Oberlin 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 ...

Decatur County Decatur County is the name of various past and present counties in the United States, all named for Stephen Decatur Commodore (United States), Commodore Stephen Decatur Jr. (; January 5, 1779 – March 22, 1820) was a United States Navy of ...

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, its population was 1,644.

History

Oberlin was platted in 1878. It was named after

Oberlin, Ohio Oberlin () is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States. It is located about southwest of Cleveland within the Cleveland metropolitan area. The population was 8,555 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Oberlin is the home of Oberlin ...

. Its first post office was established in April, 1878, and the city was incorporated in 1885. On September 30, 1878,

Northern Cheyenne The Northern Cheyenne Tribe of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation () is the federally recognized Northern Cheyenne tribe and a Plains tribe. The Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation is reservation located in southeastern Montana, that is ...

, fleeing from Indian Territory to their homes in the north during the

Northern Cheyenne Exodus The Northern Cheyenne Exodus, also known as Dull Knife's Raid, the Cheyenne War, or the Cheyenne Campaign, was the attempt of the Northern Cheyenne to return to the north, after being placed on the Southern Cheyenne indian reservation, reservatio ...

, attacked homesteaders near Oberlin, then a tiny hamlet. The raid's victims are commemorated in the "Last Indian Raid in Kansas" room of the Decatur County Museum, and by a monument in the town cemetery.

Geography

Oberlin lies on the northwest side of

Sappa Creek Sappa Creek is a stream in the central Great Plains of North America. A tributary of the Republican River, it flows for through the American states of Kansas and Nebraska. Geography Sappa Creek originates in the High Plains of northwest Kansas. ...

, a tributary of the

Republican River The Republican River is a river in the central Great Plains of North America, rising in the High Plains of eastern Colorado and flowing east U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map acce ...

, 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 ...

. Located at the intersection of U.S. routes 36 and 83 in northwestern Kansas, it is northwest of Wichita, east 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 ...

, and west-northwest 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 ...

. 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 ...

, it has a total area of , all land.

Climate

Oberlin has a humid continental climate (Köppen ''Dfa''), with hot, dry summers and cold, dry winters. The hottest temperature recorded in Oberlin was on July 24, 1936, while the coldest temperature recorded was on January 11, 1918.

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 United States census counted 1,644 people, 771 households, and 428 families in Oberlin. The population density was 860.7 per square mile (332.3/km). There were 970 housing units at an average density of 507.9 per square mile (196.1/km). The racial makeup was 93.31% (1,534)

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 ...

(91.67%

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 ...

), 0.43% (7)

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. ...

, 0.24% (4) 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 ...

, 0.36% (6) 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 ...

, 0.36% (6) from other races, and 5.29% (87) 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 3.16% (52) of the population. Of the 771 households, 21.8% had children under the age of 18; 43.5% were married couples living together; 29.4% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 41.8% of households consisted of individuals and 21.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.9 and the average family size was 2.7. The percent of those with a bachelor's degree or higher was estimated to be 11.6% of the population. 20.4% of the population was under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 20.7% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 28.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.7 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 108.3 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 $35,771 (with a margin of error of +/- $2,433) and the median family income was $52,150 (+/- $13,156). Males had a median income of $38,068 (+/- $5,006) versus $21,307 (+/- $7,424) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $32,617 (+/- $4,329). Approximately, 19.5% of families and 17.7% 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 27.1% of those under the age of 18 and 4.5% 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 1,788 people, 824 households, and 477 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 1,046 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.9%

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 ...

, 0.7%

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 ...

, 0.7% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.0% of the population. There were 824 households, of which 21.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% 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, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.1% were non-families. 39.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.07 and the average family size was 2.73. The median age in the city was 52 years. 20% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 17.4% were from 25 to 44; 29% were from 45 to 64; and 29.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.4% male and 52.6% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,994 people, 879 households, and 550 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,048 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.79%

, 0.25%

, 0.15% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.05%

, 0.25% from other races, and 1.30% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.15% of the population. There were 879 households, out of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.8% were

living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% were non-families. 36.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.78. In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.6% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 21.0% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 29.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,816, and the median income for a family was $34,583. Males had a median income of $27,177 versus $16,488 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 $17,271. About 5.0% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the

, including 7.1% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Oberlin is home to the Last Indian Raid Museum, which contains multiple late 19th and early 20th century buildings filled with artifacts chronicling the history of the area and early Plains settlers. Examples include a 1930s grocery store and a one-room schoolhouse built in 1922. Its a recreation center, completed in 2010, includes a 3D-capable movie theater and a bowling alley. The Oberlin Area Band is an intergenerational band that rehearses weekly and performs quarterly.

