Hillsboro is a city in Marion 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. Hillsboro was named after John Gillespie Hill, who homesteaded in the area in 1871.Hillsboro Kansas, The City on the Prairie; Wiebe, Raymond F; 1985. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 2,732. Hillsboro is home of Tabor College, which had 766 students enrolled in Fall 2014.

History

Stouffer's Railroad Map of Kansas 1915-1918 Marion County

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, Marion County was established within the Kansas Territory, which included the land for modern day Hillsboro. Hillsboro was named after John Gillespie Hill, who homesteaded in the area in 1871. Originally Hill City was the city name; since another city in Kansas already bore that name, it was changed to Hillsboro on June 20, 1879. A post office was established in Risley on April 10, 1873 then moved to Hillsboro on August 29, 1879. As early as 1875, city leaders of

Marion Marion may refer to: People *Marion (given name) *Marion (surname) *Marion Silva Fernandes, Brazilian footballer known simply as "Marion" *Marion (singer), Filipino singer-songwriter and pianist Marion Aunor (born 1992) Places Antarctica * Mario ...

held a meeting to consider a branch railroad from

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...

. In 1878,

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison, Kansas, Atchison and Top ...

and parties from Marion County and McPherson County chartered the Marion and McPherson Railway Company.''Marion County Kansas : Past and Present''; Sondra Van Meter; MB Publishing House;

LCCN The Library of Congress Control Number (LCCN) is a serially based system of numbering cataloged records in the Library of Congress, in the United States. It is not related to the contents of any book, and should not be confused with Library of ...

72-92041; 344 pages; 1972. In 1879, a branch line was built from

to McPherson, in 1880 it was extended to Lyons, in 1881 it was extended to Ellinwood. The line was leased and operated by the

. The line from

, was abandoned in 1968.Railway Abandonment 1968
/ref> In 1992, the line from

to McPherson was sold to Central Kansas Railway. In 1993, after heavy flood damage, the line from Marion through Hillsboro to McPherson was abandoned and removed. The original branch line connected

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, Hillsboro, Lehigh, Canton,

Galva Galva may refer to: Places ;United States * Galva, Illinois * Galva, Iowa * Galva, Kansas Galva is a city in McPherson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 834. History Early history For ...

, McPherson, Conway, Windom,

Little River Little River may refer to several places: Australia Streams New South Wales *Little River (Dubbo), source in the Dubbo region, a tributary of the Macquarie River * Little River (Oberon), source in the Oberon Shire, a tributary of Coxs River (Haw ...

, Mitchell, Lyons,

Chase Chase or CHASE may refer to: Businesses * Chase Bank, a national bank based in New York City, New York * Chase Aircraft (1943–1954), a defunct American aircraft manufacturing company * Chase Coaches, a defunct bus operator in England * Chase Co ...

, Ellinwood.

20th century

In 1908, Tabor College was founded by members of the Mennonite Brethren and Krimmer Mennonite Brethren Christian churches. The

National Old Trails Road National Old Trails Road, also known as the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway, was established in 1912, and became part of the National Auto Trail system in the United States. It was long and stretched from Baltimore, Maryland (some old maps indicate N ...

, also known as the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway, was established in 1912, and was routed through Lehigh, Hillsboro,

, Lost Springs.

Geography

Hillsboro is located at coordinates 38.3519556, -97.2044723 in the

Flint Hills The Flint Hills, historically known as Bluestem Pastures or Blue Stem Hills, are a region in eastern Kansas and north-central Oklahoma named for the abundant residual flint eroded from the bedrock that lies near or at the surface. It consists of ...

and Great Plains of the state of

. 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 , of which, is land and is water.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. 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, Hillsboro has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Area events

* Hillsboro Arts & Crafts Fair * Hillsboro Farmer's Market * Marion County Fair * Annual Easter egg hunt

Area attractions

Pioneer Adobe House and fence Hillsboro Kansas

Hillsboro has two buildings listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

