Courtland is a city in Republic 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 294.

History

Stouffer's Railroad Map of Kansas 1915-1918 Republic County

The first settlement was made at Courtland in 1885. A post office was opened in Prospect (an extinct town) in 1878, but it was moved to Courtland in 1888. The community was named after Cortland, New York, but may also be named for Courtland, a city near Mankato, Minnesota, which shares the same spelling. In 1887,

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison, Kansas, Atchison and Top ...

built a branch line from

Neva The Neva (russian: Нева́, ) is a river in northwestern Russia flowing from Lake Ladoga through the western part of Leningrad Oblast (historical region of Ingria) to the Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finland. Despite its modest length of , it ...

(3 miles west of Strong City) through Courtland to Superior, Nebraska. In 1996, the

merged with

Burlington Northern Railroad The Burlington Northern Railroad was a United States-based railroad company formed from a Mergers and acquisitions, merger of four major U.S. railroads. Burlington Northern operated between 1970 and 1996. Its historical lineage begins in the e ...

and renamed to the current

BNSF Railway BNSF Railway is one of the largest freight railroads in North America. One of seven North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 35,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and nearly 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that ...

. Most locals still refer to this railroad as the "Santa Fe". Courtland was incorporated as a city in 1892.

Geography

Courtland is located at (39.782803, -97.897054). 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 of it land.

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 285 people, 137 households, and 82 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 161 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.9%

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 ...

, 0.7%

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 ...

, and 0.4%

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 ...

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 0.4% of the population. There were 137 households, of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.0% 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, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.1% were non-families. 34.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.66. The median age in the city was 46.1 years. 22.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.7% were from 25 to 44; 29.8% were from 45 to 64; and 22.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 52.6% male and 47.4% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 334 people, 149 households, and 96 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 174 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.80%

, 0.30%

, 0.30% Native American, 0.60% from other races.

of any race were 3.89% of the population. There were 149 households, out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.0% were

living together, 3.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.9% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.84. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.1% under the age of 18, 3.9% from 18 to 24, 18.3% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 29.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $27,188, and the median income for a family was $37,778. Males had a median income of $26,667 versus $13,500 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 $14,543. About 6.3% of families and 11.3% 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 12.8% of those under age 18 and 19.1% of those age 65 or over.

Area events

Courtland Fun Day - annual summer celebration held the last Saturday in July annually since 1964.

Education

The community is served by

Pike Valley USD 426 Pike Valley USD 426 is a public unified school district headquartered in Scandia, Kansas, United States. The district includes the communities of Scandia, Courtland, Kackley, Norway, Rydal, Sherdahl, and nearby rural areas. Schools The scho ...

public school district. School unification consolidated Courtland and

Scandia Scandza was described as a "great island" by Gothic-Byzantine historian Jordanes in his work ''Getica''. The island was located in the Arctic regions of the sea that surrounded the world. The location is usually identified with Scandinavia. Jor ...

schools forming the district. The Pike Valley High School mascot is Panthers. Prior to school unification, the Courtland High School mascot was Courtland Tigers. The Courtland Tigers won the Kansas State High School boys class B Indoor Track & Field championship in 1961.

References

External links

City of Courtland

Courtland - Directory of Public Officials

Courtland city map
KDOT {{Authority control Cities in Kansas Cities in Republic County, Kansas