Manhattan

City of Manhattan
Riley County Courthouse, Manhattan
Nickname(s): The Little Apple
Location within Kansas
Coordinates: 39°11′30″N 96°35′30″W / 39.19167°N 96.59167°W / 39.19167; -96.59167
Country	United States
State	Kansas
Counties	Riley, Pottawatomie
Settled	1855
Incorporated	May 30, 1857
Government
- Type	Commission-Manager
- Mayor	Bob Strawn
- Commissioner	Bruce Snead
- Commissioner	Jim Sherow
- Commissioner	Loren Pepperd
- Commissioner	Jayme Morris-Hardeman
Area
- Total	15.0 sq mi (38.9 km2)
- Land	15.0 sq mi (38.9 km2)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	1,020 ft (311 m)
Population (2007)[1]
- Total	51,707
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes	66502–66503, 66505-66506
Area code(s)	785
FIPS code	20-44250[2]
GNIS feature ID	0476378[3]
Website	www.ci.manhattan.ks.us

Manhattan is a city located at the junction of the Big Blue and Kansas rivers in Kansas, United States. It lies primarily in Riley County, of which it is the county seat,^[4] but also extends into Pottawatomie County. As of the July 2007 census estimate, its population was 51,707, making it the eighth-largest city in Kansas.^[1] It is the principal city of the Manhattan, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area – with an estimated population of 113,629, the Manhattan MSA is the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state, having surpassed that of Lawrence, Kansas.^[5]

Nicknamed The Little Apple in 1977 as a play on New York City's "Big Apple," it is best known for being the home of Kansas State University and has a distinct college town feel. Eight miles (13 km) west of the city is Fort Riley, a United States Army post. In 2007, CNN and Money magazine rated Manhattan as one of the ten best places in America to retire young.^[6]

History

Polistra and Canton

The Kansas-Nebraska Act opened the territory to settlement in 1854. That fall, George S. Park founded the first Euro-American settlement within the borders of the current Manhattan. Park named it Polistra (some historians refer to it as Poliska or Poleska).^[7]

Later that same year, Samuel D. Houston and four other pioneers founded a neighboring community near the mouth of the Big Blue River that they named Canton.^[8] Neither Canton nor Polistra ever grew to include anyone beyond their original founders.

Free-Staters

In March 1855, a group of New England Free-Staters traveled to Kansas Territory under the auspices of the New England Emigrant Aid Company to found a Free-State town. Led by Isaac Goodnow, the first members of the group (with the help of Samuel C. Pomeroy) selected the location of the Polistra and Canton claims for the Aid Company's new settlement. Soon after the New Englanders arrived at the site, in April 1855, they agreed to join together with Canton and Polistra to make one settlement named Boston.^[7] They were soon joined by dozens more New Englanders, including Goodnow's brother-in-law Joseph Denison.

Downtown Manhattan in 2005

In June 1855, the steamboat Hartford, carrying 75 settlers from Ohio, ran aground in the Kansas River near the settlement. The Ohio settlers, who were members of the Cincinnati-Manhattan Company, had been headed twenty miles further upstream to what today is Junction City, Kansas.^[9] After realizing they were stranded, the Hartford passengers accepted an invitation to join the new town, but insisted that it be renamed Manhattan, which was done on June 29, 1855. Manhattan was incorporated on May 30, 1857.^[7]

Early events

Early Manhattan settlers sometimes found themselves in conflict with Native Americans and the town itself was threatened by pro-slavery Southerners, but the proximity of Fort Riley protected the settlement from the major violence visited upon other Free-State towns during the "Bleeding Kansas" era.

The young city received an early boost when gold was discovered in the Rocky Mountains in 1859 and Fifty-Niners began to stream through Manhattan on their way to prospect in the mountains. Manhattan was one of the last significant settlements on the route west, and the village's merchants did a brisk business selling supplies to miners.

At the same time, Manhattan was fast becoming a center of education. In 1858, the Territorial Legislature chartered the private Methodist Bluemont Central College in Manhattan. In 1861, when the State of Kansas entered the Union, Isaac Goodnow, who had been a teacher in Rhode Island, began lobbying the legislature to establish a university in Manhattan. As an inducement, the Manhattanites offered to the state the physical plant of Bluemont Central College. The culmination of these efforts came on February 16, 1863, when the Kansas legislature established Kansas State Agricultural College (now Kansas State University) in Manhattan.

