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Pratt 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 civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...
of
Pratt County Pratt County (standard abbreviation: PR) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat and largest city is Pratt. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 9,157. The county was named for Caleb Pratt, a primary p ...
,
Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to ...
, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 6,603. It is home to
Pratt Community College Pratt Community College is a public community college in Pratt, Kansas, United States. Athletics The official mascot for Pratt Community College is the Beaver. Pratt CC participates in 11 sports in the NJCAA and in the Kansas Jayhawk Community ...
.


History


19th century

Pratt was founded in 1884 and named after
Caleb S. Pratt Caleb S. Pratt was a primary person involved in Bleeding Kansas. He testified before the Committee of Elections regarding the Troubles in Kansas, 1856 specific to voting irregularities in the Election of March 30, 1855 Lawrence, Kansas. On August ...
, a young Civil War officer from the Kansas
Infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and m ...
, who was killed in the Battle of Wilson's Creek near
Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an estima ...
Pratt Chamber of Congress, retrieved August 24, 2009
The first post office in Pratt was established in June 1884. In 1887, the Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway built a main line from
Herington Herington is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Jon Herington (born 1954), American musician *Leigh Herington, American politician * Marieve Herington, Canadian actress and singer Fictional characters: *Tjokkie Herington, chara ...
to Pratt. In 1888, this line was extended to Liberal. Later, it was extended to
Tucumcari, New Mexico Tucumcari (; ) is a city in and the county seat of Quay County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 5,278 at the 2020 census. Tucumcari was founded in 1901, two years before Quay County was established. History In 1901, the Chicago, ...
and
El Paso, Texas El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the ...
. It foreclosed in 1891 and was taken over by Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway, which shut down in 1980 and reorganized as St. Louis and Southwestern "Cotton Belt" Railroad, a subsidiary of Southern Pacific Railroad which merged in 1996 with
Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pac ...
. Most locals still refer to this railroad as the "Rock Island".


20th century

Built in 1930, Hotel Roberts is the largest and most highly styled historic hotel in Pratt. Construction of the hotel was initiated by the Pratt Chamber of Commerce, which formed a committee in the late 1920s specifically to facilitate the construction of a large new hotel. Seen as a potentially valuable asset for the community, the hotel was financed in part through a public subscription campaign, and constructed on land provided by the Chamber. The Pratt Hotel Company owned and operated the hotel and hired Wichita architect Samuel S. Voigt and Kansas City contractor Webster L. Elson to design and build the building. Elson not only supervised the rapid construction of the "fire-proof" building, he was a founding member of the Pratt Hotel Company, and he retained an ownership interest in the property for many years. The community hospital was established on the eighth floor of the building in 1932, complete with an operating room and an x-ray machine. Architecturally, the building is significant as an early and sophisticated example of the Art Deco style in central Kansas. The hotel opened as the Hotel Roberts in 1930, and continued under that name until 1959, when it was purchased by Monte Parrish and renamed the Hotel Parrish. In January 2015 it was listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places for its local significance in the areas of architecture and community planning and development. During World War II, the nearby Pratt Army Airfield was the first base used for training
Boeing B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 F ...
bomber crews and also served as a staging area for getting early aircraft combat-ready, in what became known as the Battle of Kansas. The Miss Kansas Parade and Pageant are held here.Miss Kansas Pageant
/ref> The state headquarters of Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks was constructed southeast of the town.


Geography

According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy An economy is an area of th ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Pratt is located approximately eighty miles west of Wichita.


Climate


Demographics


2010 census

As of the
census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
of 2010, there were 6,835 people, 2,837 households, and 1,713 families living in the city. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...
was . There were 3,201 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.3%
White White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...
, 1.5%
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
, 0.6% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 2.3% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...
or Latino people of any race were 6.2% of the population. There were 2,837 households, of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.6% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age in the city was 39 years. 22.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 12% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21% were from 25 to 44; 25.2% were from 45 to 64; and 19.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.8% male and 51.2% female.


