McPherson

McPherson, Kansas
Sculpture of James B. McPherson
Location of McPherson, Kansas
Coordinates: 38°22′19″N 97°39′44″W / 38.37194°N 97.66222°W / 38.37194; -97.66222
Country	United States
State	Kansas
County	McPherson
Area
- Total	6.2 sq mi (16.1 km2)
- Land	6.1 sq mi (15.9 km2)
- Water	0.1 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation	1,496 ft (456 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	13,770
- Density	2,241.6/sq mi (865.5/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	67460
Area code(s)	620
FIPS code	20-43950[1]
GNIS feature ID	0477193[2]
Website	http://www.mcphersonks.org

McPherson's Union Hotel in a 1907 postcard

McPherson is a city in and the county seat of McPherson County, Kansas, United States,^[3] in the central part of the state. The population was 13,770 at the 2000 census. The city is named after General James Birdseye McPherson, a Civil War general.

It is home to McPherson and Central Christian Colleges.

History

McPherson was founded in 1872. In 1887, city officials began a failed attempt to have the community named the state capital. By 1888, the community was at the junction of four railroad lines. Major industries have included a large flour mill, an insurance company headquarters, and an oil refinery.

In 1994 Terry Nichols bought a ton of ammonium nitrate from the Mid-Kansas Coop in McPherson. The chemicals would be the principal ingredient used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.^[4]

Basketball

The first basketball team to represent the United States in the Olympics featured six McPherson residents of 13 total players. This team went on to defeat Canada 19-8 in the Gold Medal game at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.

Geography

McPherson is located at 38°22′19″N 97°39′44″W / 38.37194°N 97.66222°W / 38.37194; -97.66222 (38.371923, -97.662177)^[5].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.2 square miles (16.1 km²), of which, 6.1 square miles (15.9 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (0.97%) is water.

The community is located on US Route 56, west of Interstate 135.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 13,770 people, 5,378 households, and 3,651 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,241.6 people per square mile (865.9/km²). There were 5,658 housing units at an average density of 921.0/sq mi (355.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.11% White, 1.31% African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 1.21% from other races, and 1.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.92% of the population.

There were 5,378 households out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.7% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.6% under the age of 18, 11.6% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $40,469, and the median income for a family was $48,882. Males had a median income of $33,831 versus $20,633 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,716. About 5.1% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.8% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

• City website
• McPherson Chamber of Commerce
• McPherson Museum
• Central Christian College
• McPherson College
• McPherson Sentinel

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: McPherson, Kansas

• McPherson, Kansas is at coordinates 38°22′19″N 97°39′44″W / 38.371923°N 97.662177°W / 38.371923; -97.662177 (McPherson, Kansas)Coordinates: 38°22′19″N 97°39′44″W / 38.371923°N 97.662177°W / 38.371923; -97.662177 (McPherson, Kansas)

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of McPherson County, Kansas County seat: McPherson Cities Canton | Galva | Inman | Lindsborg | Marquette | McPherson | Moundridge | Windom Unincorporated communities Elyria | Roxbury