, they toured the United States. Headquartered in Independence, Sinclair Pipeline Company, a division of Sinclair Oil, was acquired by Atlantic Richfield (ARCO). After the acquisition by ARCO, one of the nine dinosaurs, the Corythosaurus, was donated to Riverside Park.
• Riverside Park and Ralph Mitchell Zoo features a playground, tennis courts, miniature golf, miniature train, and a merry go round. The zoo was the homeplace of the rhesus macaque Miss Able, who was chosen by NASA alongside Miss Baker to test out space travel and become the first animals launched into space; she is commemorated with a sign. The park is also home to Shulthis Stadium and Emmot Field, the site of the first night baseball game, and home field where Mickey Mantle began his professional baseball career.

Education

Colleges

The Independence Community College main campus is located two miles south of the city. ICC West Campus is located in the city one mile west of the downtown. Each semester, over 1000 students are enrolled at ICC.

Primary and secondary education

The community is served by Independence USD 446 public school district.

• Independence High School (9–12)
• Independence Middle School (6–8)
• Jefferson Elementary School (3–5)
• Eisenhower Elementary School (PreK–2)

Private schools

• Zion Lutheran School (PreK–8)
• St. Andrew School (PreK–8)
• Independence Bible School (PreK–12)

Special education

• Tri-County Education Co-operative, special education (all grades)

Infrastructure

Transportation

Highways

Independence is located at the intersection of US-75 and US-160.

Railroads

Independence is served by two railroad companies:

• Union Pacific Railroad, which operates on the former Missouri Pacific Railroad tracks.
• South Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad, a shortline railroad owned by WATCO, which operates on the former Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway tracks.

Airports

Independence Municipal Airport is located 5 mi southwest of the city.

Notable people

• Taylor Armstrong, born as Shana Hughes, former reality show celebrity on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
• Tacy Atkinson, Christian missionary
• Sheila Bair, former chairwoman, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
• Gerry Bamman, actor
• Benny Bartlett, actor
• Elizabeth Broun, art historian
• Donald Graham Burt, Academy Award winning production designer
• Jim Halsey, artist manager, agent, and impresario
• Sherman Halsey, music video producer and director, talent agent
• Scott Hastings, NBA basketball player
• William Wadsworth Hodkinson, founded Paramount Pictures and ventured into commercial aviation
• Lyman U. Humphrey, newspaper editor, banker, 11th Governor of Kansas
• William Inge, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, Academy Award-winning screenwriter
• Bill Kurtis, television journalist
• Alf Landon, 1936 Republican presidential candidate, 26th Governor of Kansas
• Mary Howard de Liagre, actress
• Dave McGinnis, NFL coach
• John Morris, composer
• Gareth Porter, historian, author and international journalist
• Derek Schmidt, U.S. representative for Kansas and former attorney general of Kansas
• Jean Schodorf, former Kansas Senate Majority Leader and congressional candidate
• Harry F. Sinclair, founder of Sinclair Oil
• Charlie Tidwell, sprinter/hurdler active between 1958–60
• Vivian Vance, actress
• Ron Warner, NFL football player

References

References

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2. "Administration & City Manager".
3. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
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26. "US Census Bureau, Table S1903: MEDIAN INCOME IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS (IN 2020 INFLATION-ADJUSTED DOLLARS)".
27. "US Census Bureau, Table S2001: EARNINGS IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS (IN 2020 INFLATION-ADJUSTED DOLLARS)".
28. "US Census Bureau, Table S1701: POVERTY STATUS IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS".
29. "US Census Bureau, Table S1702: POVERTY STATUS IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS OF FAMILIES".
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32. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
33. "William Inge Center for the Arts – Home of the Official State Theater Festival of Kansas".
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35. "Monkey Island, Home of America's First Space Monkey".
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38. Union Pacific Railroad https://www.up.com/index.htm
39. South Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad https://www.watcocompanies.com/services/rail/skol/ {{Webarchive. link. (August 31, 2017)
40. Independence Daily Reporter, February 23, 2009, p. 1
41. Wang, Jackie. (March 27, 2025). "Thirty years later, Rep. Derek Schmidt is back on the Hill".