(NRHP). * W.F. Schaeffler House MuseumW.F. Schaeffler House Museum
/ref> ( NRHP), 312 East Grand Ave. * Mennonite Settlement Museums, 501 South Ash Street. Main museum on Memorial Drive (1 block west). ** 1876 P.P. Loewen House ( NRHP). Previously known as the Pioneer Adobe House. A traditional Russian clay brick house from the Mennonite settlement village of Hoffnungsthal. The last remaining house of its kind in North America. ** Jacob Friesen Flouring Wind Mill is a detailed replica of the 1876 mill that stood in the Mennonite settlement village of Gnadenau. ** 1886 Kreutziger School No. 97 was in service from 1886 to 1960 approximately 5 miles north of Canada, Kansas. *

Marion Reservoir Marion Reservoir is a body of water on the Cottonwood River, north-west of Marion, on the western edge of the Flint Hills region of Kansas in the United States. It was completed in 1968 and is operated by the Army Corps of Engineers for the p ...

, north-east of Hillsboro, exits closest to farther from Hillsboro along US-56: French Creek cove (Limestone Road), Hillsboro cove (Nighthawk Road), Overlook and Dam (Old Mill Road), Marion cove and Cottonwood Point cove (Pawnee Road).

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 2,993 people, 1,071 households, and 684 families residing 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 1,193 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.6%

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 ...

, 1.7%

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 ...

, 0.3% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1%

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 ...

, 0.9% 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, 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 3.2% of the population. There were 1,071 households, of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.6% were married couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.1% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age in the city was 36.2 years. 19.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 20.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 17.7% were from 25 to 44; 21.5% were from 45 to 64; and 20.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.7% male and 51.3% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,854 people, 1,086 households, and 710 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,209 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.48%

, 0.35%

, 0.35% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.56% from

, and 0.95% from two or more races.

of any race were 1.51% of the population. There were 1,086 households, out of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were non-families. 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.85. In the city, the population was spread out, with 20.4% under the age of 18, 17.3% from 18 to 24, 21.9% from 25 to 44, 17.1% from 45 to 64, and 23.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.4 males. As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $32,736, and the median income for a family was $42,465. Males had a median income of $31,188 versus $20,134 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 $15,544. About 5.5% of families and 9.7% 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 15.1% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The largest employers in Hillsboro are education related, Tabor College and

Unified School District A unified school district (in the states of Arizona, California, Kansas and Oregon) or unit school district (in Illinois), in the United States of America, is a school district that generally includes and operates both primary schools (kindergarten ...

410, which have been in the community for over 100 years. Manufacturer Hillsboro Industries started business in 1968. In September 2014,

Wal-Mart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...

announced plans to build a Walmart Neighborhood Market store in Hillsboro and will open in spring 2015. There is also employment found in the agricultural sector, with Circle D Manufacturing, Hillsboro Industries, Ag Service, Cooperative Grain and Supply, and Country Side Feed. Hillsboro is also the home t
Stone Creek Spas
the only hot tubs built in the state of Kansas.

Government

The Hillsboro government consists of a mayor and four council members. The council meets the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month at 4PM.Hillsboro - Directory of Public Officials
/ref>
/ref> * City Hall, 118 E Grand Ave.

Education

College

Tabor College, a private college affiliated with the

Mennonite Brethren Church The Mennonite Brethren Church is an evangelical Mennonite Anabaptist movement with congregations. History The conference was established among Plautdietsch-speaking Russian Mennonites in 1860. During the 1850s, some Mennonites were influenc ...

, is located in Hillsboro at 400 South Jefferson Street. In 2009, Tabor College built a new football complex that is shared with Hillsboro High School.

Primary and secondary education

The community is served by Hillsboro USD 410 public school district. The high school is a member of T.E.E.N., a shared video teaching network between five area high schools. * Hillsboro High School * Hillsboro Middle School * Hillsboro Elementary School

Sports

The Hillsboro High School mascot is a Trojan. All high school athletic and non-athletic competition is overseen by the Kansas State High School Activities Association. For 2010/2011 seasons, the football team competes as Class 3A. Past Championships: * The Hillsboro High School girls basketball team won the 3A Kansas State Basketball tournament in 2007 for the first time since 1996.

Private Schools

* Hope Valley Christian School, Private Grade School, 1808 Holly Rd, approximately 0.5 mile southwest of Hillsboro.

