Leoti, pronounced "Lee-OH-Tuh." 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 Wichita 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 1,475.

History

Leoti was founded in 1885 by a company of men from Garden City, Kansas. Two years later, in 1887, it was involved in the bloodiest county seat fight in the history of the

American West The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the Wes ...

. The shoot-out was on February 27, 1887, when men—some would say hired gunmen—from Leoti, went to the neighboring, rival town of

Coronado Coronado may refer to: People * Coronado (surname) * Francisco Vázquez de Coronado (1510–1554), Spanish explorer often referred to simply as "Coronado" * Coronado Chávez (1807–1881), President of Honduras from 1845 to 1847 Places United ...

and left several people dead and wounded. A small town called Farmer City which was located between Coronado and Leoti, was hoped by some to become the county seat—which would end the fighting. Leoti later won the right to become the county seat and now the two other towns consist mainly of farmland. The origin of the name Leoti is disputed: one tradition says the name is an Indian term for "prairie flower"; another says the community was named for settler Leoti Kibbee; a third says it was named for Leoti Gray, the daughter of a town founder.

Geography

Leoti is located at (38.484073, -101.357639). 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

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, Leoti has a

semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...

, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.

Demographics

Wichita County courthouse in Leoti (2015)

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 1,534 people, 607 households, and 419 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 708 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 85.8%

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 ...

, 0.6% Native American, 0.1%

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 ...

, 10.8% 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 31.6% of the population. There were 607 households, of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.7% 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, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.0% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.05. The median age in the city was 37.4 years. 29.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.6% were from 25 to 44; 23.6% were from 45 to 64; and 17.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.7% male and 50.3% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,598 people, 634 households, and 452 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 726 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 81.35%

, 0.06%

, 0.50% Native American, 0.06%

, 15.33% from

, and 2.69% from two or more races.

of any race were 26.03% of the population. There were 634 households, out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.5% were

living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.7% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.02. In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.7% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $32,596, and the median income for a family was $41,484. Males had a median income of $27,235 versus $17,986 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 $16,550. About 8.8% of families and 12.0% 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 16.8% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Leoti is home to

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

467 Wichita County Schools. The Wichita County High School mascot is Wichita County Indians. Prior to school unification, Leoti High School also used the Indians mascot."Leoti 46 Lacrosse 44", Great Bend Tribune, 4 December 1966, p.5.

Notable people

Ben Diggins Benjamin Howard Diggins (born June 13, 1979) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers. Amateur career Diggins was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the first roun ...

, baseball player. *

Steve Tasker Steven Jay Tasker (born April 10, 1962) is an American sports reporter, locally in Western New York on the MSG Western New York cable TV station, and on WGR Radio and formerly for CBS Sports. He is a former football player who was a wide receive ...

, football player (retired), sportscaster. *

Marion Charles Bonner Marion Charles Bonner (1911–1992), based for most of his life in Leoti, Kansas, was an American field paleontologist who discovered and collected hundreds of fossils, primarily from the Niobrara Cretaceous Smoky Hill chalk outcroppings in Logan, ...

, paleontologist, fossil collector.

References

External links

City of Leoti

Leoti - Directory of Public Officials

Wichita County

Wichita County Museum

USD 467 school district

Leoti City Map
KDOT {{Authority control Cities in Kansas County seats in Kansas Cities in Wichita County, Kansas 1885 establishments in Kansas Populated places established in 1885