Centralia is a city in Nemaha 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 485.

History

Centralia was founded in 1859, one mile north of the present town. When a railroad was built through the territory in 1867, Centralia was moved to the site. Centralia was incorporated in 1882. One of the early residents of Centralia was

Floyd Perry Baker Floyd Perry Baker (November 16, 1820 – 1909) was an American lawyer, land speculator, politician, government official, farmer, blacksmith, teacher, and newspaper editor well known for his activities as an early resident and community leader i ...

, a Kansas politician and newspaper editor, who moved there with his family from Andrew County, Missouri around 1860. In 1901, Centralia was the scene of violent conflicts between whites and African Americans. By this time, Centralia had a

sundown town Sundown towns, also known as sunset towns, gray towns, or sundowner towns, are all-white municipalities or neighborhoods in the United States that practice a form of racial segregation by excluding non-whites via some combination of discriminator ...

policy forbidding blacks from living in the area.

Geography

Centralia is located at (39.724032, -96.131079). 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 , all land.

Climate

This

climatic Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologic ...

region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) 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, Centralia has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

, abbreviated "Dfa" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Centralia, Kansas
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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 512 people, 201 households, and 123 families residing 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 238 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.5%

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 ...

, 1.2%

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 ...

, 0.8% Native American, 0.8%

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 ...

, 0.6% 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 2.1% 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 201 households, of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% 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, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.8% were non-families. 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.9% 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. The median age in the city was 40.1 years. 25% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.4% were from 25 to 44; 22.8% were from 45 to 64; and 21.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.6% male and 49.4% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 534 people, 216 households, and 127 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 235 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.82%

, 0.19%

, 0.94% Native American, 0.37%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 0.19% from

, and 1.50% from two or more races.

of any race were 2.81% of the population. There were 216 households, out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.6% were

living together, 3.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.2% were non-families. 38.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 28.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 3.13. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.7% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 21.7% from 25 to 44, 17.2% from 45 to 64, and 30.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $22,240, and the median income for a family was $32,625. Males had a median income of $22,500 versus $16,591 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 $14,813. About 8.0% of families and 14.5% 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 19.3% of those under age 18 and 16.6% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

Floyd Baker Floyd Wilson Baker (October 10, 1916 – November 17, 2004) was an American professional baseball third baseman, who played Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Browns (1943–1944), Chicago White Sox (1945–1951), Washington Senators ...

, Kansas politician, lawyer, newspaper editor *

John Riggins Robert John Riggins (born August 4, 1949), nicknamed "Riggo" and "Diesel", is an American former professional football player who was a fullback in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Jets and Washington Redskins. He played col ...

, NFL running back

References

External links

*
Centralia - Directory of Public Officials

USD 380
local school district
Centralia city map
KDOT {{Authority control Cities in Kansas Cities in Nemaha County, Kansas Sundown towns in Kansas 1859 establishments in Kansas Territory