Pretty Prairie is a city in

Reno County Reno County (standard abbreviation: RN) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 61,898. The largest city and county seat is Hutchinson. History Early history For many millennia, the Great ...

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 660.

History

The first post office at Pretty Prairie was established in 1874. Pretty Prairie was laid out in 1889. It was named from its scenic setting upon the prairie. It was incorporated as a city in 1907. The city's sole source of water is a single well, a 100-foot-deep borehole. Due to

agricultural pollution Agricultural pollution refers to biotic material, biotic and abiotic byproducts of agriculture, farming practices that result in pollution, contamination or degradation of the environment and surrounding ecosystems, and/or cause injury to human ...

from the region's groundwater, the well water has had nitrate levels in excess of the federal nitrate standard since the mid-1990s. For years, Pretty Prairie distributed

bottled water Bottled water is drinking water (e.g., well water, distilled water, mineral water, or spring water) packaged in plastic or glass water bottles. Bottled water may be carbonated or not. Sizes range from small single serving bottles to lar ...

to at-risk families. On January 3, 2017, the town council approved a settlement with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the

EPA The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it be ...

. The town planned to invest in a

water tower A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towers often operate in conju ...

, an underground storage tank, and a reverse osmosis water treatment system.

Geography

Pretty Prairie is located at (37.780250, -98.018879). 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, Pretty Prairie has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Pretty Prairie, 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 in ...

of 2010, there were 680 people, 272 households, and 190 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 304 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.0%

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 o ...

, 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 ...

, 0.3% Native American, 0.1%

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 ...

, 1.0% 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 2.4% 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 ...

people of any race were 3.1% of the population. There were 272 households, of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 30.1% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.84. The median age in the city was 42.4 years. 25.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.9% were from 25 to 44; 23.1% were from 45 to 64; and 24.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.2% male and 52.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 615 people, 261 households, and 184 families residing in the city. The

was 1,198.8 people per square mile (465.6/km). There were 290 housing units at an average density of 565.3 per square mile (219.5/km). The racial makeup of the city was 99.35%

, 0.16% Native American, 0.16% from

, and 0.33% from two or more races.

people of any race were 1.63% of the population. There were 261 households, out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.3% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.86. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.2% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 17.4% from 45 to 64, and 24.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $32,857, and the median income for a family was $40,000. Males had a median income of $30,536 versus $18,125 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 $18,944. About 4.1% of families and 5.6% 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 4.1% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The community is served by Pretty Prairie USD 311 public school district. It has three schools.

Notable people

* Brian Bergkamp, member 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 crafti ...

* Jon Gnagy, artist and television art instructor * Walter Huxman, governor of Kansas and jurist; born in Pretty Prairie *

Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer Carl Dean Switzer (August 7, 1927 – January 21, 1959) was an American singer, child actor, dog breeder, and guide. He was best known for his role as Alfalfa in the short subjects series ''Our Gang''. Switzer began his career as a child ac ...

, actor; played Alfalfa on the '' Little Rascals/Our Gang series'', lived in the town in 1954 while briefly married to Collingwood Grain heiress Dian Collingwood *

Jack Unruh Jack Unruh (July 31, 1935 – May 16, 2016) was an American commercial illustrator whose works featured in advertising projects for all types of companies. Unruh won several awards from the Society of Illustrators. His work focuses primarily on the ...

, artist and illustrator

References

External links

Pretty Prairie - Directory of Public Officials

Pretty Prairie Rodeo
Kansas's largest night rodeo * , from ''Hatteberg's People'' on

KAKE KAKE (channel 10) is a television station in Wichita, Kansas, United States, affiliated with ABC and owned by Lockwood Broadcast Group. The station's studios are located on West Street in northwestern Wichita, and its transmitter is located in ...

TV news
Pretty Prairie city map
KDOT {{Authority control Cities in Reno County, Kansas Cities in Kansas 1889 establishments in Kansas Populated places established in 1889