By the time the Kansas Pacific Railroad laid its tracks west through Manhattan in 1866, the 11-year-old settlement was already permanently ensconced in the tallgrass prairie. Manhattan has increased in population every decade since its founding.

Geography

Konza Prairie

Manhattan is located at 39°11′25″N 96°35′13″W / 39.19028°N 96.58694°W / 39.19028; -96.58694 (39.190142, -96.586818),^[10] or about 50 miles (80 km) west of Topeka on the Kansas River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.0 square miles (38.9 km²), 0.07% of it water.

Geographic features

Manhattan is located in the Flint Hills region of Kansas, which consists of continuous rolling hills covered in tall grasses. However, the current downtown area – the original site of Manhattan – was built on a broad, flat floodplain at the junction of the Kansas and Big Blue rivers.

Tuttle Creek Reservoir is located 5 miles (8 km) north of Manhattan. The lake was formed when the Big Blue River was dammed for flood control in the 1960s, and it is now a state park that offers many recreational opportunities. South of the city is the Konza Prairie, a tallgrass prairie preserve jointly owned by The Nature Conservancy and Kansas State University.

Climate

Over the course of a year, temperatures range from an average low of almost 15 °F (−9 °C) in January to an average high of nearly 93 °F (34 °C) in July. The maximum temperature reaches 90 °F (32 °C) an average of 56 days per year and reaches 100 °F (38 °C) an average of 9 days per year. The minimum temperature falls below the freezing point (32°F) an average of 118 days per year. Typically the first fall freeze occurs between the last week of September and the end of October, and the last spring freeze occurs between the first week of April and early May.

The area receives nearly 35 inches (890 mm) of precipitation during an average year with the largest share being received in May and June—the April–June period averages 33 days of measurable precipitation. During a typical year the total amount of precipitation may be anywhere from 24 to 46 inches (1,200 mm). There are on average 97 days of measurable precipitation per year. Winter snowfall averages almost 16 inches, but the median is less than 10 inches (250 mm). Measurable snowfall occurs an average of 10 days per year with at least an inch of snow being received on six of those days. Snow depth of at least an inch occurs an average of 20 days per year.

Tornadoes

The 2008 tornado damaged an industrial area on the west side of Manhattan before hitting the KSU campus

The state of Kansas falls within an area sometimes called Tornado Alley. The most recent tornado in Manhattan touched down at approximately 10:30 PM on June 11, 2008. Thirty-one homes and several businesses were destroyed by the EF4 tornado. Additionally, Kansas State University's campus incurred about $20 million in damage – a number of university buildings sustained significant damage and the Wind Erosion Laboratory was destroyed by the tornado's winds.^[11] No one was killed.^[12]

Previously, the most destructive tornado to hit Manhattan was on June 8, 1966. The 1966 tornado caused $5 million in damage and injured at least 65 people in Manhattan.^[13][14]

Flooding

Manhattan was built on a floodplain at the junction of the Kansas and Big Blue rivers, and it has faced recurring problems with flooding during times of heavy precipitation. The largest floods in the town's history were the 1903 and 1908 floods, the Great Flood of 1951 and the Great Flood of 1993.^[15][16]

Politics

Manhattan and "KS Hill" in 2005

Local

Manhattan is governed under a council-manager system, with a City Commission consisting of five members. Elections are held every other year in odd-numbered years. Three City Commission positions are chosen at each election. The two highest vote recipients receive four-year terms while the third highest vote recipient receives a two-year term. The highest vote winner in a general election is established to serve as Mayor on the third year of a four-year term. The Mayor presides over Commission meetings, has the same voting rights as other Commissioners, and has no veto power. As of 2009, Bob Strawn serves as the city's mayor, and Bruce Snead, Jim Sherow, Loren Pepperd, and Jayme Morris-Hardeman make up the rest of the City Commission. The next elections will be held April 7, 2011, for the seats held by Strawn, Snead, and Morris-Hardeman.^[17] In the 2007 citywide election , Jim Sherow won his seat in a coin toss with Jayme Morris-Hardeman due to a tie. In the 2009 citywide election, Jayme Morris Hardeman beat incumbent Tom Phillips by 22 provisional votes.

