Waldo is a city in Waldo Township, Russell County,

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 30.

History

The Union Town Company established the town of Waldo on October 1, 1888, having acquired 280 acres of land on a line of the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

. The community grew over the following decades, reaching a population of approximately 300 by 1915. A small business community, including a bank, stores, and three

grain elevator A grain elevator or grain terminal is a facility designed to stockpile or store grain. In the grain trade, the term "grain elevator" also describes a tower containing a bucket elevator or a pneumatic conveyor, which scoops up grain from a lowe ...

s, developed during the 1900s. The town served as an agricultural shipping and receiving point for the surrounding area. Waldo incorporated as a city in May 1911. Since the 1930s, the population of the community has gradually declined. Waldo High School closed in 1964, followed by Waldo Grade School in 1979. In 1993, Union Pacific abandoned its rail line through Waldo, ending rail service to the community.

Geography

Waldo is located on U.S. Route 281 in north-central Kansas, northwest of Wichita, west 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 t ...

and north-northeast of Russell, the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

. Located 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 diss ...

region of the

Great Plains The Great Plains is a broad expanse of plain, flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include th ...

, Waldo sits on the east bank of the West Fork of Wolf Creek, part of the Saline River watershed. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 30 people, 15 households, and 7 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was 75 people per square mile (29/km). There were 44 housing units at an average density of 110 per square mile (44/km). The racial makeup of the city was 100.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

. Hispanics and Latinos of any race were 0.0% of the population. There were 15 households, of which 20.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 0.0% had a male householder with no wife present, 0.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 53.3% were non-families. 53.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 60.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.00, and the average family size was 3.14. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.7% under the age of 18, 0.0% from 18 to 24, 20.0% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 33.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 52.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 114.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100 males age 18 and over. The median income for a household in the city was $37,857, and the median income for a family was $38,393. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $15,152. There were 0.0% of families and 0.0% 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 ...

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 48 people, 27 households, and 15 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 32 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.83%

, 2.08% Native American, and 2.08% from two or more races. There were 27 households, out of which 14.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.1% were

living together, 3.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.4% were non-families. 44.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.78 and the average family size was 2.40. In the city the population was spread out, with 12.5% under the age of 18, 12.5% from 18 to 24, 8.3% from 25 to 44, 29.2% from 45 to 64, and 37.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 62 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 121.1 males.

Economy

As of 2012, 37.0% of the population over the age of 16 was in the labor force. 0.0% was in the armed forces, and 37.0% was in the civilian labor force with 37.0% being employed and 0.0% unemployed. The composition, by occupation, of the employed civilian labor force was: 60.0% in management, business, science, and arts; 30.0% in sales and office occupations; 10.0% in natural resources, construction, and maintenance; 0.0% in production, transportation, and material moving; and 0.0% in service occupations. The three industries employing the largest percentages of the working civilian labor force were: agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining (40.0%); educational services, and health care and social assistance (30.0%); and retail trade (20.0%). The cost of living in Waldo is relatively low; compared to a U.S. average of 100, the cost of living index for the community is 79.9. As of 2012, the median home value in the city was $13,800, and the median selected monthly owner cost was $467 for housing units with a mortgage and $313 for those without.

Government

Waldo is a city of the third 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, borough counc ...

consists of five members, and it meets on the first Tuesday of each month. Waldo lies within Kansas's 1st U.S. Congressional District. For the purposes of representation in the Kansas Legislature, 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 about 73,000 inhabitants. Members o ...

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

The community is served by Natoma–Paradise–Waldo USD 399 public school district, which is located in Natoma. Waldo High School consolidated with Paradise High School in 1964. Paradise High School then consolidated with Natoma High School in 1974. The Waldo High School mascot was Waldo Warriors.

Infrastructure

Transportation

U.S. Route 281 and Kansas Highway 18 (K-18) run concurrently east–west through Waldo.

Utilities

Western Electric provides electricity to local residents. Gorham Telephone provides landline telephone service and offers cable television and internet access. Most residents use privately stored

propane Propane () is a three-carbon chain alkane with the molecular formula . It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure, but becomes liquid when compressed for transportation and storage. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum ref ...

for heating fuel.

Media

Waldo is in the Wichita-Hutchinson, Kansas television market.

References

External links

Waldo - Directory of Public Officials

USD 399
local school district
Waldo city map
KDOT {{Authority control Cities in Kansas Cities in Russell County, Kansas Populated places established in 1888 1888 establishments in Kansas