Ottawa (pronounced ) 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, Franklin 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. It is located on both banks of the

Marais des Cygnes River The Marais des Cygnes River ( , ) is a principal tributary of the Osage River, about long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed May 31, 2011 in eastern Kansas and western Miss ...

near the center of Franklin County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 12,625. It is the home of Ottawa University.

History

19th century

The name derives from the Ottawa tribe of Native Americans, on whose reservation the city was laid out. In the spring of 1864, title to the land was obtained from the tribe through treaty connected to the founding of Ottawa University, the Ottawa having donated 20,000 acres of land to establish and fund a school for the education of Indians and non-Indians alike. The word Ottawa itself means "to trade". In 1867, the Ottawa tribe sold their remaining land in Kansas and moved to Indian Territory in Oklahoma.Dixon, Rhonda
"The Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma."
''Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma.'' (Feb 16, 2009). On the last day of March 1864, J.C. Richmond built the first non-Indian settlement in the new town, at the corner of Walnut and First streets.

Flooding

Ottawa has a history of

flood A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...

ing because of its location straddling the Marais Des Cygnes river. The area's first recorded flood was the Great Flood of 1844. In 1928, a flood crested at 38.65 feet and killed six people. Other flood years include 1904, when water crested at 36 feet and ran to a man's shoulders in the Santa Fe depot; 1909, cresting at ; 1915, cresting at , and 1944, cresting at . However, it is the Great Flood of 1951 which is the most famous. It was about five inches higher than the 1928 flood. The flood of 1951 affected much of Missouri and Kansas and 41 people died. One-third of Ottawa was covered because of this flood. It is unlikely Ottawa will suffer major damage due to a flood again thanks to a series of levees and pumping stations built by the

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wor ...

in the 1960s, which is part of a larger system of flood systems to regulate the Marais Des Cygnes River to the

Missouri River The Missouri River is a river in the Central United States, Central and Mountain states, Mountain West regions of the United States. The nation's longest, it rises in the eastern Centennial Mountains of the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Moun ...

. The levees built along the river are inspected on an annual basis to insure their quality.

20th century

In 1943, German and Italian prisoners of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

were brought to Kansas and other Midwest states to help solve the labor shortage caused by American men serving in the war. Large

internment Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without Criminal charge, charges or Indictment, intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects ...

camps were established in Kansas: Camp Concordia, Camp Funston (at

Fort Riley Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in North Central Kansas, on the Kansas River, also known as the Kaw, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 101,733 acres (41,170 ha) in Ge ...

), Camp Phillips (at Salina under

established 12 smaller branch camps, including Ottawa.

Geography

Ottawa straddles the

and is located southwest 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 ...

at the junction of U.S. Route 59 and K-68.

U.S. Route 50 U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic ...

and

Interstate 35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican bo ...

bypass Ottawa to the south and east, while

business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for ...

US-50 passes through the city. 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 , of which is land and is water.

Climate

The maximum temperature reaches an average of 46.6 days per year and reaches an average of 4.9 days per year. The minimum temperature falls below the freezing point (32 °F) an average of 111 days per year.

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 United States census counted 12,625 people, 5,095 households, and 3,095 families in Ottawa. The population density was 1,223.2 per square mile (472.3/km). There were 5,558 housing units at an average density of 538.5 per square mile (207.9/km). The racial makeup was 86.53% (10,924)

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 ...

(84.67%

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 ...

), 2.0% (252)

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. ...

, 1.01% (127) 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% (53) Asian, 0.05% (6)

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 ...

, 2.24% (283) from other races, and 7.76% (980) 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 6.03% (761) of the population. Of the 5,095 households, 30.4% had children under the age of 18; 41.8% were married couples living together; 29.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 32.6% of households consisted of individuals and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.4 and the average family size was 3.0. The percent of those with a bachelor's degree or higher was estimated to be 14.8% of the population. 23.5% of the population was under the age of 18, 11.6% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.6 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 103.0 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 $47,233 (with a margin of error of +/- $4,697) and the median family income was $62,633 (+/- $8,998). Males had a median income of $40,405 (+/- $4,108) versus $28,600 (+/- $4,719) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $32,282 (+/- $2,999). Approximately, 9.5% of families and 14.9% 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 18.4% of those under the age of 18 and 18.8% 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 12,649 people, 4,998 households, and 3,127 families living 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 5,518 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.0%

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 ...

