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Russell is the most populous 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 Russell County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 4,401.


History

In 1865, the Butterfield Overland Despatch established a short-lived station named Fossil Creek Station along its route from Atchison, Kansas to
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 ...
near the site of modern Russell. In 1867, the Kansas Pacific Railway reached the area and built its own station, also named Fossil Creek, later just Fossil, north of the Butterfield station. That same year, the Kansas Legislature established the surrounding area as Russell County. In 1871, colonists from
Ripon, Wisconsin Ripon () is a city in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 7,863 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The city is surrounded by the Ripon (town), Wisconsin, Town of Ripon. Ripon is home to the Little White S ...
established a permanent settlement at Fossil Station, renaming it Russell after the county. Russell was incorporated and named the provisional county seat in 1872, and, after a two-year dispute with neighboring Bunker Hill, it became the permanent county seat in 1874. In 1876, Volga Germans, mostly from the area around
Saratov Saratov ( , ; , ) is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and administrative center of Saratov Oblast, Russia, and a major port on the Volga River. Saratov had a population of 901,361, making it the List of cities and tow ...
and
Samara Samara, formerly known as Kuybyshev (1935–1991), is the largest city and administrative centre of Samara Oblast in Russia. The city is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Samara (Volga), Samara rivers, with a population of over 1.14 ...
in
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
, began settling in and around Russell. The first discovery oil well in Russell County was drilled west of Russell in 1923. An oil boom ensued and lasted through the 1930s, attracting settlers from
Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
and
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
.
Petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil or simply oil, is a naturally occurring, yellowish-black liquid chemical mixture found in geological formations, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons. The term ''petroleum'' refers both to naturally occurring un ...
production became a staple of the local economy. Russell came to national attention in the mid-1990s as the hometown of U.S. Senators Bob Dole and Arlen Specter when both men campaigned for the U.S. presidency. Dole was born and raised in Russell, and it remained his official place of residence throughout his political career.


Geography

Russell is located in north-central Kansas at the intersection of Interstate 70 and U.S. Route 281, Russell is approximately northwest of Wichita, west of Kansas City, and east-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 ...
. The city lies in the Smoky Hills 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 south of the Saline River and north of the Smoky Hill River. Fossil Creek, a tributary of the Smoky Hill River, passes immediately south of the city where it has been dammed to form a small
reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...
, Fossil Lake. 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

Russell has a humid continental climate (Köppen ''Dfa''), with hot, humid summers and cold, dry winters. On average, January is the coldest month, and July is both the hottest month and the wettest month. The high temperature reaches or exceeds an average of 63.2 days a year and reaches or exceeds an average of 12.5 days a year. The minimum temperature falls below the freezing point an average of 129.7 days a year. The hottest temperature recorded in Russell was on June 30, 1980, while the coldest temperature recorded was on December 22, 1989.


Demographics


2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 4,506 people, 2,041 households, and 1,216 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,393 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.6%
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 ...
, 1.0%
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 ...
, 0.6% American Indian, 0.5% Asian, 0.6% from some other race, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanics and Latinos of any race were 2.1% of the population. There were 2,041 households, of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.6% were married couples living together, 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.4% were non-families. 36.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16, and the average family size was 2.79. The median age in the city was 44.6 years. 22.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.2% were from 25 to 44; 27.3% were from 45 to 64; and 22.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.0% male and 51.0% female. The median income for a household in the city was $32,347, and the median income for a family was $43,834. Males had a median income of $31,727 versus $19,583 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 $21,330. About 17.2% of families and 21.6% 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 38.7% of those under age 18 and 14.1% of those age 65 or over.


2000 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 2000, there were 4,696 people, 2,057 households, and 1,250 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,436 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.13%
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 ...
, 0.96%
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 ...
, 0.57% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.02%
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 ...
, 0.30% from other races, and 0.87% 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 were 1.00% of the population. There were 2,057 households, out of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.9% 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, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.2% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.7% 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 2.82. In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.4% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 24.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.0 males.


Economy

The economy of Russell is based primarily on
agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...
with wheat gluten and
ethanol Ethanol (also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, drinking alcohol, or simply alcohol) is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is an Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol, with its formula also written as , or EtOH, where Et is the ps ...
manufacturing Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of the secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer ...
facilities located in the local industrial park. Russell County is also one of the leading petroleum producing counties in Kansas. As of 2012, 65.2% of the population over the age of 16 was in the labor force. 0.4% was in the armed forces, and 64.8% was in the civilian labor force with 61.6% being employed and 3.3% unemployed. The composition, by occupation, of the employed civilian labor force was: 33.9% in sales and office occupations; 24.4% in management, business, science, and arts; 17.5% in service occupations; 12.3% in natural resources, construction, and maintenance; and 11.9% in production, transportation, and material moving. The three industries employing the largest percentages of the working civilian labor force were: educational services, health care, and social assistance (28.3%); retail trade (20.0%); and agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining (12.8%). The cost of living in Russell is relatively low; compared to a U.S. average of 100, the cost of living index for the city is 77.2. As of 2012, the median home value in the city was $63,200, the median selected monthly owner cost was $935 for housing units with a mortgage and $412 for those without, and the median gross rent was $657.


