Elkhart 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 Morton 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 1,888. The southern edge of the city is the Kansas-

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

state border, and the city is from the Kansas-

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

border.

History

Elkhart was founded in 1913, and was named after

Elkhart, Indiana Elkhart ( ) is a city in Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. The population was 53,923 at the 2020 census. The city is located east of South Bend, Indiana. It is the most populous city in the Elkhart–Goshen metropolitan area, which in tu ...

. Elkhart was the starting point of the Elkhart and Santa Fe Railway. This line, both leased to and a wholly owned subsidiary of the

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 largest Class 1 railroads in the United States between 1859 and 1996. The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight transport; at vario ...

, was built in 1925 to

Felt, Oklahoma Felt is a small unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Cimarron County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town’s population was 77. It was named for C.F.W. Felt of the Santa Fe Railroad. Nearby is the ...

, and extended into New Mexico in 1932; but, was abandoned in 1942. In 1961, the

was moved from Richfield to Elkhart.

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 , all land.

Climate

Elkhart has a

cool semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi- ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''BSk'') characterized by generally dry winters with extreme temperature variations, and hot summers with occasional heavy precipitation from

thunder Thunder is the sound caused by lightning. Depending upon the distance from and nature of the lightning, it can range from a long, low rumble to a sudden, loud crack. The sudden increase in temperature and hence pressure caused by the lightning pr ...

showers or storms. During winter, because western Kansas lies both on the edge of the subtropical anticyclones and in the rain shadow of westerly winds crossing the Rocky Mountains, the region is generally dry: no measurable precipitation fell in Elkhart between 25 December 1903 and 2 April 1904, while monthly precipitation above has never been recorded during January and is observed fewer than one year in ten during November, December or February. Temperatures can vary greatly during this season: strong

chinook wind Chinook winds, or simply Chinooks, are two types of prevailing warm, generally westerly winds in western North America: Coastal Chinooks and interior Chinooks. The coastal Chinooks are persistent seasonal, wet, southwesterly winds blowing in from ...

s can drive temperatures above even in the depth of winter, with reached on average during six days between December and February, seven during November and eight during March. Nevertheless, cold outbreaks from Canada drive temperatures to or below on an average of 3.6 nights per winter. The coldest temperature recorded in Elkhart has been on January 19, 1984, while the hottest winter temperature has been on February 1, 1963. Snowfall is generally light due to dryness; however in the extremely wet and cold February 1903, fell, being the major factor behind a record seasonal snowfall of between July 1902 and June 1903. In contrast, only a trace of snow was recorded between July 1949 and January 1950. In the summer, the climate is generally very hot with relief from thunderstorms that provide most of the of precipitation expected during one year. When an upper level anticyclone moves poleward, the atmosphere can become very stable and produce sustained extreme heat: in the hottest month of July 1980, the average maximum was and all but seven days topped . When the high retreats southward or a trough forms over the interior of the United States during the summer, however, precipitation can be heavy, with falling in April 2016, in June 2004 and in July 1927. The wettest calendar year has been 1941, with and the driest, 1937 when only fell.

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 United States census counted 1,888 people, 729 households, and 469 families in Elkhart. The population density was 919.2 per square mile (354.9/km). There were 907 housing units at an average density of 441.6 per square mile (170.5/km). The racial makeup was 75.05% (1,417)

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 ...

(69.97%

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 ...

), 0.74% (14)

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. ...

, 0.74% (14) 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 ...

, 1.17% (22) Asian, 0.26% (5)

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 ...

, 10.22% (193) from other races, and 11.81% (223) 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 23.52% (444) of the population. Of the 729 households, 31.7% had children under the age of 18; 50.3% were married couples living together; 24.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 29.2% of households consisted of individuals and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.2 and the average family size was 3.3. The percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher was estimated to be 10.9% of the population. 25.0% of the population was under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 21.8% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 21.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.5 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 109.2 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 $40,765 (with a margin of error of +/- $7,305) and the median family income was $49,957 (+/- $15,144). Males had a median income of $33,125 (+/- $16,302) versus $26,868 (+/- $23,251) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $29,531 (+/- $15,296). Approximately, 13.6% of families and 18.0% 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 21.8% of those under the age of 18 and 17.3% 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 2,205 people, 856 households, and 571 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 999 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 87.7%

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 ...

, 0.1%

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, 2.5% Asian, 6.8% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 20.7% of the population. There were 856 households, of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% 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, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.3% were non-families. 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.07. The median age in the city was 38.4 years. 26.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23% were from 25 to 44; 25.6% were from 45 to 64; and 17.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.7% male and 52.3% female.

Education

The community is served by Elkhart USD 218 public school district. The Elkhart High School mascot is Wildcats.

Notable people

Sanora Babb Sanora Louise Babb (April 21, 1907 – December 31, 2005) was an American novelist, poet, and literary editor known for her realistic portrayal of life during the Great Depression Era. Over the span of her career, she published eight books inc ...

, writer. * Walter Thane Baker, sprinter, two-time Olympic medalist (

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, ...

and

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...

). * Glenn Cunningham, long distance runner, used to hold 1-mile world record, Olympic silver medalist

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House. * January 28 – Death and state funer ...

. *

Robelyn Garcia Robelyn Annette Garcia (born September 16, 1965) is a former collegiate All-American and professional All-Star basketball player. She was the Big Six Championship Game MVP on the Kansas Crusaders of the Women's Basketball Association (WBA). Garci ...

, former professional basketball player. * Jerry Simmons, NFL strength and conditioning coach for 23 years, father of Jordon and uncle of

Darrin Darren is a masculine given name of uncertain etymological origins. Some theories state that it originated from an Anglicisation of the Irish first name Darragh or Dáire, meaning "oak tree". According to other sources, it is thought to come from ...

. * Darrin Simmons, football coach, special teams for the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

References

External links

Elkhart - Official Website

Elkhart - Directory of Public Officials
{{Authority control Cities in Kansas County seats in Kansas Cities in Morton County, Kansas 1913 establishments in Kansas