State

Manhattan is located inside a number of State district boundaries. In the Kansas House of Representatives, Rep. Tom Hawk serves in District 67. District 67 includes portions of south, west, and northern Riley County. Rep. Sydney Carlin is the current representative of Kansas district 66, which includes most of downtown Manhattan, and the northeastern portions of the city. Smaller portions of Manhattan extend into other districts to the south and north. Both representatives are registered Democrats and have served multiple terms in the House.

Manhattan is included in the Kansas Senate District 22, and the state senator is Roger Reitz. District 22 includes nearby Junction City and rural Riley and Geary Counties. Mr. Reitz narrowly defeated Democratic challenger Rusty Wilson in the 2008 election by a small number of votes. The former District 22 Senator, Lana Oleen, was the Kansas Senate majority leader before her retirement in 2004.^[18]

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 44,831 people, 16,949 households, and 8,254 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,983.9 people per square mile (1,152.4/km²). There were 17,690 housing units at an average density of 1,177.4/sq mi (454.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.28% White, 4.86% African American, 0.48% Native American, 3.93% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 1.30% from other races, and 2.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.49% of the population.

There were 16,949 households out of which 22.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.6% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 51.3% were non-families. 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the city the population was spread out with 15.8% under the age of 18, 39.2% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 13.2% from 45 to 64, and 7.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females there were 106.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,463, and the median income for a family was $48,289. Males had a median income of $31,396 versus $24,611 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,566. About 8.7% of families and 24.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.1% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.

Sites of interest

Manhattan is the site of Kansas State University sporting events, performing arts, lecture series and the annual Country Stampede Music Festival – the largest music festival in Kansas.

The Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art[3] and the Kansas State University Gardens are located on the campus of Kansas State University. Next to campus is Aggieville, a shopping and retail center with enough bars to satisfy the college crowd. Aggieville is also home to the longest continuously-operating Pizza Hut restaurant in the world.

Manhattan's Sunset Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Colbert Hills Golf Course, which is annually ranked by Golf Digest among the best in the state, is home to the Earl Woods National Youth Golf Academy and a host site for the First Tee program. Manhattan is also the birthplace of Damon Runyon, the "Inventor of Broadway," and his Manhattan house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The buildings which house The Flint Hills Job Corps Training Center west of the city were once used as a nursing home and orphanage operated by the Fraternal Order of Odd Fellows.

The first capitol of the Kansas Territory is preserved nearby, on Fort Riley grounds.

Economy

The proposed NBAF location near the KSU Biosecurity Research Institute (BRI)

Manhattan's economy is heavily based on governmentally-funded entities. Kansas State University is the largest employer in town, and its 23,000 students support the retail and entertainment venues in the city.^[19] The second-largest employer in Manhattan is the city school district.^[19] Additionally, nearby Fort Riley also brings in lots of retail business, although the majority of soldiers live either on post or in closer Junction City or Ogden.

Other large employers in Manhattan include the Mercy Regional Health Center and Farm Bureau.^[19] Manhattan also supports a small industrial base. Manufacturing and commercial businesses include: GTM Sportswear^[20], Alorica^[21], Auth-Florence Manufacturing^[22], ICE Corporation^[23], Manko Windows^[24], The McCall Pattern Company and Farrar Corporation.^[25] Some, like GTM and Farrar^[26] have had success in the city – as college towns are known to outlive and sustain economic recessions better than most towns due to their economic base.^{[citation needed]}

In 2009, the United States Department of Homeland Security announced that it would locate the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) in Manhattan, with construction scheduled to begin in 2010. The NBAF is scheduled to open in 2014, and will be a federal lab to research biological threats involving human, zoonotic (i.e., transmitted from animals to humans) and foreign animal diseases. It is expected to employ between 250-350 people, including researchers, technical support and operations specialists.^[27]

Education

Kansas State University is the largest employer and educator in the city of Manhattan with 23,520 students^[28]. KSU is home to Wildcat sports, as well as a host to nationally recognized academics. Kansas State University has ranked first nationally among state universities in its total of Rhodes, Marshall, Truman, Goldwater, and Udall scholars since 1986^[29]. Manhattanites are said to "Bleed purple" due to their pride in Kansas State athletics.

