Richfield is a city in Morton 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 30.

History

19th century

Richfield was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bear ...

ted in 1885 and was named for the fertility of the land. A town was built up quickly: in less than one year, Richfield had 600 inhabitants. In 1886, Morton County was founded and Richfield was established as 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 ...

.Morton County Facts; mtcoks.com
/ref>

20th century

By 1900, the population of Richfield had declined to 61. In the 1930s, the area was further affected by its location within the

Dust Bowl The Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the American and Canadian prairies during the 1930s. The phenomenon was caused by a combination of both natural factors (severe drought) an ...

. This catastrophe intensified the economic impact of the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

in the region. In 1961, the county seat was moved from Richfield to Elkhart. Richfield has subsequently been the center for basic services for residents of the surrounding rural region: school, postal, fire and police, food and fuel.

Geography

Richfield is located at (37.265731, -101.783654). 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

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, Richfield 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.Climate Summary for Richfield, Kansas
/ref>

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 43 people, 20 households, and 15 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 25 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 100.0%

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 ...

. There were 20 households, of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.0% 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, 5.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.0% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.53. The median age in the city was 50.5 years. 16.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.6% were from 25 to 44; 18.7% were from 45 to 64; and 32.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 44.2% male and 55.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 48 people, 25 households, and 14 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 26 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 100.00%

. There were 25 households, out of which 20.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were

living together, 4.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.0% were non-families. 40.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 28.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.92 and the average family size was 2.57. In the city, the population was spread out, with 16.7% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 22.9% from 25 to 44, 33.3% from 45 to 64, and 22.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 52 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $37,813, and the median income for a family was $42,500. Males had a median income of $33,750 versus $12,083 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 $16,974. There were no families and 10.3% of the population living 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 no under eighteens and none of those over 64.

References

External links

Richfield - Directory of Public Officials

USD 217
local school district
Richfield City Map
KDOT {{Authority control Cities in Kansas Cities in Morton County, Kansas