Hugoton 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 Stevens 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 3,747.

History

Settlers from

McPherson McPherson is a Scottish surname. It is an Anglicised form of the Gaelic ''Mac a' Phearsain'' and ''Mac a Phearsoin'', meaning "son of the parson". Notable people with the surname include: In sports *Adrian McPherson, American football player ...

established a settlement in what was then west-central Seward County in 1885. They originally named this settlement Hugo in honor of

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

writer

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...

, but then changed its name to Hugoton to distinguish it from

Hugo, Colorado Hugo ( Spanish for "Hugh") is a statutory town in and the county seat of Lincoln County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 787 at the 2020 census. History In about 1859 the town was developed as a cattle ranching community to ...

. Hugoton's first church, Hugoton United Methodist, was also the first in Stevens County and was founded in 1886; it is still active as of 2019. The first post office in Hugoton was established in April 1886. In 1886, the

Kansas Legislature The Kansas Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. It is a bicameral assembly, composed of the lower Kansas House of Representatives, with 125 state representatives, and the upper Kansas Senate, with 40 state sen ...

reestablished the surrounding area as Stevens County, and Gov. John Martin designated Hugoton as the interim county seat. This set off a violent

county seat war A county seat war is an American phenomenon that occurred mainly in the Old West as it was being settled and county lines determined. Incidents elsewhere, such as in Michigan, Appalachian Ohio, and West Virginia, have also been recorded. As ...

with nearby Woodsdale. Hugoton became the permanent county seat in 1887, but the conflict continued, culminating in the Hay Meadow Massacre of 1888. Woodsdale founder and attorney Samuel Newitt Wood, heavily invested in the conflict for the county seat, was assassinated by James Brennen, one of the men involved in the Hay Meadow Massacre, outside the Hugoton courthouse on June 23, 1891. During the 1890s, economic decline drove many residents to leave for newly opened territories in the

American Southwest The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural list of regions of the United States, region of the United States that includes Arizona and New Mexico, along with adjacen ...

, and the population declined significantly. The

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 Railroad classes, Class 1 railroads in the United States between 1859 and 1996. The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight tra ...

reached Hugoton in 1913, which spurred growth.

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 ...

was discovered southwest of the city in 1927, leading to the development of the

Hugoton Natural Gas Area Hugoton Gas Field is a large natural gas field in the U.S. states of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Its name is derived from the town of Hugoton, Kansas, near which the Hugoton Field was first discovered. History Natural gas in the Hugoton area was ...

and the transformation of Hugoton into a major center of natural gas extraction. Hugoton reportedly served as a temporary home for infamous criminals Bonnie and Clyde. They lived in the unincorporated areas near Hugoton, assuming the aliases of Jewell and Blackie Underwood. Jewell operated a cafe, Jewell's Cafe, and Blackie reportedly worked on area farms. Locals believed they ran a bootlegging operation out of the cafe. Clyde was officially in prison during the time they are claimed to be in the Hugoton area, but locals still insist Jewell and Blackie were Bonnie and Clyde. Receipts from Jewel's Cafe were found in the duo's vehicle after their deaths in a 1934 shoot-out. In the mid-1930s, Hugoton, along with much of Kansas and parts of other nearby states, suffered the effects of the

Dust Bowl The Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the American and Canadian prairies during the 1930s. The phenomenon was caused by a combination of natural factors (severe drought) and hum ...

, which ravaged the Great Plains in waves between 1934 and 1940. Southwest Kansas was hit particularly hard between 1932 and 1936. The famous "Black Sunday" dust storm that marks the naming of the Dust Bowl as a geographic area encompassing most of the mid-United States and affecting the entire country, hit Hugoton and neighboring towns in multiple counties and in Oklahoma early on April 14, 1935.

Geography

Located in southwestern Kansas at the intersection of

U.S. Route 56 U.S. Route 56 (US 56) is an east–west United States highway that runs for approximately in the Midwestern United States. US 56's western terminus is at Interstate 25 Business (I-25 Bus.), US 412 and New Mexico State Road 21 (NM 21) in Sp ...

