Ellis is a city in Ellis 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 1,958.

History

The Kansas Pacific Railway built a water station at the site of present-day Ellis in 1867 and then purchased the site under the

Homestead Act The Homestead Acts were several laws in the United States by which an applicant could acquire ownership of Federal lands, government land or the American frontier, public domain, typically called a Homestead (buildings), homestead. In all, mo ...

. Three years later, in 1870, the U.S. Post Office Department opened a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

at Ellis, marking the town's foundation. Kansas Pacific laid out the town in 1873, establishing a depot, a hotel, and a few shops. That same year, settlers from

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. With a population of 148,620 and a Syracuse metropolitan area, metropolitan area of 662,057, it is the fifth-most populated city and 13 ...

, and later from

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

, arrived to work for the railroad. The first church opened in Ellis in 1873, the first school in 1874. Starting in 1875 and for the rest of the 1870s, Ellis was a cowtown, serving as a shipping point for cattle herds from the south.

Bukovina Germans The Bukovina Germans ( or ''Buchenlanddeutsche'', ), also known and referred to as Buchenland Germans, or Bukovinian Germans, are a German diaspora, German Ethnicity, ethnic group which settled in Bukovina, a historical region situated at the cro ...

began settling in the area in 1886. Ellis incorporated as a city in January 1888. Long ago, Ellis (as well as Hays) was once a

sundown town Sundown towns, also known as sunset towns, gray towns, or sundowner towns, were all-white municipalities or neighborhoods in the United States. They were towns that practiced a form of racial segregation by excluding non-whites via some combinati ...

, where African Americans were not welcome after dark.

Geography

Ellis is located at (38.936211, -99.559269), at an elevation of 2,120 feet (646 m). Located in northwestern Kansas on

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

, Ellis is west-northwest of Hays, 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 ...

. It is approximately northwest of Wichita and west of

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...

. Ellis lies on the western edge of the Smoky Hills region of the

Great Plains The Great Plains is a broad expanse of plain, flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include th ...

. Big Creek, a tributary of the Smoky Hill River, runs east through the city and has been

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

med to form a long, narrow

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

, Big Creek Lake. 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

On average in Ellis, January is the coolest month, and July is both the warmest month and the wettest month. The hottest temperature recorded in Ellis was 110 °F (43 °C) in 2003; the coldest temperature recorded was -24 °F (-31 °C) in 1989.

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 United States census counted 1,958 people, 845 households, and 521 families in Ellis. The population density was 1,181.7 per square mile (456.2/km). There were 935 housing units at an average density of 564.3 per square mile (217.9/km). The racial makeup was 92.44% (1,810)

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 ...

(91.16%

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 ...

), 0.15% (3)

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. ...

, 0.36% (7) 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 ...

, 0.92% (18) 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 ...

, 0.97% (19) from other races, and 5.16% (101) 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 3.73% (73) of the population. Of the 845 households, 29.5% had children under the age of 18; 49.1% were married couples living together; 25.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 33.0% of households consisted of individuals and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.6 and the average family size was 3.3. The percent of those with a bachelor's degree or higher was estimated to be 19.4% of the population. 24.7% of the population was under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.1 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 108.2 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 $55,441 (with a margin of error of +/- $19,244) and the median family income was $79,792 (+/- $6,198). Males had a median income of $45,699 (+/- $4,570) versus $31,369 (+/- $7,789) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $39,181 (+/- $5,900). Approximately, 15.0% of families and 14.3% 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 15.9% of those under the age of 18 and 10.3% of those ages 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 2,062 people, 868 households, and 556 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 959 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.9%

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 ...

, 0.2%

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% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Hispanics and Latinos of any race were 3.0% of the population. There were 868 households, of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% 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, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32, and the average family size was 2.91. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.1% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.6 males age 18 and over. The median income for a household in the city was $40,682, and the median income for a family was $57,750. Males had a median income of $40,511 versus $25,982 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 $22,568. 6.8% of families and 10.9% of the population were below the

, including 11.5% of those under age 18 and 13.8% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

As of 2012, 69.3% of the population over the age of 16 was in the labor force. 1.4% was in the armed forces, and 67.9% was in the civilian labor force with 66.5% being employed and 1.5% unemployed. The composition, by occupation, of the employed civilian labor force was: 32.1% in management, business, science, and arts; 24.3% in sales and office occupations; 14.8% in production, transportation, and material moving; 14.5% in service occupations; and 14.2% in natural resources, construction, and maintenance. The three industries employing the largest percentages of the working civilian labor force were: educational services, and health care and social assistance (28.8%); retail trade (14.9%); and construction (11.3%). The cost of living in Ellis is relatively low; compared to a U.S. average of 100, the cost of living index for the community is 81.1. As of 2012, the median home value in the city was $85,300, the median selected monthly owner cost was $1,036 for housing units with a mortgage and $397 for those without, and the median gross rent was $564.

