Chanute () is a city in Neosho 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. Founded on January 1, 1873, it was named after railroad engineer and aviation pioneer

Octave Chanute Octave Chanute (February 18, 1832 – November 23, 1910) was a French-American civil engineer and aviation pioneer. He advised and publicized many aviation enthusiasts, including the Wright brothers. At his death, he was hailed as the father of ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 8,722. Chanute is home of Neosho County Community College.

History

In 1870 when the Leavenworth, Lawrence & Galveston Rail Road (later the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, now the

BNSF Railway BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three Transcontinental railroad, transcontine ...

) crossed the Missouri, Kansas and Texas line within the limits of Neosho county four rival towns sprang up, in the vicinity of the junction: New Chicago, Chicago Junction, Alliance, and Tioga. Two years of the most bitter animosity ensued until the four were consolidated in 1872, and the name of Chanute given it in honor of Octave Chanute, a railroad civil engineer. Settlers had begun populating the area as early as 1856. With the LL&G Railroad set to arrive shortly thereafter, the early residents of the towns of Tioga, Chicago Junction, Alliance, and New Chicago needed an innovative solution to an escalating dispute over which town would claim the right to house the LL&G Railroad's new land office. The towns were unable to settle their differences until an individual by the name of

came to town. Octave was the Chief Engineer and General Superintendent of the LL&G Railroad. In 1872, he suggested the towns merge to end the bickering. On January 1, 1873, the towns merged and became Chanute. With the Southern Kansas Railroad locating a division headquarters in Chanute, the city began to flourish. In 1887, Chanute boasted a rapid growth in flourmills,

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, banks, drug and hardware stores, and natural gas. In 1903, the City of Chanute established the electric utility, and in the years to follow, established the gas, water, wastewater, refuse utilities. Ash Grove Cement Company, the sixth largest cement manufacturer in North America, commenced cement manufacture in 1908 in Chanute. In September 2011 Spirit AeroSystems announced the expansion of an assembly facility which will grow to 150 employees in five years and boost the local economy.

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

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, Chanute 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. The hottest temperature recorded in Chanute was on July 18, 1936, while the coldest temperature recorded was on January 30, 1949.

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 United States census counted 8,722 people, 3,530 households, and 2,154 families in Chanute. The population density was 1,228.8 per square mile (474.4/km). There were 4,108 housing units at an average density of 578.8 per square mile (223.5/km). The racial makeup was 86.43% (7,538)

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 ...

(83.26%

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 ...

), 1.36% (119)

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. ...

, 1.16% (101) 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 ...

, 0.69% (60) Asian, 0.07% (6)

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 ...

, 2.26% (197) from other races, and 8.04% (701) from two or more races.

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 8.11% (707) of the population. Of the 3,530 households, 31.2% had children under the age of 18; 41.5% were married couples living together; 30.0% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 33.5% of households consisted of individuals and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.3 and the average family size was 2.9. The percent of those with a bachelor's degree or higher was estimated to be 11.5% of the population. 25.7% of the population was under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.9 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 109.6 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 $45,238 (with a margin of error of +/- $7,522) and the median family income was $55,900 (+/- $10,730). Males had a median income of $36,138 (+/- $6,959) versus $22,187 (+/- $2,589) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $27,437 (+/- $2,787). Approximately, 17.1% of families and 19.5% 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 24.6% of those under the age of 18 and 8.6% 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 9,119 people, 3,720 households, and 2,322 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 . There were 4,178 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.4%

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 ...

, 1.9%

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 ...