Manhattan is also home to Manhattan Christian College, Manhattan Area Technical College, the American Institute of Baking and The Flint Hills Job Corps Training Center, and the Kansas Building Science Institute.

Manhattan has one public high school with two campuses (Manhattan High School), two junior high schools (Susan B. Anthony and Dwight D. Eisenhower), and eight elementary schools (Amanda Arnold, Frank V. Bergman, Bluemont, Lee, Marlatt, Northview, Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson). The city also has two private school systems: Flint Hills Christian School and the Manhattan Catholic Schools.

Culture

Downtown Manhattan

Culture in the city of Manhattan is largely defined by Kansas State University students. The city is normally full of activity while school is in session. Due to the city's vitality, the city was rated by CNN Money as one of the top ten places to retire young^[30]. There are a number of cultural hot spots around the city that make it as vibrant as it is.

• Aggieville - Aggieville is the hub of Manhattan's nightlife. Due to its large number of bars and shops, the district is frequented by college students and citizens alike. Aggieville's bars play host to numerous bands on a nightly basis. Nearby, the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art on the K-State campus is home to KSU's permanent art collection and travelling art exhibits. Entry to the museum is free of charge. Kansas State's McCain Auditorium, which draws major performances and tours from across the globe, is also located near Aggieville.
• Downtown - Downtown Manhattan, and the Manhattan Town Center Mall, is an anchor for shopping and entertainment in the eastern portions of Manhattan. Art galleries, fine dining options, and shopping are all major daytime draws to the area. The Manhattan Town Center Mall was built in the early 1980's and is Kansas' only urban shopping mall, located in the heart of downtown.
• Kansas State Sports - Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium, Bramlage Coliseum, and other sports venues relating to the university host events every week in their respective sports seasons, drawing fans from across the country. The facilities are sometimes used for lectures, concerts, and other non-sporting events.

There are also a number of events and conventions held every year, such as Juneteenth Celebration, the Country Stampede Music Festival and the Great manhattan mystery conclave.

Transportation

Manhattan is served by numerous transportation methods.

Airports

Manhattan Regional Airport is located 4 kilometres (2 mi) west of Manhattan on K-18. The airport is served by Great Lakes Airlines which offers flights to both Kansas City and Denver. Starting in August 2009, the airport will also have service on American Eagle to Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport. The nearest major commercial airports are in Kansas City (MCI) and Wichita, Kansas (ICT).

Rail

The Union Pacific Railroad maintains a single-track mainline through the town, with an estimated 16 daily trains, most hauling coal for eastern power plants from the Rocky Mountains. Domestic passenger rail service to and from the city has been discontinued with the Amtrak takeover of passenger rail in 1971.

Mass transit

Manhattan is served by Riley County's subsidized paratransit service, ATA Bus. ATA Bus recently started its first, set-route bus route in Manhattan connecting an apartment complex and an office campus, and is currently working with the city to develop a feasible mass transit system. ATA uses four small buses and a number of minivans in its fleet^[31]. Inter-city bus service was previously provided by Greyhound Lines.

Highways

Manhattan is served by several highways:

• Interstate 70 runs about 9 miles (14 km) south of Manhattan. Three exits have a direct connection to Manhattan.
  • Exit 313 - K-177
  • Exit 307 - McDowell Creek Road
  • Exit 303 - K-18
• U.S. Route 24 runs through Manhattan. East on 24 is Wamego, west is Clay Center. US-24 comes in from Clay Center, runs north of the city, turns into a four-lane highway near Tuttle Creek State Park and travels downtown as Tuttle Creek Boulevard until an intersection with Poyntz Avenue and turns northeast towards Wamego.
• K-177 runs north from I-70 as Bill Snyder Highway until the Kansas River viaduct. A half-leaf interchange with K-18 (Tuttle Creek Blvd. and Ft. Riley Blvd.) and travels north as US-24. It officially ends at the intersection with U.S. Route 77 near Randolph.
• K-18 is a major connector in Manhattan. It begins about 18 miles (29 km) east of Manhattan, at K-99. It runs through Wabaunsee and Zeandale to K-177, crosses to Kansas River, and runs west toward the Manhattan Regional Airport and Ogden. It then travels south to I-70 as a major gateway to Manhattan.
• K-113 (Seth Child Road) runs north-south from K-18 to US-24 north of Manhattan. Its entire length is within the city limits of Manhattan.

