Burlington is a city in and 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 ...

of Coffey 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 2,634.

History

Burlington was founded in 1857. It was named after

Burlington, Vermont Burlington, officially the City of Burlington, is the List of municipalities in Vermont, most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the county seat, seat of Chittenden County, Vermont, Chittenden County. It is located south of the Can ...

, the native home of one of its founders. The first post office in Burlington was established in 1858, when it was removed from the now extinct town of Hampden. The population increased significantly as Wolf Creek Generating Station was constructed from 1977 to 1985.

Geography

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 , 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 divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Burlington has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 United States census counted 2,634 people, 1,136 households, and 648 families in Burlington. The population density was 1,192.9 per square mile (460.6/km). There were 1,325 housing units at an average density of 600.1 per square mile (231.7/km). The racial makeup was 90.66% (2,388)

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 ...

European American European Americans are Americans of European ancestry. This term includes both people who descend from the first European settlers in the area of the present-day United States and people who descend from more recent European arrivals. Since th ...

(88.99%

non-Hispanic white Non-Hispanic Whites, also referred to as White Anglo Americans or Non-Latino Whites, are White Americans who are classified by the United States census as "White" and not of Hispanic or Latino origin. According to annual estimates from the Unit ...

), 0.99% (26)

black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

, 0.46% (12) Native American or

Alaska Native Alaska Natives (also known as Native Alaskans, Alaskan Indians, or Indigenous Alaskans) are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples of Alaska that encompass a diverse arena of cultural and linguistic groups, including the I ...

, 0.91% (24) Asian, 0.0% (0)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

Native Hawaiian Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians; , , , and ) are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, Indigenous Polynesians, Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiʻi was set ...

, 0.84% (22) from other races, and 6.15% (162) from

two or more races Multiracial Americans, also known as mixed-race Americans, are Americans who have mixed ancestry of two or more races. The term may also include Americans of mixed-race ancestry who self-identify with just one group culturally and socially (cf. t ...

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race was 3.34% (88) of the population. Of the 1,136 households, 26.6% had children under the age of 18; 42.3% were married couples living together; 33.4% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 38.6% of households consisted of individuals and 19.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.4 and the average family size was 2.9. The percent of those with a bachelor's degree or higher was estimated to be 14.4% of the population. 23.8% of the population was under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 22.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.7 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 118.0 males. The 2016-2020 5-year

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

estimates show that the median household income was $46,800 (with a margin of error of +/- $8,382) and the median family income was $59,743 (+/- $7,916). Males had a median income of $36,923 (+/- $8,550) versus $23,750 (+/- $5,248) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $30,026 (+/- $3,565). Approximately, 13.3% of families and 16.8% 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 ...

, including 20.3% of those under the age of 18 and 8.2% of those ages 65 or over.

2010 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 2010, there were 2,674 people, 1,138 households, and 699 families living 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 . There were 1,296 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.7%

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 ...

, 1.0%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 1.0% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 2.5% of the population. There were 1,138 households, of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% 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, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.6% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age in the city was 41.1 years. 24.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.8% were from 25 to 44; 27.2% were from 45 to 64; and 18.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.4% male and 52.6% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,790 people, 1,122 households, and 713 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,277 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.95%

, 0.32%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

, 0.57% Native American, 0.68% Asian, 0.61% from other races, and 1.86% from two or more races. 1.79% of the population were

or Latino of any race. There were 1,122 households, out of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% were

living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.02. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.0% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $36,174, and the median income for a family was $43,021. Males had a median income of $30,946 versus $20,357 for females. 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 $18,443. About 5.2% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the

, including 7.2% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Wolf Creek

Located just northeast of Burlington is the Wolf Creek Generating Station, the only nuclear power plant in Kansas. This plant is situated on Coffey County Lake, which was constructed as the cooling lake for the plant. The plant has been generating electricity since 1985, and is a local landmark. Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation ("WCNOC") operates the plant, and is a subsidiary of the plant's owners Kansas Gas & Electric (part of

Westar Energy Evergy, Inc. is an American investor-owned utility (IOU) with publicly traded stock with headquarters in Topeka, Kansas, and in Kansas City, Missouri. The company was formed from a merger of Westar Energy of Topeka and Great Plains Energy of K ...

Kansas City Power & Light Kansas City Power and Light Company was an electric utility company serving the Kansas City metropolitan area. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Great Plains Energy of which it was the biggest component. The company traces its roots to Novem ...

(part of

Great Plains Energy Great Plains Energy Incorporated was a holding company based in Kansas City, Missouri that owned electric utility Kansas City Power and Light Company and Strategic Energy, LLC, an energy management company. KCP&L established the holding company ...

), and KEPCO (an association of Kansas electric power cooperatives). Westar and Great Plains Energy merged in 2018 to form Evergy, while maintaining the Westar and KCP&L names until October 2019.

Education

The community is served by

Burlington USD 244 Burlington USD 244 is a public unified school district headquartered in Burlington, Kansas, United States. The district includes the communities of Burlington, New Strawn, Ottumwa, Sharpe, and nearby rural areas. Schools The school distri ...

public school district, and has three schools: Burlington High School, Burlington Middle School, Burlington Elementary School. Allen County Community College offers classes at Burlington High School, both for adults and for high school students who may earn concurrent credits. Burlington is home to the Burlington Carnegie Free Library, although the building no longer houses a library and is now used as an office space. The Burlington branch of th
Coffey County Library
meets the community's information needs.

Notable people

Christian Braun Christian Nicolas Braun ( ; born April 17, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A Kansas native, Braun won Mr. Kansas Basketball in 2019 and played collegiat ...

– former college basketball player for

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Two branch campuses are in the Kansas City metropolitan area on the Kansas side: the university's medical school and hospital ...

and NBA player for the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

Harrison Kelley Harrison Kelley (May 12, 1836 – July 24, 1897) was a U.S. Representative from Kansas. Born William Henry Harrison Kelley in Montgomery Township, Ohio, Kelley attended the common schools. He moved to Coffey County, Kansas, in March 1858. Duri ...

(1836–1897) –

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Tyrel Reed Tyrel Reed (born April 8, 1989) is an American former basketball player who played for University of Kansas. He is the winningest player in KU Jayhawks history, with a combined record of 132–17 record in his four seasons at the University of ...

– former professional basketball player; former college basketball player for

References

External links

City of Burlington

Burlington – Directory of Public Officials

Burlington city map
KDOT {{Authority control Cities in Kansas County seats in Kansas Cities in Coffey County, Kansas 1857 establishments in Kansas Territory