Whitewater is a city in Butler 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 th ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 661.

History

Early history

For many

millennia A millennium (plural millennia or millenniums) is a period of one thousand years, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting point (ini ...

, the Great Plains of North America was inhabited by

nomadic A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the popu ...

Native Americans. From the 16th century to 18th century, the

Kingdom of France The Kingdom of France ( fro, Reaume de France; frm, Royaulme de France; french: link=yes, Royaume de France) is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the medieval and early modern period ...

claimed ownership of large parts of North America. In 1762, after the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

, France secretly ceded

New France New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spa ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, per the Treaty of Fontainebleau.

19th century

In 1802, Spain returned most of the land to France. In 1803, most of the land for modern day Kansas was acquired by the United States from France as part of the 828,000 square mile

Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana Purchase (french: Vente de la Louisiane, translation=Sale of Louisiana) was the acquisition of the territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. In return for fifteen million dollars, or app ...

for 2.83 cents per acre. In 1854, the Kansas Territory was organized, then in 1861

became the 34th

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

. In 1855, Butler County was established within the Kansas Territory, which included the land for modern day Whitewater. The city originally formed several miles to the east. A post office was established as White Water (as two words) on August 7, 1871. The post office was renamed to Ovo on July 7, 1882. In 1887, the Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway built a branch line north–south from Herington through Whitewater to Caldwell.Rock Island Rail History
/ref> It foreclosed in 1891 and was taken over by Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway, which shut down in 1980 and reorganized as Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas Railroad, 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". Between 1885 and 1888, several buildings were moved to the present location on the Whitewater River after the

Missouri Pacific 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 ...

railroad came through the area. The city was established where the

and Rock Island railroads intersected. The post office was renamed to White Water on May 15, 1888.

20th century

The historic Oak Lawn Farm Dairy Barn was built near Whitewater in 1926. On November 1, 1950, the post office name was changed to Whitewater (one word). In 1961, Frederic Remington High School was built immediately north of Brainerd. Leading up to this new school, Whitewater, Potwin, Brainerd, Elbing, Furley, Countryside, and Golden Gate schools merged to form a joint rural high school. Heated opposition between Whitewater and Potwin occurred during the discussion for the location of the new high school. Rural voters pushed for a centralized location in neither town. A public vote was passed to build the new school near Brainerd.

Geography

Whitewater is located along the West Branch of the Whitewater River. 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 t ...

, 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 in ...

of 2010, there were 718 people, 254 households, and 189 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...

was . There were 267 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.3%

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 o ...

, 1.8% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.8%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 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 3.5% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties forme ...

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 2.6% of the population. There were 254 households, of which 37.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.2% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 25.6% were non-families. 23.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.05. The median age in the city was 42.7 years. 25.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.4% were from 25 to 44; 27% were from 45 to 64; and 19.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.8% male and 52.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 653 people, 232 households, and 171 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 255 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.78%

, 0.31% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.15% from

, and 2.60% from two or more races.

of any race were 0.46% of the population. There were 232 households, out of which 36.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.5% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 2.99. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.3% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 23.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $42,813, and the median income for a family was $43,984. Males had a median income of $33,958 versus $21,417 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 $20,078. About 3.3% of families and 5.4% 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 5.0% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The Whitewater government consists of a mayor and five council members. The council meets the 4th Monday of each month at 7PM.Whitewater - Directory of Public Officials
/ref>
/ref> * City Hall, 201 S Elm St. * US Post Office, 117 S Main St.

Education

Public

The community is served by Remington USD 206 public school district. The Remington High School mascot is a Bronco. * Frederic Remington High School north of Brainerd. * Remington Middle School in Whitewater. * Remington Elementary School in Potwin.

Library

* Whitewater Memorial Library

Media

Print

* ''

The Newton Kansan ''The Newton Kansan'' is an American daily newspaper published six days per week (excluding major holidays) in Newton, Kansas. It is owned by Gannett Gannett Co., Inc. () is an American mass media holding company headquartered in McLean, Vi ...

'', regional newspaper from Newton. * '' Butler County Times-Gazette'', regional newspaper from El Dorado. * '' The Wichita Eagle'', major regional newspaper from Wichita.

Radio

Whitewater is served by numerous

radio stations Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio sta ...

of the Wichita- Hutchinson listening market area, and satellite radio. See '' Media in Wichita, Kansas''.

Television

Whitewater is served by over-the-air ATSC

digital TV Digital television (DTV) is the transmission of television signals using digital encoding, in contrast to the earlier analog television technology which used analog signals. At the time of its development it was considered an innovative adva ...

of the Wichita- Hutchinson viewing market area, cable TV, and

satellite TV Satellite television is a service that delivers television programming to viewers by relaying it from a communications satellite orbiting the Earth directly to the viewer's location. The signals are received via an outdoor parabolic antenna commo ...

. See '' Media in Wichita, Kansas''.

Infrastructure

Kansas Map 1914 Chase Dickinson Marion Morris

Transportation

K-196 highway runs along the south side of the city. The Oklahoma Kansas Texas (OKT) line of the

runs through the north-west side of the city.

Notable person

* Hattie Louthan (1865–1950), writer, author of five books and contributed to newspapers and magazines.

References

External links

City of Whitewater

Whitewater - Directory of Public Officials

The history of Whitewater
Frederic Remington Area Historical Society
Whitewater city map
KDOT
Topo Map of Whitewater / Furley area
USGS
Topo Map of Whitewater / Potwin / Brainerd area
USGS {{Authority control Cities in Kansas Cities in Butler County, Kansas Wichita, KS Metropolitan Statistical Area