Notable residents

• Bob Anderson – founder of Runner's World
• Louis Chaudet – film director, writer
• Del Close – comedian
• Bobby Douglass – NFL quarterback
• Brian Doyle-Murray – actor and scriptwriter^[32]
• David Fairchild – botanist, explorer
• Philip Fox – astronomer
• Brian Giles - MLB player for the New York Mets, Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago White Sox, and the Seattle Mariners
• James Harbord – military officer, businessman
• Jonathan Holden – first Poet Laureate of Kansas
• Lee Killough – author
• Albert E. Mead – fifth governor of Washington
• Benjamin Franklin Mudge – geologist
• Jordy Nelson - NFL player for the Green Bay Packers
• Mitsugi Ohno – glassblower
• Cassandra Peterson – actress, model
• Merrill D. Peterson – historian
• Deb Richard – professional golfer
• Damon Runyon – author
• Fred Andrew Seaton – U.S. Senator, Secretary of Interior
• Bill Snyder – football coach
• Gary Spani – hall-of-fame football player
• Walter J. Stoessel – diplomat
• Samuel Wendell Williston – scientist
• Robert A. Woodruff – space instrumentation scientist
• Earl Woods – father of Tiger Woods

See also List of Kansas State University people

See also Johnny Kaw, fictional Kansas settler

Twin or partner cities

• Dobřichovice, Czech Republic (since 2004)

Manhattan in popular culture

• In 1972, Glen Campbell recorded a #6 hit on the Country Music Charts with his song entitled "Manhattan, Kansas."
• The 1975 documentary Banjoman captures a legendary concert held in Manhattan on January 23, 1973, to honor Earl Scruggs. The concert included performances by Joan Baez, David Bromberg, The Byrds, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and Doc and Merle Watson.^[33]
• The city features in Vernor Vinge's science-fiction novella The Ungoverned.
• The plot of the failed 1993 CBS television pilot The Elvira Show revolves around two witches, played by Elvira and Katherine Helmond, moving to Manhattan with their talking cat.^[34]
• Manhattanite Brandon Bellinger was a contestant on the television show Survivor: Guatemala in 2005.
• Manhattanite Dave Spiker was a contestant on the television show The Amazing Race 9 in 2006.
• Manhattan is a principal setting for the novel Was, by Geoff Ryman, a contemporary examination of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum.
• The main character in Sydney Sheldon's novel, "Windmills of the Gods", starts out as a professor at Kansas State University in Manhattan.
• The eponymous character in The Little Sister, by Raymond Chandler, is from Manhattan.
• Jon Stewart jokingly referred to it as "the Manhattan with values" on the Daily Show, while reporting on a speech by President George W. Bush at Kansas State University in 2006.^[35]
• The opening scene for the trailer to the film Friday Night Lights is Poyntz Avenue in downtown Manhattan; this was stock footage purchased for the trailer.^[36][37]
• The city was featured on a Strong Bad Email segment on Homestar Runner.^[38]
• W.E.B. Griffin mentioned Manhattan, Kansas, as the hometown of a main character in his Brotherhood of War (novel series), mentioning its two primary influences, Fort Riley and Kansas State University.^{[citation needed]}

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Konza Prairie in Manhattan, Kansas

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Pottawatomie County, Kansas County seat: Westmoreland Cities Belvue | Emmett | Havensville | Louisville | Manhattan‡ | Olsburg | Onaga | St. George | St. Marys‡ | Wamego | Westmoreland | Wheaton Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Riley County, Kansas County seat: Manhattan Cities Leonardville | Manhattan‡ | Ogden | Randolph | Riley CDP Fort Riley North‡ Unincorporated community Zeandale Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

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