, 1.2% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.1%

, 1.4% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 5.4% of the population. There were 3,720 households, of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.1% 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, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.6% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age in the city was 37.2 years. 25.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23% were from 25 to 44; 24.5% were from 45 to 64; and 16.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.0% male and 52.0% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 9,411 people, 3,864 households, and 2,496 families residing in the city. The

was 1,533.7 people per square mile (591.8 per km²). There were 4,262 housing units at an average density of 694.6 per square mile (268.0 per km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.20%

, 1.42%

, 1.11% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.04%

, 1.39% from other races, and 2.37% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 3.89% of the population. There were 3,864 households, out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.9% were

living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. 31.7% 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 2.34 and the average family size was 2.92. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.2% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $29,912, and the median income for a family was $36,630. Males had a median income of $25,696 versus $17,938 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 $16,288. About 12.0% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the

, including 20.3% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Colleges

Neosho County Community College is a public, two-year institution, that currently provides post-secondary education for just under 3,200 students.

Primary and secondary

The community is served by Chanute USD 413 public school district, which includes one elementary school (Chanute Elementary), one middle school (Royster Middle), and one high school (

Chanute High School Chanute High School is a Secondary education in the United States, public secondary school in Chanute, Kansas, United States, and operated by Chanute USD 413 school district. Campus The school's current building was completed in 2008. Curricul ...

). Chanute's public school system also includes Chanute High School-affiliated New Beginnings Academy, a program for students lacking credits to graduate and designed for individuals who have dropped out or are in danger of dropping out of high school. High school credits for New Beginnings Academy are provided by Chanute High School. In 1961 Chanute had at least 5 elementary schools listed in the 1960-61 Kansas Educational Directory, Alcott, James B Hutton, Lincoln, Murray Hill and Roosevelt. Alcott was located at 500 North Forest in the northwest section of Chanute in the vicinity of Highland Park and is currently repurposed as a church. The front of James B. Hutton was located at 600 South Ashby and is currently repurposed as a church. Lincoln was located at Main and Allen. Murray Hill was located on 3rd Street bounded on the East by Garfield Avenue and is now listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is currently repurposed as a senior living home. Roosevelt was located at 1506 S Evergreen and has been repurposed as a single family home. Chanute is home to two private schools: Saint Patrick Catholic School and Chanute Christian Academy. Saint Patrick Catholic School provides schooling for students from pre-school (ages three to four) through the sixth grade while Chanute Christian Academy (CCA) provides schooling for students from kindergarten through the twelfth grade. The Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) recognizes Saint Patrick Catholic School as an accredited, non-public school. Chanute Christian Academy is not listed as an accredited school on the KSDE website.

Area attractions

The Chanute area has many tourist attractions known for their historical significance. ;Martin and Osa Johnson Safari Museum The Martin and Osa Johnson Safari Museum offers exhibits and programs that highlight the achievements of

Martin and Osa Johnson Martin Elmer Johnson (October 9, 1884 – January 13, 1937) and Osa Helen Johnson (née Leighty, March 14, 1894 – January 7, 1953) were married United States, American adventurers and documentary filmmakers. In the first half of the 20th centur ...

, pioneering documentary filmmakers, photographers, authors, explorers, and Kansans. A trip to the museum allows one to relive the Johnsons' 1917–1936 adventures in Africa,

Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...

