Larned 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 Pawnee County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 3,769.

History

Larned was laid out in 1873. The first post office was established at Larned in 1872. The city drew its name from nearby Fort Larned, which operated from 1859 to 1878 and was named for Colonel Benjamin F. Larned, U.S. Army Paymaster from July 1854 to his death on September 6, 1862.

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

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, Larned 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 3,769 people, 1,704 households, and 919 families in Larned. The population density was 1,563.9 per square mile (603.8/km). There were 2,101 housing units at an average density of 871.8 per square mile (336.6/km). The racial makeup was 85.83% (3,235)

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 ...

(83.15%

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 ...

), 2.41% (91)

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. ...

, 0.58% (22) 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 ...

, 0.42% (16) Asian, 0.05% (2)

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 ...

, 1.72% (65) from other races, and 8.97% (338) 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 8.49% (320) of the population. Of the 1,704 households, 26.3% had children under the age of 18; 39.2% were married couples living together; 31.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 39.0% of households consisted of individuals and 19.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.0 and the average family size was 2.8. The percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher was estimated to be 16.6% of the population. 23.1% of the population was under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 21.8% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 22.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.3 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 110.2 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 $42,378 (with a margin of error of +/- $5,059) and the median family income was $54,570 (+/- $15,872). Males had a median income of $33,750 (+/- $9,271) versus $26,887 (+/- $4,236) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $30,481 (+/- $4,739). Approximately, 1.9% of families and 9.5% 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 5.8% of those under the age of 18 and 8.8% 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 4,054 people, 1,824 households, and 1,027 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 2,130 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.2%

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 ...

, 2.7%

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 ...

, 0.4% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.1%

, 1.4% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 7.0% of the population. There were 1,824 households, of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.1% 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, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.7% were non-families. 39.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.89. The median age in the city was 42.7 years. 23.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.9% were from 25 to 44; 27.9% were from 45 to 64; and 19.7% 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 4,236 people, 1,826 households, and 1,113 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,079 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 90.91%

, 3.75%

, 0.97% Native American, 0.76% Asian, 1.77% from other races, and 1.84% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 5.38% of the population. There were 1,826 households, out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were

living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.0% were non-families. 36.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.87. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.5% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 23.3% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 22.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $33,895, and the median income for a family was $46,776. Males had a median income of $27,138 versus $20,927 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 $19,936. About 5.9% of families and 7.4% of the population were below the

, including 8.1% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The community is served by Fort Larned USD 495 public school district.

Media

The local newspaper is ''Larned Tiller & Toiler''.

Economy

USD 495
local school district
Larned State Hospital
west of Larned
Larned Correctional Mental Health Facility
west of Larned

Area attractions

Santa Fe Trail Center
1349 K-156 Hwy, museum devoted to the history of the

Santa Fe Trail The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century route through central North America that connected Franklin, Missouri, with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1821 by William Becknell, who departed from the Boonslick region along the Missouri River, the ...

. * Fort Larned National Historic Site, located approximately west of the city of Larned.

Notable people

* Belle Jennings Benchley, "the Zoo lady", former director of the

San Diego Zoo The San Diego Zoo is a zoo in San Diego, California, United States, located in Balboa Park (San Diego), Balboa Park. It began with a collection of animals left over from the 1915 Panama–California Exposition that were brought together by its ...

* Gene Keady, current

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives in 1 ...

sportscaster, former head coach for the

Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball The Purdue Boilermakers basketball team is a men's college basketball program that competes in NCAA Division I and is a founding member of the Big Ten Conference. Purdue basketball has the most Big Ten regular season championships with 26 confer ...

team *

Hal Patterson Harold Edward Patterson (October 4, 1932November 21, 2011), nicknamed "Prince" Hal, was an American star college basketball player at the University of Kansas, and a professional Canadian football player with the Canadian Football League Montrea ...

, former professional football player and member of the

Canadian Football Hall of Fame The Canadian Football Hall of Fame (CFHOF) is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates achievements in Canadian football. It is maintained by the Canadian Football League (CFL). It includes displays about the CFL, ...

* Glee S. Smith, Jr., former Kansas state legislator and lawyer * Ralph Terry, retired

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

pitcher, 2× All-Star (1961, 1962), 2× World Series champion (1961, 1962), World Series MVP (1962), AL wins leader (1962), former professional golfer in retirement * Mitch Webster, retired

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

outfielder * John Zook, former football player, all-state, all Big 8 (

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 all-pro NFL player