Osborne 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 Osborne 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 1,335.

History

Settlers from southeastern

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

founded Osborne City in May 1871. They named the settlement after Vincent B. Osborne, a

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

veteran of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, after whom Osborne County also is named. Osborne City became the permanent county seat in November 1872. A district judge officially proclaimed it a city in May 1873, but the townspeople failed to legally organize a government. Five years later, a second attempt was successful, and the settlement incorporated as a city in 1878. "City" was dropped from its name by the mid-1890s. A bridge was built at Osborne over the Solomon River in 1878.

Geography

Osborne is located at (39.440651, -98.697118), at an elevation of . Located at the intersection of

U.S. Route 281 U.S. Route 281 (US 281) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway. At it is the longest continuous three-digit U.S. Route. The highway's northern terminus is at the International Peace Garden, north of Dunseith, North Dakota, at t ...

and

U.S. Route 24 U.S. Route 24 (US 24) is one of the original United States highways of 1926. It originally ran from Pontiac, Michigan, in the east to Kansas City, Missouri, in the west. Today, the highway's eastern terminus is in Independence Township, Mic ...

in north-central Kansas, it is approximately northwest of Wichita, west-northwest of

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...

, and east of

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

. Osborne lies on the north side of the

South Fork Solomon River The South Fork Solomon River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed March 29, 2011 river in the central Great Plains of North America. The entire length of the river lies in ...

in the

Smoky Hills The Smoky Hills are an upland region of hills in the central Great Plains of North America. They are located in the Midwestern United States, encompassing north-central Kansas and a small portion of south-central Nebraska. The hills are a disse ...

region of the

Great Plains The Great Plains (french: Grandes Plaines), sometimes simply "the Plains", is a broad expanse of flatland in North America. It is located west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, an ...

. The Osborne Canal, part of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's Webster Unit Project, runs east along the northern edge of the city. 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.

Climate

On average in Osborne, July is the warmest month, January is the coldest month, and May is the wettest month. The hottest temperature recorded in Osborne was 116 °F (47 °C) in 1940; the coldest temperature recorded was -31 °F (-35 °C) in 1989.

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 1,431 people, 633 households, and 390 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 776 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.7%

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 ...

, 0.1%

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, 0.5%

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 0.6% 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 1.3% of the population. There were 633 households, of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.4% 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, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.4% were non-families. 36.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.79. The median age in the city was 48.1 years. 21.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 17.1% were from 25 to 44; 28.6% were from 45 to 64; and 27% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.3% male and 51.7% female. The median income for a household in the city was $35,400, and the median income for a family was $51,042. Males had a median income of $34,200 versus $20,880 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 $19,902. About 8.3% of families and 11.8% 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 13.8% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,607 people, 693 households, and 419 families residing in the city. The

was 1,068.1 people per square mile (413.6/km). There were 841 housing units at an average density of 559.0 per square mile (216.5/km). The racial makeup of the city was 97.88%

, 0.19%

, 0.12% Native American, 0.19%

, 0.06%

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 ...

, and 1.56% from two or more races.

of any race were 0.19% of the population. There were 693 households, out of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% were

living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.5% were non-families. 37.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.94. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.9% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 22.1% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 27.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.4 males.

Economy

As of 2013, 65.4% of the population over the age of 16 was in the labor force. 0.0% was in the armed forces, and 65.4% was in the civilian labor force with 62.8% being employed and 2.6% unemployed. The composition, by occupation, of the employed civilian labor force was: 28.7% in management, business, science, and arts; 27.4% in sales and office occupations; 18.3% in service occupations; 14.6% in production, transportation, and material moving; and 11.1% in natural resources, construction, and maintenance. The three industries employing the largest percentages of the working civilian labor force were: educational services, health care, and social assistance (18.2%); wholesale trade (11.3%); and retail trade (10.5%). The cost of living in Osborne is relatively low; compared to a U.S. average of 100, the cost of living index for the city is 79.4. As of 2013, the median home value in the city was $42,400, the median selected monthly owner cost was $627 for housing units with a mortgage and $329 for those without, and the median gross rent was $492.

Government

Osborne is a city of the second class with a mayor–council form of government. The

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

consists of six members and meets on the first and third Wednesday of each month. As the

, Osborne is the administrative center of Osborne County. The

county courthouse A courthouse or court house is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English-spe ...

is located downtown, and all departments of the county government base their operations in the city. Osborne lies within Kansas's 1st U.S. Congressional District. For the purposes of representation in the

Kansas Legislature The Kansas Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. It is a bicameral assembly, composed of the lower Kansas House of Representatives, with 125 state representatives, and the upper Kansas Senate, with 40 state senators. ...

, the city is located in the 36th district of the

Kansas Senate The Kansas Senate is the upper house of the Kansas Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Kansas. It is composed of 40 senators elected from single-member districts, each with a population of at least 60,000 inhabitants. Members ...

and the 109th district of the

Kansas House of Representatives The Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for craftin ...

Education

Osborne

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 ...

392 provides

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Works * ...

and

secondary Secondary may refer to: Science and nature * Secondary emission, of particles ** Secondary electrons, electrons generated as ionization products * The secondary winding, or the electrical or electronic circuit connected to the secondary winding i ...

education, operating two schools in the city: Osborne Elementary School (

Grades Grade most commonly refers to: * Grade (education), a measurement of a student's performance * Grade, the number of the year a student has reached in a given educational stage * Grade (slope), the steepness of a slope Grade or grading may also r ...

K-6) and Osborne Junior/Senior High School (7-12).

Transportation

runs north-south through Osborne, meeting

, an east-west route, just north of the city. At the junction, U.S. 24 turns north and runs concurrently with U.S. 281. Osborne Municipal Airport is located immediately southeast of the city. It is used primarily for

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

. Osborne is the western terminus of a line of the

Kyle Railroad The Kyle Railroad is a regional railroad line that runs from North Central Kansas into Eastern Colorado. It is based in Phillipsburg, Kansas and runs on track, mostly the former Rock Island Railroad Chicago to Denver main line. The Kyle was o ...

. The city is also the northwestern terminus of a line of the

Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad The Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad is a shortline railroad operating in the Midwestern United States. It is primarily located in Kansas and extends into Colorado, but despite its name, not into Oklahoma. Overview The KO is a subsidiary of Watco, ...

Media

One newspaper is published in Osborne, the weekly ''Osborne County Farmer''. Osborne is in the Wichita-Hutchinson, Kansas television market.

Culture

Points of interest

The Osborne County Historical Museum exhibits artifacts from local history, including antique farm equipment, period clothing and housewares, and American Indian artifacts, and maintains on site a one-room school house built in 1912. A roadside park at the north end of the city displays information about the geodetic center of North America, which is located roughly south-southeast of the city, and hosts a replica of the geodetic marker at the site.

Notable people

Notable individuals who were born in and/or have lived in Osborne include: *

Chris Arpad Christopher John Arpad (born July 27, 1967) is an American steel drummer based in Tucson, Arizona. He is best known for his solo steel drum performances which combine his own vocals and live steel pan with his custom instrumental and vocal backi ...

(1967- ), steel drummer * Fred Cornwell (1961- ), football tight end *

Edward L. Kessel Edward Luther Kessel (April 27, 1904 – September 30, 1997) was an American biologist known for his work as an entomologist and writings to reconcile science and religion. Early life and education Kessel was born on 27 April 1904 in Osbor ...

(1904-1997), biologist * Joe Miller (1967- ), judge,

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

politician * Elsie Reasoner Ralph (25 April 1878 - 29 April 1913), first female war correspondent in US history * Lee Wykoff (1898-1974), Professional Wrestler