, 2.2%

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 ...

, 0.9% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 1.6% from other races, and 3.9% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 5.0% of the population. There were 4,998 households, of which 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% 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, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.4% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.08. The median age in the city was 33.2 years. 27% of residents were under the age of 18; 11.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.5% were from 25 to 44; 22.9% were from 45 to 64; and 13.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.

2000 census

As of the U.S. Census in 2000, there were 11,921 people, 4,697 households, and 3,034 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 5,080 housing units at an average density of . The

racial Race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 16th century, when it was used to refer to groups of va ...

makeup of the city was 92.77%

, 2.31%

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 ...

, 1.22% Native American or

, 0.53% Asian, 0.01%

, 1.31% from other races, and 1.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.16% of the population. There were 4,697 households, out of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were

living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.00. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.6% under the age of 18, 11.5% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $34,071, and the median income for a family was $41,710. Males had a median income of $30,050 versus $22,891 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 $16,840. About 6.8% of families and 9.0% of the population were below the

, including 10.0% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Ottawa's two major employers are

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...

and

American Eagle Outfitters American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. is an American clothing and accessories retailer headquartered at SouthSide Works in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1977 by brothers Jerry and Mark Silverman as a subsidiary of Retail Ventures, Inc ...

, who both maintain

distribution centers A distribution center for a set of products is a warehouse or other specialized building, often with refrigeration or air conditioning, which is stocked with products (goods) to be redistributed to retailers, to wholesalers, or directly to co ...

in the city. Ottawa has freight rail service from

BNSF BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that provide ...

railway. There is also a

grain elevator A grain elevator or grain terminal is a facility designed to stockpile or store grain. In the grain trade, the term "grain elevator" also describes a tower containing a bucket elevator or a pneumatic conveyor, which scoops up grain from a lowe ...

operated by the Ottawa Co-Op. The city operates the Ottawa Municipal Airport, a small

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 ...

airport four miles south of the city.

Government

Ottawa was governed by a Mayor-Council system until 1913 when the City became a Commission form of government. In 1970 voters established the City Manager form of government with a five-member Commission that annually selects a Mayor from its ranks. The citizens of Ottawa elect commissioners at-large. Three seats on the Commission are open every odd numbered year. Two Commissioners are elected to four-year terms and one is elected to a two-year term.

Education

Colleges and universities

The private four year university, Ottawa University, is within Ottawa, and Ottawa is also home to a branch campus of Neosho County Community College.

Primary and secondary

The community is served by Ottawa USD 290 public school district, which has five schools: * Ottawa High School * Ottawa Middle School * Garfield Elementary School * Lincoln Elementary School * Sunflower Elementary school Ottawa has several private schools. * Sacred Heart Catholic Elementary School * Pilgrim Bible Academy * Ottawa Christian Academy

Media

Newspapers

There is one publication which serves the city of Ottawa, the ''

Ottawa Herald ''For the former Canadian newspaper, the ''Ottawa Sunday Herald'', see Ottawa Sun'' The ''Ottawa Herald'' is a local newspaper in the town of Ottawa, Kansas. History The ''Ottawa Herald'' was not the first daily newspaper to be published in Ott ...

'', which was founded in 1869. It is owned by

GateHouse Media GateHouse Media Inc. was an American publisher of locally based print and digital media. It published 144 daily newspapers, 684 community publications, and over 569 local-market websites in 38 states. Its parent company, New Media Investment Group ...

. A monthly publication for seniors also serves Ottawa:
Kaw Valley Senior Monthly

Radio

Ottawa has four radio stations, one AM and three FM. KOFO broadcasts on 1220 with the tagline ''Your News source for East-Central Kansas''. KOFO airs country music from across the decades, and specializes in local news.