Library

Each USD 410 school has a library for student access. Students of Tabor College have access to the Tabor College Library at 400 South Jefferson Street. The city is served by the Hillsboro Public Library at 120 East Grand Avenue. The library is a member of the North Central Kansas Libraries System.

Media

Print

The community is served by two weekly newspapers, the '' Hillsboro Free Press''. and the '' Hillsboro Star-Journal''. The ''Star-Journal'' is Hillsboro's oldest publication and the city's official newspaper, with the city's largest paid circulation. The ''Free Press'' is distributed free by carrier to residences in the city, and covers news for the greater Marion County area. '' The Wichita Eagle'' in Wichita delivers to Marion County on Sundays and Thanksgiving. ''

The Salina Journal ''Salina Journal'' is a daily morning newspaper based in Salina, Kansas, United States. It is delivered in north-central and north-western Kansas. Circulation is reported at 20,364 in 2019. History The ''Journal'' was founded in 1871. It was pur ...

'' from Salina offers daily delivery yeararound.

Radio

Hillsboro 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

Hillsboro 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

Transportation

US-56 highway runs east-west along the north side of the city, and K-15 highway is northwest of the city. Alfred Schroeder Field airport, FAA:M66, is located immediately adjacent to the west of the fair grounds and centered at .Alfred Schroeder Field information
/ref>

Utilities

* Internet ** Fiber is provided b
TCW
** DSL is provided by

CenturyLink Lumen Technologies, Inc. (formerly CenturyLink) is an American telecommunications company headquartered in Monroe, Louisiana, that offers communications, network services, security, cloud solutions, voice, and managed services. The company is ...

. ** Cable is provided b
Eagle Communications
** Wireless is provided b
Pixius CommunicationsRise Broadband
** Satellite is provided by

HughesNet Hughes Network Systems, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar. It is headquartered in Germantown, Maryland and provides satellite internet service. HughesNet has over 1.3 million subscribers in the Americas. History Hughes Communication ...

StarBand StarBand was a two-way Satellite Internet access, satellite broadband Internet service available in the United States, U.S. from 2000–2015. StarBand ceased operations effective September 30, 2015 citing increased competition from other internet p ...

WildBlue Viasat Inc. is an American communications company based in Carlsbad, California, with additional operations across the United States and worldwide. Viasat is a provider of high-speed satellite broadband services and secure networking systems co ...

. * TV ** Cable is provided b
Eagle Communications
** Satellite is provided by

DirecTV DirecTV (trademarked as DIRECTV) is an American multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital satellite service serving the United States. I ...

, Dish Network. ** Terrestrial is provided by regional

stations. * Electricity ** City is provided by Kansas Power Pool, billed by City of Hillsboro. ** Rural is provided b
Flint Hills RECA
* Gas is provided by

Atmos Energy Atmos Energy Corporation, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is one of the United States' largest natural-gas-only distributors, serving about three million natural gas distribution customers in over 1,400 communities in nine states from the Blue Ri ...

. * Water ** City is provided by City of Hillsboro. ** Rural is provided by Marion County RWD #4
map
. * Sewer ** Service is provided by City of Hillsboro. * Trash ** Service is provided by City of Hillsboro.

Notable people

* Donald Dahl (1945-2014),

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 crafti ...

from 1997 to 2008,Kansas Legislators Past & Present

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

* J. V. Friesen,

in 1941, furniture dealer * William Kopper,

in 1935, merchant * Theodore Schellenberg (1903-1970),

archivist An archivist is an information professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to records and archives determined to have long-term value. The records maintained by an archivist can consis ...

and archival theorist.

References

External links

;City *
Hillsboro - Directory of Public Officials
League of Kansas Municipalities ;Historical
Historic Images of Hillsboro
Special Photo Collections at Wichita State University Library.

archive of KsGenWeb
Marion County history bibliography

Marion County school bibliography
Kansas Historical Society ;Maps
Hillsboro city map
KDOT
Topo Map of Hillsboro area
USGS {{Authority control Cities in Kansas Cities in Marion County, Kansas Mennonitism in Kansas German-Russian culture in Kansas Populated places established in 1879 1879 establishments in Kansas Russian Mennonite diaspora in the United States