Dwight is a city in
Morris 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 217.
History
Dwight had its start in the year 1887 by the building of the
Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway
The Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway (originally ''Railroad'') was formed in 1885 with Marcus Low, a former attorney for the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, as its president. The CRI&P advanced the CK&N about twenty-five million do ...
through that territory.
It was named for Dwight Rathbone, the owner of the original town site. Dwight was incorporated as a city in 1903.
The Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway was foreclosed in 1891 and taken over by
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway, which shut down in 1980 and reorganized as
Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas Railroad
The Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas Railroad (OKT) was a railroad operating in its namesake states in the 1980s.
OKT I
The Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas Railroad was originally created on May 29, 1980, after the demise of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pa ...
, merged in 1988 with
Missouri Pacific Railroad
The Missouri Pacific Railroad , commonly abbreviated as MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers. In 1967, the railroad ...
, merged in 1997 with
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...
. Most locals still refer to this railroad as the "Rock Island".
A post office was established in Dwight on March 19, 1887.
Geography
Dwight is located at (38.844602, -96.594935).
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 272 people, 117 households, and 79 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 136 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.0%
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 ...
, 1.5%
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 ...
, 0.4%
Native American, 0.7%
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 ...
, 0.4% 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 4.0% 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 ...
or
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 4.8% of the population.
There were 117 households, of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.4% were
married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.5% were non-families. 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.78.
The median age in the city was 45.1 years. 21.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 10% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.3% were from 25 to 44; 27.3% were from 45 to 64; and 23.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.4% male and 49.6% female.
2000 census
![Stouffer's Railroad Map of Kansas 1915-1918 Morris County](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/Stouffer%27s_Railroad_Map_of_Kansas_1915-1918_Morris_County.png)
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 2000, there were 330 people, 143 households, and 90 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 886.8 people per square mile (344.4/km
2). There were 163 housing units at an average density of 438.0 per square mile (170.1/km
2). The racial makeup of the city was 94.85%
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 ...
, 0.30%
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 ...
, 0.61%
Native American, 0.61%
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 ...
, 1.52% 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 2.12% 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 ...
or
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 4.85% of the population.
There were 143 households, out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.1% were
married couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.2% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,909, and the median income for a family was $38,750. Males had a median income of $25,000 versus $20,227 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 $14,727. About 9.4% of families and 15.1% 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 17.7% of those under age 18 and 3.3% of those age 65 or over.
Government
The Dwight government consists of a mayor and five council members. The council meets the 3rd Monday of each month at 7PM.
Education
The community is served by
Morris County USD 417
Morris County USD 417 is a Public school (government funded), public unified school district headquartered in Council Grove, Kansas, United States. The district includes the communities of Alta Vista, Kansas, Alta Vista, Council Grove, Kansas, ...
public school district. The district high school is Council Grove High School.
Dwight schools were closed through school unification. The Dwight Rockets won the
Kansas State High School boys class BB basketball championship in 1966 and 1967.
References
Further reading
External links
City of DwightDwight - Directory of Public OfficialsHistoric Images of Dwight Special Photo Collections at
Wichita State University
Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...
Library
Dwight city map KDOT
{{Authority control
Cities in Kansas
Cities in Morris County, Kansas