and the South Seas. Additional exhibits feature the cultures and art of West Africa. ;The Tioga Suites Hotel The Tioga Suites Hotel, on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Neosho County, Kansas as the Tioga Inn, was built in 1929 boasting "modern fireproof construction" consisting of concrete framing, ceramic block fire walls, firehose connections on each floor, fire extinguishers and even "complete fire fighting apparatus" in the roof-top elevator penthouse. It is located on the northeast corner of Lincoln and Main Streets. It has been remodeled and modernized. Currently, it operates as th
Tioga Hotel
the largest hotel in town. ;Chanute Art Gallery The Chanute Art Gallery includes more than 1,500 square feet of exhibit area and houses a Permanent Core Collection of more than 500 works of art that includes 25 mediums, representing 135 artists. Special exhibits change every month. Collections include: The Luigi Kasimir Etchings, European and Oriental Art, The Kansas Prairie Printmakers and local and area artists. ;Chanute Historical Museum The Chanute Historical Museum, run by the Chanute Historical Society, is located south of the historic Santa Fe Railroad Depot in what is commonly known as the Flat Iron Building. Exhibits include a replica of Octave Chanute's 1896 biplane glider that was once displayed at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, historic artifacts from the Santa Fe Railroad and the Harvey House restaurant, and more. ;Downtown & Historic Homes Both the downtown and historic home districts offer a variety of architectural styles and examples of restoration. The James and Ella Truitt House, located at 305 N. Steuben Ave., was listed on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Neosho County, Kansas in 2014. Chanute also has several examples of WPA projects. ;Cardinal Drug Store The Cardinal Drug Store in downtown Chanute is the home of one of the oldest original soda fountains in Kansas. It has a collection of Coke memorabilia and medicine bottles. Cardinal is located at 103 East Main Street. ;Austin Bridge The King Bridge Company constructed the Austin Bridge in 1872. The 160-foot bowstring arch design spanned the Neosho River east of what is now Chanute. Local pioneers invested $15,000 in the bridge for their economic future of getting livestock and crops to the railhead. In 1910 the bridge was moved downstream to the community of Austin. In 1972 it was closed to vehicular traffic, remaining open to foot traffic. On September 15, 1977, the bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In August 1999 the bridge was moved into Santa Fe Park to become the southern terminus of a 3.11 mile hike/bike path. A Federal grant, Neosho County and the City of Chanute funded the project. ;Summit Hill Gardens Summit Hill Gardens was the first school in Neosho County. Summit Hill was restored and a historic home and modern structure were added to the family residence. It has a flower and herb garden. It is located at 2605 160th Road. ;Chanute–Wright Brothers Memorial Located at 1 West Main, this sculpture was dedicated in September 2003 by the Chanute High School Class of 1941. The sculpture honors engineer and city namesake, Octave Chanute, a railroad designer who built the railroad through the town (now next to the memorial site), and whose work inspired the

Wright Brothers The Wright brothers, Orville Wright (August 19, 1871 – January 30, 1948) and Wilbur Wright (April 16, 1867 – May 30, 1912), were American aviation List of aviation pioneers, pioneers generally credited with inventing, building, and flyin ...

. The replica sculpture of the Wright Brothers plane measures 23 feet from wing tip to wing tip and 20 feet from nose to tail. The project was in partnership with the City of Chanute.

Transportation

Highways

Major highways running through Chanute are north–south route US-169 and east–west route K-39 (East-West). Chanute is also within 10 miles of two other major north–south highways: US-75 and US-59. These highways provide easy access to

I-70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to I-695 and Maryland Route 570 (MD 570) in Woodlawn, just outside Baltimore, Maryland. I-70 appr ...

and

I-35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexico–Uni ...

, the two Interstate highways passing through Kansas, as well as east–west highway US-400.

Bus

Bus service is provided northward towards

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

and southward towards

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa ( ) is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, second-most-populous city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the List of United States cities by population, 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The po ...

Jefferson Lines Jefferson Lines (JL or JLI) is a regional intercity bus company operating in 14 states in the Midwest and the West of the United States. History The company is operated by Jefferson Partners L.P., located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Jefferson P ...

(subcontractor of

Greyhound Lines Greyhound Lines, Inc. is an American operator of Intercity bus service, intercity bus services. Greyhound operates the largest intercity bus network in the United States, and also operates charter and Amtrak Thruway services, as well as interci ...

Railways

The

South Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad South Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad is a short line railroad which operates of rail lines in Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri that used to belong to Missouri Pacific, Frisco and Santa Fe lines. SKOL is a unit of Watco. History Southeast Kansas Rai ...

(SKO) serves Chanute, as well as Southern and Eastern Kansas and Northern Oklahoma. The SKO connects to several major railroads allowing local businesses the opportunity to bid and negotiate their rail transportation costs to acquire the best possible price to all locations throughout North America.