2000 census

As of the
census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
of 2000, there were 6,570 people, 2,839 households, and 1,780 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 3,312 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.87%
White White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...
, 1.00%
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
, 0.38% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 0.03%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Ocea ...
, 1.95% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...
or Latino people of any race were 3.46% of the population. There were 2,839 households, out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.3% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.3% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.91. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.3% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 20.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $33,646, and the median income for a family was $42,412. Males had a median income of $31,186 versus $20,640 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...
for the city was $17,486. About 7.1% of families and 10.3% 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 12.8% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.


Education


Colleges

*
Pratt Community College Pratt Community College is a public community college in Pratt, Kansas, United States. Athletics The official mascot for Pratt Community College is the Beaver. Pratt CC participates in 11 sports in the NJCAA and in the Kansas Jayhawk Community ...


Public schools

The community is served by
Pratt USD 382 Pratt USD 382 is a Public school (government funded), public unified school district headquartered in Pratt, Kansas, United States. The district includes the communities of Pratt, Kansas, Pratt, Iuka, Kansas, Iuka, Preston, Kansas, Preston, Cai ...
and Skyline USD 438 public school districts. ; Pratt USD 382 * Pratt High School (9-12) * Liberty Middle School (5-8) * Southwest Elementary School (PreK-4) * Haskins Elementary School & Bridges to Learning (K-4) ; Skyline USD 438 * Skyline High School (K-12)


Private schools

* Sacred Heart/Holy Child (PreK-5) * Our Savior Lutheran Preschool


Media


Radio stations

* KHMY 93.1FM—Hot Adult Contemporary *
KMMM KMMM (1290 AM) is a radio station licensed to Pratt, Kansas, United States. The station airs a classic country format Format may refer to: Printing and visual media * Text formatting, the typesetting of text elements * Paper formats, or pap ...
1290AM—News, Sports, Information, and Music *
KQZQ KQZQ (98.3 FM) is a radio station licensed to serve the community of Kiowa, Kansas. The station is owned by My Town Media, Inc. It airs a country music format. The station was assigned the KQZQ call letters by the Federal Communications Com ...
98.3FM-Country, Red Dirt Country


Newspaper

* ''Pratt Tribune''


Infrastructure


Transportation


Highways

Pratt is served by U.S. Route 54, U.S. Route 400, and
U.S. Route 281 U.S. Route 281 (US 281) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway. At it is the longest continuous three-digit U.S. Route. The highway's northern terminus is at the International Peace Garden, north of Dunseith, North Dakota, at t ...
. It is also served by K-61.


Bus

Bus service is provided daily eastward to Wichita and westward to
Pueblo, Colorado Pueblo () is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 111,876 at the 2020 United States Census, making Pueblo the ninth most popu ...
by BeeLine Express (subcontractor of Greyhound Lines).


In popular media

* Theodore Bagwell lies low in a Pratt bar in "
The Killing Box "The Killing Box" is the thirty-fifth episode of the American television series ''Prison Break'' and is the thirteenth episode of its second season. Broadcast on November 27, 2006, it was also the last episode to be aired in 2006 in the United Sta ...
", an episode of the television series ''
Prison Break ''Prison Break'' is an American serial drama television series created by Paul Scheuring for Fox. The series revolves around two brothers, Lincoln Burrows ( Dominic Purcell) and Michael Scofield ( Wentworth Miller); Burrows has been sentenc ...
''. *In
Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high ...
's '' The Stand'', Nick Andros and Tom Cullen meet the promiscuous, ultimately vicious Julie Lawry at Pratt.


Notable people

* Bill Farmer, voice actor and comedian * William Marriott, baseball player * Vera Miles, actress *
John Redwine John Redwine (born October 28, 1950) is an American physician and politician. Biography Born in Pratt, Kansas, Redwine received his bachelor's degree from University of Kansas, He then went to the University of Texas Health Science Center at Hou ...
, physician and politician * Charles Stokes, politician * Brad Ziegler, relief pitcher for
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...


References


Further reading


External links


City of Pratt

Pratt - Directory of Public Officials

Pratt Chamber of Commerce

Pratt history

Pratt city map
KDOT {{Authority control Cities in Kansas County seats in Kansas Cities in Pratt County, Kansas Populated places established in 1884 1884 establishments in Kansas