Pittsburg, Kansas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pittsburg is a city in Crawford County, in Southeast Kansas, 27 miles south of Fort Scott, Kansas, 96 miles west of Springfield, Missouri, and 137 miles northeast of Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is the most populous city in Crawford County, and it is the most populous city in Southeast Kansas. The population was 19,243 at the 2000 census.
It was founded on May 20, 1876 and named after and in honor of the city Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Franklin Playter is credited with being the city's founder, establishing a government from its earlier incarnation as a coal mining camp in the 1870s.
Pittsburg is the home to Pittsburg State University.
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[edit] Geography
Pittsburg is located at (37.410320, -94.699816)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 32.4 km² (12.5 mi²). 32.2 km² (12.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.48%) is water.
[edit] Heritage
The city has a rich cultural heritage from many European mine workers who settled in and around Pittsburg. There is a bakery operating under an Italian name (Pallucca's) in the nearby town of Frontenac. The city was founded in 1876, and incorporated in 1880. It is situated in the center of productive coal fields.
Little Balkans Days is a celebration that is unique to Pittsburg. This celebration of the community's European ethnic heritage features games, entertainment, a parade, competitions, and arts and crafts. It is held in conjunction with the Labor Day holiday.
The city is the birthplace & childhood home of broadcast journalism pioneer Paul White, legendary news director for CBS in the 1930s and 1940s.
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 624 |
|
|
| 1890 | 6,697 | 973.2% | |
| 1900 | 10,112 | 51.0% | |
| 1910 | 14,755 | 45.9% | |
| 1920 | 18,052 | 22.3% | |
| 1930 | 18,145 | 0.5% | |
| 1940 | 17,571 | -3.2% | |
| 1950 | 19,341 | 10.1% | |
| 1960 | 18,678 | -3.4% | |
| 1970 | 20,171 | 8.0% | |
| 1980 | 18,770 | -6.9% | |
| 1990 | 17,775 | -5.3% | |
| 2000 | 19,243 | 8.3% | |
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 19,243 people, 7,980 households, and 4,213 families residing in the city. The population density was 596.8/km² (1,546.2/mi²). There were 8,855 housing units at an average density of 274.6/km² (711.5/mi²). The people are 92.34% White, 2.61% Black/African American, 1.08% Native American, 1.94% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 1.90% from other races, and 2.08% from two or more races. Hispanic of any race were 3.84% of the population.
There were 7,980 households out of which 25.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.0% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.2% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the city the population was spread out with 20.8% under the age of 18, 24.1% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 16.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $24,221, and the median income for a family was $36,674. Males had a median income of $26,312 versus $20,132 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,318. About 13.6% of families and 22.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.2% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Notable natives
- P. J. Forbes — former Major League Baseball player
- Roy Glenn — actor
- Don Gutteridge — former Major League Baseball player and manager
- Vance Randolph — folklorist
- Bill Russell (baseball) - former Major League Baseball player, coach, and manager
- Paul White — broadcast journalism pioneer and CBS news director
[edit] External links
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
Pittsburg, Kansas in the Kansas Encyclopedia