K-25 K-25 was the codename given by the Manhattan Project to the program to produce enriched uranium for atomic bombs using the gaseous diffusion method. Originally the codename for the product, over time it came to refer to the project, the produ ...

, and K-51, Hugoton is approximately north of Amarillo, west-southwest of Wichita, and southeast of

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

. It lies in the High Plains 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 ...

, approximately southeast of the Cimarron River. It also lies within, and is the namesake of, the

. The Hugoton

natural gas field A petroleum reservoir or oil and gas reservoir is a subsurface accumulation of hydrocarbons contained in porous or fractured rock formations. Such reservoirs form when kerogen (ancient plant matter) is created in surrounding rock by the prese ...

is the largest such field in North America and the second largest in the world. 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

Hugoton has a semi-arid steppe climate ( Köppen ''BSk'') with hot, dry summers and cold, dry winters. The hottest temperature recorded in Hugoton was on June 25, 1911, which along with

Clay Center Clay Center can refer to a community in the United States: *Clay Center, Kansas * Clay Center, Nebraska *Clay Center, Ohio * Clay Center, West Virginia It can also refer to an astronomical observatory and learning center at the Dexter School The ...

on the same day, is the highest temperature recorded in Kansas in June. Hugoton also holds the state record high for March. The coldest temperature was on January 7, 1912.

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 United States census counted 3,747 people, 1,355 households, and 976 families in Hugoton. The population density was 1,800.6 per square mile (695.2/km). There were 1,573 housing units at an average density of 755.9 per square mile (291.8/km). The racial makeup was 61.84% (2,317)

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 ...

(51.45%

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 ...

), 0.48% (18)

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. ...

, 1.44% (54) 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 ...

, 0.59% (22) 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 ...

, 23.81% (892) from other races, and 11.85% (444) 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 44.62% (1,672) of the population. Of the 1,355 households, 38.1% had children under the age of 18; 56.1% were married couples living together; 22.4% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 24.2% of households consisted of individuals and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.1 and the average family size was 3.6. The percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher was estimated to be 7.0% of the population. 28.6% of the population was under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.9 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 105.1 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 $56,786 (with a margin of error of +/- $12,361) and the median family income was $61,318 (+/- $8,164). Males had a median income of $35,417 (+/- $6,805) versus $17,364 (+/- $7,595) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $26,972 (+/- $4,981). Approximately, 12.7% of families and 19.1% 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 25.0% of those under the age of 18 and 16.1% of those ages 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 3,904 people, 1,413 households, and 993 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,560 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 87.0%

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 ...

, 0.8% American Indian, 0.3%

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 ...

, 0.2% Asian, 10.1% from some other race, and 1.6% from two or more races.

s or Latinos of any race were 36.4% of the population. There were 1,413 households, of which 40.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.5% were married couples living together, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.7% were non-families. 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71, and the average family size was 3.32. In the city, the population was spread out, with 30.3% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.3 males age 18 and over. The median income for a household in the city was $52,161, and the median income for a family was $57,269. Males had a median income of $45,750 versus $33,188 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 $20,851. About 11.6% of families and 14.8% of the population were below the

, including 22.1% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 3,708 people, 1,380 households, and 968 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,579 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 81.53%

, 1.08%

, 0.67% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 14.51% from other races, and 1.89% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 22.92% of the population. There were 1,380 households, out of which 37.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.8% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.8% were non-families. 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.25. In the city the population was spread out, with 30.5% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $41,932, and the median income for a family was $50,225. Males had a median income of $37,930 versus $22,750 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,115. About 6.9% of families and 9.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.8% of those under age 18 and 2.2% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

As of 2011, 67.5% of the population over the age of 16 was in the civilian labor force with 64.9% being employed and 2.6% unemployed. The composition, by occupation, of the employed civilian labor force was: 27.2% in management, business, science, and arts; 25.2% in natural resources, construction, and maintenance; 25.0% in sales and office occupations; 14.3% in service occupations; 8.3% in production, transportation, and material moving. The three industries employing the largest percentages of the working civilian labor force were: agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining (23.0%); educational services, health care, and social assistance (20.7%); and construction (8.3%). The cost of living in Hugoton is relatively low; compared to a U.S. average of 100, the cost of living index for the city is 80.5. As of 2011, the median home value in the city was $79,300, the median selected monthly owner cost was $991 for housing units with a mortgage and $445 for those without, and the median gross rent was $628.