Airports

Chanute Martin Johnson Airport (FAA Identifier: CNU) is a

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...

airport with a 4,255-foot runway and taxiway. Expansion of services and infrastructure is in the planning stages, including new T-hangars and pavement improvements.

Infrastructure

In October 2014, the City of Chanute announced it planned to establish a municipal-operated

broadband In telecommunications, broadband or high speed is the wide-bandwidth (signal processing), bandwidth data transmission that exploits signals at a wide spread of frequencies or several different simultaneous frequencies, and is used in fast Inter ...

network, offering 1 Gigabit Internet connectivity for about

US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...

70 per month.

AT&T AT&T Inc., an abbreviation for its predecessor's former name, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the w ...

, which currently offers only 6 megabit

DSL Digital subscriber line (DSL; originally digital subscriber loop) is a family of technologies that are used to transmit digital data over telephone lines. In telecommunications marketing, the term DSL is widely understood to mean asymmetric di ...

service to the town (at a higher price), filed a petition with the

Kansas Corporation Commission The Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) is the public utilities commission of the state of Kansas run by three Commissioners appointed by the Governor with the approval of the Senate. The Commission has the responsibility of ensuring that natural g ...

to intervene in the city's proposed offering, arguing it has the right to intervene since a 1947 law requires the commission to approve any bond issue the city would use to finance the construction. In April 2015, incoming city commissioners voted not to issue bonds and to temporarily halt the plans on municipal operated broadband, pending further public discussion and a public vote. The city now owns its own electric power plant which has caused utilities to rise significantly in contrast to neighboring towns. The city offers no payment plan for those in need.

Notable people

* Eden Ahbez (1908–1995), songwriter and mystic, lived in Chanute in his youth as George McGrew * Jimmy Allen, former lead guitarist for

Puddle of Mudd Puddle of Mudd is an American post-grunge band formed in Kansas City, Missouri in 1992. The band has sold over seven million albums. Their major-label debut, '' Come Clean'' (2001), spawned the single " Blurry", which peaked at number 5 on the ...

* Gilbert Baker, LGBT activist, created the rainbow flag * Edith Bideau, singer and music educator *

Edwin Bideau Edwin H. Bideau III (October 1, 1950 – September 5, 2013) was a lawyer, farmer, rancher, and Republican member of the Kansas House of Representatives, representing the 9th district ( Neosho County, Kansas and Allen County, Kansas). Bideau w ...

, lawyer and politician * Osa Johnson, adventurer, author, and documentary filmmaker *

Jennifer Knapp Jennifer Lynn Knapp (born April 12, 1974) is an American-Australian folk rock and contemporary Christian music singer-songwriter, author, and LGBTQ advocate. She is best known for her first single "Undo Me" from her Gold-certified debut studio ...

, singer-songwriter *

Paul Lindblad Paul Aaron Lindblad (August 9, 1941 – January 1, 2006) was an American Major League Baseball left-handed middle-relief pitcher. During his career, he pitched primarily for the Kansas City / Oakland Athletics. At the time of his retirement in ...

, MLB pitcher for fourteen seasons *

Ralph Miller Ralph H. Miller (March 9, 1919 – May 15, 2001) was an American college basketball coach, a head coach for 38 years at three universities: Wichita (now known as Wichita State), Iowa, and Oregon State. With an overall record of , his teams had ...

, basketball coach, Hall of Fame * Grace Olive Wiley, herpetologist

Gallery

Image:Santa Fe Park, Chanute KS 2.jpg,

Steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, Fuel oil, oil or, rarely, Wood fuel, wood) to heat ...

in Santa Fe Park Image:Santa Fe Park, Chanute KS.jpg, Lake in Santa Fe Park

References

External links

*
Chanute - Directory of Public Officials

Chanute city map
KDOT {{Authority control Cities in Kansas Cities in Neosho County, Kansas Populated places established in 1873 1873 establishments in Kansas