Parks and recreation

The Oberlin City Park, near Decatur Community High School, and has a playground, picnic shelter, band shell, and full basketball court, and is home to the Oberlin swimming pool.

Sappa Park

The City of Oberlin is the owner of the Sappa Park two miles east of town. Formerly a state park, it has wetlands, bike and hiking paths, a nine-hole disc golf course, and a shelter house built by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s. It is currently undergoing a multi-year improvement project. A nine-hole golf course is adjacent to it. The park, originally by a lake, was developed in 1935 by the National Park Service. The

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...

(WPA) hired unemployed young men to build its dam and shelter house. It was dedicated in 1939, but over the years silt filled the lake and it was drained. Part of the lake has recently been restored as a wetlands.

Government

Oberlin is a city of the third class, according to state statute, 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 and third Thursday of each month at 7PM.

Education

The community is served by Oberlin USD 294 public school district, which operates two schools in the city: Oberlin Elementary 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-6) and Decatur Community Junior/Senior High School (7–12).

Media

''The Oberlin Herald'' is the city's sole newspaper, published weekly. Two FM 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 and broadcast from Oberlin: *

K-LOVE K-Love (stylized as K-LOVE) is an American Christian radio network. Owned by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF), a non-profit Christian ministry, it primarily broadcasts contemporary Christian music. As of June 2019, the network's progr ...

(translator station K217CY), at 91.3 FM, playing a

Christian Contemporary Contemporary Christian music (CCM), also known as Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music, is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christian faith an ...

format Oberlin is in the Wichita-Hutchinson, Kansas television market.

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

affiliate

KSNK KSNK (channel 8) is a television station licensed to McCook, Nebraska, United States, affiliated with NBC and Telemundo. Owned by Nexstar Media Group, the station maintains an advertising sales office on US 36 in northwestern Oberlin, Kansa ...

, licensed to

McCook, Nebraska McCook is a city in and the county seat of Red Willow County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 7,446 at the 2020 census. History McCook was platted in 1882 when the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad was extended to that poin ...

, broadcasts on channel 8 from studios west of Oberlin. It is a satellite station of

KSNW KSNW (channel 3) is a television station in Wichita, Kansas, United States, affiliated with NBC and Telemundo. The station is owned by Nexstar Media Group, and maintains studios on North Main Street in northwest Wichita (near downtown); its tran ...

in Wichita.

Notable people

Notable people who were born in and/or have lived in Oberlin include: * Brun Campbell –

ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that had its peak from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its Syncopation, syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers ...

composer, pianist *

Sam Francis Samuel Lewis Francis (June 25, 1923 – November 4, 1994) was an American painter and printmaker. Early life Sam Francis was born in San Mateo, California,

– #1 pick in

1937 NFL draft The 1937 NFL draft was the second draft held by the National Football League (NFL). The draft took place December 12, 1936, at the Hotel Lincoln in New York City. The draft consisted of 10 rounds, with 100 player selections, two of which would ...

, football coach at

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant coll ...

standout fullback for

Nebraska Cornhuskers The Nebraska Cornhuskers (often abbreviated to Huskers) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference and competes in NCAA Division I, fielding t ...

Elmer Hackney Elmer Loyd Hackney (July 8, 1916May 30, 1969) was a professional American football running back in the National Football League (NFL). Hackney was an 11th-round selection (92nd overall pick) by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1940 NFL draft out ...

–

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

running back *

Richard Rogers Richard George Rogers, Baron Rogers of Riverside (23 July 1933 – 18 December 2021) was a British-Italian architect noted for his modernist and constructivist designs in high-tech architecture. He was the founder at Rogers Stirk Harbour + ...

– U.S. federal judge * Cora Simpson – nurse and nurse educator, founder of nursing school in Fuzhou, China

References

External links

City of Oberlin, and Decatur County website

Oberlin - Directory of Public Officials

Oberlin city map
KDOT {{Authority control Cities in Kansas County seats in Kansas Cities in Decatur County, Kansas Populated places established in 1878 1878 establishments in Kansas