Marquette, Kansas

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Marquette is a city located in the northwest corner of McPherson County, Kansas, between Highway K-4 and the Smoky Hill River. The city was settled by Swedish immigrants and chartered on February 9, 1874. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 542.

1 Attractions
2 Geography
3 Population
4 Further demographics
5 External links

[edit] Attractions

The downtown has a block of late 19th century stores that have been restored and repainted to their original colors. They are part of the Washington Street Historic District, a state historic site.

Nearby is the Hanson-Lindfors home, a sixteen-room Victorian style house built in 1888. It is named after Hans Hanson, one of the town founders, and has been restored to its original appearance and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Located in the backyard of the home is Hanson's original 1871 wood frame cabin, where the town charter was signed.

The downtown area includes the Range School Museum, a one-room 1906 schoolhouse moved there about eighty years later. Each spring and fall, local school children use it for a half day of class.

Ten miles away is Kanopolis State Park, the first state park of Kansas. The park, completed in 1948, includes more than 22,000 acres (89 km²) of rolling hills, bluffs and woods and a 3000 acre (12 km²) lake, offering hunting, fishing, over 25 miles (40 km) of trails, and other recreational activities. Game includes pheasant, quail, prairie chickens, deer, beaver, turkey, squirrels, rabbits, coyotes and waterfowl; fishing for white bass and crappie is popular.

[edit] Geography

Marquette has a total area of 0.9 km² (0.4 mi²), none of which is covered by water. It's at an elevation of 1385 feet (422 m).

It is located at 38°33'14" North, 97°49'60" West (38.553824, -97.833275),^GR1 in the Smoky Hills region of Kansas. The area is highlighted by outcrops of Cretaceous-era sandstone known as the Dakota Formation. The seas dating back to that era left hills and buttes which rising sharply about the surrounding plains.

[edit] Population

According to the United States Census Bureau's 2000 census, there are 542 people living in the town, down from 593 ten years earlier, a loss of 8.6%. The population is organized into 243 households and 157 families. The population density is 581.3/km² (1,503.8/mi²). There are 271 housing units at an average density of 290.6/km² (751.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 98.34% White, 0.37% Native American, 0.18% from other races, and 1.11% from two or more races. In 2000, no one identified themselves as Black or African American, Asian, or Pacific Islander. Ten people (0.18% of the population) consider themselves Hispanic or Latino of any race.

In May 2003, facing a declining population, Marquette joined at least ten other Kansas towns, including Ellsworth, Kanopolis, Holyrood and Wilson, who offer free land to attract residents. Fifty acres (200,000 m²) of what used to be farmland were developed, furnished with paved streets, water, electric, sewer and gas hookups. As of March 2004, 21 of the one-third acre (1,300 m²) lots created for this purpose have been claimed. The program requires the landowners to build a house on the lot within a year, and live in that house for a year.

Mayor Steve Piper. a third-generation grocer, commented about the homesteading program:

We have tried bringing jobs to this town, but you might as well bang your head against a brick wall. We decided it was better to bring in the families and let them work in the surrounding communities. We'll let them find the jobs — we'll provide the housing.

[edit] Further demographics

For every 100 females there are 96.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 90.1 males. Males have a median income of $30,000 versus $20,208 for females.

There are 243 households out of which 25.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.1% are married couples living together, 6.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% are non-families. 31.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 17.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.23 and the average family size is 2.77.

Marquette's population is broken down by age as follows:

22.1% are under the age of 18,
6.6% are from 18 to 24,
29.0% are from 25 to 44 (the median age is 41 years),
24.5% are from 45 to 64, and
17.7% are 65 years of age or older.

The median income for a household in the town is $35,938, and the median income for a family is $44,531. The per capita income for the town is $17,965. 5.6% of the population and 3.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, none is under the age of 18; 8.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.