Government

Hugoton is a city of the second class with a mayor-council form of government. The

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 ...

consists of five members and meets on the first Monday after the 4th day of each month. 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 the council members are elected for four-year terms. As the

, Hugoton is the administrative center of Stevens County. The

county courthouse A courthouse or court house is a structure which houses judicial functions for a governmental entity such as a state, region, province, county, prefecture, regency, or similar governmental unit. A courthouse is home to one or more courtrooms, ...

is located downtown, and all departments of the county government base their operations in the city. Hugoton lies within Kansas's 1st U.S. Congressional District. For the purposes of representation in the

, the city is in the 39th district of the

Kansas Senate The Kansas Senate is the upper house of the Kansas Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Kansas. It is composed of 40 senators elected from single-member districts, each with a population of about 73,000 inhabitants. Members o ...

and the 124th district 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 craftin ...

Education

Primary and secondary education

The community is served by Hugoton USD 210 public school district, which operates five schools in Hugoton: * Hugoton Primary School (

Grades Grade most commonly refers to: * Grading in education, a measurement of a student's performance by educational assessment (e.g. A, pass, etc.) * A designation for students, classes and curricula indicating the number of the year a student has reach ...

Pre-K-2) * Hugoton Intermediate School (3-6) * Hugoton Middle School (7-8) * Hugoton High School (9-12) * Hugoton Learning Academy (7-12),

charter school A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...

Heritage Christian Academy, a

Christian school A Christian school is a Parochial school, religious school run on Christianity, Christian principles or by a Christian organization. These schools often include religious education and worship in their curriculum. They may also have a distinct Ch ...

, offers

preschool A preschool (sometimes spelled as pre school or pre-school), also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, play school, is an school, educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they ...

and classes for grades K-8.

Transportation

and

enter Hugoton concurrently from the north, intersecting K-51, which runs east-west, in the southern part of the city. Both U.S. 56 and K-25 then run concurrently with K-51 to the west. Hugoton Municipal Airport is located on the south side of U.S. 56 less than a mile west of the city. Publicly owned, it has two paved runways and is used for

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 ...

. A line of the

Cimarron Valley Railroad The Cimarron Valley Railroad was formed May 29, 1996 in Utah, United States. In that year it purchased from what was then Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (now BNSF Railway) trackage built , being the former C.V. and Manter Subdivisions of th ...

passes through the northwestern corner of the city.

Media

''The Hugoton Hermes'' is the city's sole

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...

, published weekly. Two radio stations are

licensed A license (American English) or licence (Commonwealth English) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another part ...

to Hugoton: K222AK, a

translator station A broadcast relay station, also known as a satellite station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator (U.S.), re-broadcaster (Canada), repeater (two-way radio) or complementary station (Mexico), is a broadcast transmitter which repeats (or tran ...

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

affiliate

High Plains Public Radio High Plains Public Radio is a network of public radio stations serving the High Plains region of western Kansas, the Texas Panhandle, the Oklahoma Panhandle and eastern Colorado. Operated by the Kanza Society, it is headquartered in Garden Cit ...

Garden City, Kansas Garden City is a city in and the county seat of Finney County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 28,151. The city is home to Garden City Community College and the Lee Richa ...

, broadcasts from Hugoton on 92.3 FM; KFXX-FM broadcasts from Garden City on 106.7 FM, playing a Classic Hits format. Hugoton is in the Wichita-Hutchinson, Kansas television market.

Notable people

Billy Drago Billy Eugene Burrows (November 30, 1945 – June 24, 2019), known professionally by his stage name Billy Drago, was an American television and film actor. Drago's films, where he was frequently cast as a villain, included Clint Eastwood's wester ...

(1945–2019), actor * Steve Morris (1946- ), eight-year Kansas Senate president, 2005-2013''Kansas Secretary of State,'' Official 2012 Primary Results
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