Burlington is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of Coffey County,

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 2,634.

History

Burlington was founded in 1857. It was named after

Burlington, Vermont Burlington is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Chittenden County. It is located south of the Canada–United States border and south of Montreal. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 44,743. It ...

, the native home of one of its founders. The first post office in Burlington was established in 1858, when it was removed from the now extinct town of Hampden. The population increase significantly as

Wolf Creek Generating Station Wolf Creek Generating Station, a nuclear power plant located near Burlington, Kansas, occupies 9,818 acres (40 km²) of the total controlled by the owner. Wolf Creek, dammed to create Coffey County Lake (formerly Wolf Creek Lake), p ...

was constructed from 1977 to 1985.

Geography

Burlington is located at (38.194420, -95.745532). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Burlington has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 2,674 people, 1,138 households, and 699 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 1,296 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.7%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 1.0%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 1.0% Native American, 0.9%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.7% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.7% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 2.5% of the population. There were 1,138 households, of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.6% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age in the city was 41.1 years. 24.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.8% were from 25 to 44; 27.2% were from 45 to 64; and 18.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.4% male and 52.6% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,790 people, 1,122 households, and 713 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,277 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.95%

, 0.32%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

, 0.57% Native American, 0.68%

, 0.61% from

, and 1.86% from two or more races. 1.79% of the population were

of any race. There were 1,122 households, out of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% were

living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.02. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.0% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $36,174, and the median income for a family was $43,021. Males had a median income of $30,946 versus $20,357 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $18,443. About 5.2% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 7.2% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.

Wolf Creek

Located just northeast of Burlington is the

, the only nuclear power plant in Kansas. This plant is situated on Coffey County Lake, which was constructed as the cooling lake for the plant. The plant has been generating electricity since 1985, and is a local landmark. Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation ("WCNOC") operates the plant, and is a subsidiary of the plant's owners Kansas Gas & Electric (part of

Westar Energy Evergy, Inc. is an American investor-owned utility (IOU) with publicly traded stock that has its headquarters in Topeka, Kansas, and in Kansas City, Missouri. The company was formed from a merger of Westar Energy of Topeka and Great Plains En ...

Kansas City Power & Light Kansas City Power and Light Company was an electric utility company serving the Kansas City metropolitan area. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Great Plains Energy of which it was the biggest component. The company traces its roots to No ...

(part of

Great Plains Energy Great Plains Energy Incorporated was a holding company based in Kansas City, Missouri that owned electric utility Kansas City Power and Light Company and Strategic Energy, LLC, an energy management company. KCP&L established the holding company ...

), and KEPCO (an association of Kansas electric power cooperatives). Westar and Great Plains Energy merged in 2018 to form Evergy, while maintaining the Westar and KCP&L names until October of 2019.

Education

The community is served by

Burlington USD 244 Burlington USD 244 is a public unified school district headquartered in Burlington, Kansas, United States. The district includes the communities of Burlington, New Strawn, Ottumwa, Sharpe, and nearby rural areas. Schools The school district ...

public school district, and has three schools: Burlington High School, Burlington Middle School, Burlington Elementary School. Allen County Community College offers classes at Burlington High School, both for adults and for high school students who may earn concurrent credits. Burlington is home to the Burlington Carnegie Free Library, although the building no longer houses a library and is now used as an office space. The Burlington branch of th
Coffey County Library
meets the community's information needs.

Notable people

Christian Braun Christian Nicholas Braun (pronounced ; born April 17, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball at the University of Kansas and was a s ...

– college basketball player for

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

and the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

Tyrel Reed Tyrel Reed (born April 8, 1989) is an American former basketball player who played for University of Kansas. He is the winningest player in KU Jayhawks history, with a combined record of 132–17 record in his four seasons at the University of ...

– former professional basketball player; former college basketball player for

; winningest player in KU Jayhawks history * Harrison Kelley (1836–1897) –

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

References

External links

City of Burlington

Burlington – Directory of Public Officials

Burlington city map
KDOT {{Authority control Cities in Kansas County seats in Kansas Cities in Coffey County, Kansas 1857 establishments in Kansas Territory