Government

Ellis has a mayor-council form of government with a

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...

consisting of six members. The

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

and all council members are elected for two-year terms. The council meets on the first and third Mondays of each month. Ellis lies within Kansas's 1st U.S. Congressional District. For the purposes of representation in the Kansas Legislature, the city is located in the 40th district of the Kansas Senate and the 110th district of the Kansas House of Representatives.

Education

Primary and secondary education

The community is served by Ellis USD 388 public school district, and operates two public schools in the city: *Washington Grade School ( Grades K-6) *Ellis High School (7–12) The Roman Catholic Diocese of Salina oversees one

Catholic school Catholic schools are Parochial school, parochial pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest parochial schools, religious, no ...

in Ellis: St. Mary Grade School (Pre-K-6). The Ellis Railroaders have won the following Kansas State High School championships: * 1985 Boys Track & Field - Class 3A * 2009 Girls Track & Field - Class 2A *2016 Speech - Class 2A *2017 Speech - Class 2A *2018 Speech - Class 2A

Infrastructure

Transportation

and U.S. Route 40 run concurrently east-west immediately north of Ellis. Kansas Highway 247 (K-247) runs north–south from I-70 to 3rd Street in northern Ellis.

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

operates one freight rail line, the Kansas Pacific (KP) line, through Ellis. It runs east–west through the city.

Utilities

The city government's Public Works department is responsible for sanitation, sewer maintenance, and water provision and distribution. Midwest Energy, Inc. provides electricity to local residents. Eagle Communications and Golden Belt Telephone provide landline telephone service and offer cable television. Most residents use

natural gas Natural gas (also fossil gas, methane gas, and gas) is a naturally occurring compound of gaseous hydrocarbons, primarily methane (95%), small amounts of higher alkanes, and traces of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and helium ...

for heating fuel; service is provided by Midwest Energy, Inc.

Media

''The Ellis Review'' is the local newspaper, published weekly. Ellis is in the Wichita-Hutchinson, Kansas television market.

Culture

Points of interest

Ellis is the site of Walter P. Chrysler Boyhood Home and Museum. Chrysler, founder of the Chrysler Corporation, grew up in Ellis. When he was 17, he began his career working in the railroad roundhouse, where he became a machinist's apprentice and developed his expertise for metal working and machinery. In the summer of 1993, the Chrysler Corporation recognized Chrysler's hometown by sponsoring a parade and Chrysler festival, attended by several members of the Chrysler family. A prototype

Dodge Viper The Dodge Viper is a sports car that was manufactured by Dodge (by Street & Racing Technology, SRT for 2013 and 2014), a division of American car manufacturer Chrysler from 1992 until 2017, having taken a brief hiatus in 2007 and from 2011 to 20 ...

was loaned to the museum for one year. Founded in 1994, the Ellis Railroad Museum features items and photographs from Ellis's railroading past. A model train exhibit is also on display. Outside the museum is a miniature railroad that runs on a one-mile (1.6 km) loop track, called the BK&E Railroad. This stands for the "Buddy King and Ellis Railroad", named for its primary donor the late Francis "Buddy" King, a former mayor of Ellis who died in office in 1994.

Notable people

Notable individuals who were born in and/or have lived in Ellis include: * Martha L. Addis (1878–1942), jeweler in Topeka *

Walter Chrysler Walter Percy Chrysler (April 2, 1875 – August 18, 1940) was an American industrial pioneer in the automotive industry, automotive industry executive, and the founder and namesake of American Chrysler, Chrysler Corporation. Childhood Chrysler ...

(1875–1940), founder of the Chrysler Corporation *

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...

's grandfather Kepple Disney established family farms east of Ellis in 1878. For a time after Walt Disney established

Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was the first theme park opened by the Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, ...

, the family farms there were known locally as "Disneyland, KS". ''Triumph of the American Imagination'' repeatedly discusses Ellis, not Hays, not Hog Back, not Yocemento. Page 571 briefly adds, that besides the Missouri farm, Walt wanted to develop the Ellis farm as an attraction, but Roy blocked those developments. homas Disney was Kepple Disney's brother. North of the siding is the Beaver Bank school where some of the Disneys taught./ref>

Gallery

Historic Images of Ellis
Special Photo Collections at

Wichita State University Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...

Library Image:Ellischurch.jpg, The Bukovina Society of the Americas (2007) Image:Ellishome.jpg, A Victorian house in Ellis (2007) Image:Ellisbigcreek.jpg, Big Creek Lake (2007)