KCHZ KCHZ (95.7 FM), is a commercial radio station licensed to Ottawa, Kansas, and serving the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. It simulcasts a conservative talk radio format with sister station KCMO (710 AM). They are owned by Cumulus Media, wi ...

95.7 FM is licensed to Ottawa (and was, at one time, owned by KOFO); its studios are in

Mission, Kansas Mission is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, Johnson County, Kansas, United States, and part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 9,954. History An Indian mission ...

. 88.9 is home to the Ottawa University student station, KTJO-FM. 90.5FM features the Ottawa-based KRBW's Christian programming.

Entertainment

Downtown Ottawa is home to

the Plaza Grill and Cinema Plaza 1907 (formerly known as The Plaza Grill and Cinema and Crystal Plaza and The Bijou) is located in Ottawa, Kansas, United States and has been named the "oldest purpose-built cinema in operation in the world", having applied to Guinness World ...

(formerly the Crystal Plaza and Bijou Theater) which, in 2013, was discovered to be the oldest operating cinema in America. Plans for an exhibit are in the works.The Plaza Grill and Cinema

Health care

AdventHealth Ottawa is the only hospital.

Notable people

* Steve Grogan, former

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

quarterback, led Ottawa to a runner-up place in state football and to a state championship in basketball. *

Don Harrison Don Harrison (August 8, 1936 – May 2, 1998) was an anchor on CNN Headline News from 1982 until his death from renal cancer in 1998. He was a member of the original team of anchors when Headline News went on the air for the first time as "CNN2" ...

, news anchor, one of the original anchors of

CNN Headline News HLN is an American basic cable network. Owned by CNN Worldwide, the network primarily carries true-crime programming, recently drifting away from limited live news programming. The channel was originally launched on January 1, 1982, by Tur ...

Gary Hart Gary Warren Hart (''né'' Hartpence; born November 28, 1936) is an American politician, diplomat, and lawyer. He was the front-runner for the 1984 and 1988 Democratic presidential nominations, until in 1988, he dropped out amid revelations of ex ...

, former Democratic U. S. Senator from Colorado and Presidential Candidate in 1984 and 1988 * Steven Hawley, American astronaut (considers Salina as his hometown) * Isaac Smith Kalloch, signatory of Ottawa's original town company charter, later became

Mayor of San Francisco The mayor of the City and County of San Francisco is the head of the executive branch of the Government of San Francisco, San Francisco city and county government. The officeholder has the duty to enforce city laws, and the power to either appro ...

* Semi Ojeleye, forward for the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

selected 37th overall in the 2nd round of the

2017 NBA draft The 2017 NBA draft was held on June 22, 2017, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. ...

, led Ottawa to a state championship in basketball. * Stanley Sheldon, bassist and vocalist for

Peter Frampton Peter Kenneth Frampton (born 22 April 1950) is an English-American guitarist, singer, and songwriter who rose to prominence as a member of the rock bands the Herd and Humble Pie. Later in his career, Frampton found significant success as a s ...

, most notably on Frampton's ''

Frampton Comes Alive! ''Frampton Comes Alive!'' is a double live album by the English musician and songwriter Peter Frampton, released in 1976 by A&M Records. Following four studio albums with little success and sales, ''Frampton Comes Alive!'' was a breakthrough for ...

'' album. *

John G. Thompson John Griggs Thompson (born October 13, 1932) is an American mathematician at the University of Florida noted for his work in the field of finite groups. He was awarded the Fields Medal in 1970, the Wolf Prize in 1992, and the Abel Prize in 2008. ...

, a prominent mathematician. *

Jerry Voorhis Horace Jeremiah "Jerry" Voorhis (April 6, 1901 – September 11, 1984) was an American politician and educator from California who served five terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1937 to 1947. A Democratic Party (Unit ...

, U. S. Representative for

California's 12th congressional district California's 12th congressional district is a congressional district in northern California. Lateefah Simon, a Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, has represented the district since January 2025. The district was represented previously b ...

from 1937–1947

References

External links

City of Ottawa

Ottawa - Directory of Public Officials

Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce

Ottawa city map
KDOT {{Authority control Cities in Kansas County seats in Kansas Cities in Franklin County, Kansas