Arts and culture


Arts and music

Located downtown, the Deines Cultural Center is a non-profit art gallery that hosts exhibits featuring the work of local and regional artists. Its permanent collections consist of paintings by Birger Sandzén and the wood engravings of local artist E. Hubert Deines. In addition, the center also hosts concerts, recitals, lectures, readings, and workshops. The Center opened in 1990 with the Deines family's donation of its building, the Deines engravings, and a cash endowment to the city of Russell.


Ad Astra Music Festival

In the month of July, Russell hosts the Ad Astra Music Festival, a concert series featuring student and professional artists from all over the United States and the world. Music performed ranges from classical to contemporary compositions and jazz. The festival was started in 2015.


Events

The city hosts the annual Russell County Free Fair during the last week of July. Sponsored by local businesses and organizations, the Fair includes a 4-H livestock sale, carnival, live music, and other entertainment. Other annual events include the annual Blarney Stone Hunt, the
Independence Day An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...
Freedom Fireworks Celebration, Bricks, Broncs & BBQ and Flatland Car & Cycle Show the first weekend in October, the Lighted Christmas Parade, and Weihnachtsfest, a
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...
festival held the second Saturday in December for over 25 years. Every ten years since 1941, Russell has held Prairiesta, a festival commemorating the city's foundation and celebrating its heritage. Held in June, the festival includes a parade, carnival rides, live music, arts and crafts exhibits, and a historical pageant.


Points of interest

The Fossil Station Museum, also located in downtown Russell, displays artifacts from Russell County history dating back to the mid-1800s. Home to the Russell County Historical Society, the museum is housed in the former sheriff's office and county jail, a fortress-like structure constructed of native “post rock” limestone in 1907. The Russell County Historical Society has restored and maintains two examples of early limestone homes built in Russell, the Gernon House and the Heym-Oliver House. The Gernon House was built in 1872 by blacksmith Nicholas Gernon, one of the town's original settlers, and doubled as a smithery. The Heym-Oliver House was built by settler Nicholas Heym in 1878. The Oil Patch Museum, located just north of I-70 Exit 184, houses exhibits on area geology and the history of local
petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil or simply oil, is a naturally occurring, yellowish-black liquid chemical mixture found in geological formations, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons. The term ''petroleum'' refers both to naturally occurring un ...
drilling, production, and transportation.


Libraries

The Russell Public Library, located downtown on West Wisconsin (6th) Street, is the city's main library. A member of the Central Kansas Library System, it has a collection of more than 32,000 volumes. The library opened in 1901 and expanded into a Carnegie library in 1907, finally moving to its current facility in 1962.


Parks and recreation

The city government's Park Department maintains seven parks in the city. The largest is Memorial Park, located on the north side of the U.S. 40 business route in the far eastern part of the city. It includes baseball fields, tennis courts, a skateboard park, a play park, a frisbee golf course, and Russell Municipal Golf Course. The municipal course is a 9-hole, regulation length course that opened in 1952. In addition, the city government operates a municipal swimming pool next to Memorial Park.


Government

Russell is a city of the second class with a council-mayor-manager 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 eight members, two elected for each city ward. The council sets policies and approves the city budget, meeting on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 4:30 p.m. in the City Council Room at the City Hall. The
city manager A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city in the council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are referred to as the chief executive officer (CEO) or chief administ ...
is hired by the council, enforces its policies, serves as its chief adviser, prepares the city budget, and administers city government personnel. 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 ...
presides at council meetings, serves as spokesperson for the city, and represents the city in intergovernmental relations. As 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 ...
, Russell is the administrative center of Russell County. The county courthouse is located downtown, and all departments of the county government base their operations in the city. Russell lies within Kansas's 1st U.S. Congressional District, represented by Tracey Mann (R-Salina). For the purposes of representation in the Kansas Legislature, the city is located in the 36th district of the Kansas Senate, represented by Sen. Elaine Bowers (R-Concordia) and the 109th district of the Kansas House of Representatives, represented by Rep. Troy Waymaster (R-Bunker Hill).


Education

The community is served by Russell County USD 407 public school district, and operates four
public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...
schools in the city: * Russell High School (9-12) * Ruppenthal Middle School (6-8) * Bickerdyke Elementary School (2-5) * Simpson Elementary School (K-1)


Media

''The Russell County News'' is the local newspaper, published weekly on Thursdays. It was a daily newspaper until 2000, then was a twice-weekly newspaper from 2001 to 2015. Three radio stations broadcast from Russell. KRSL broadcasts on 990 AM, playing a Classic Country format. Its sister station KRSL-FM broadcasts on 95.9 FM, playing a Classic Hits format. KCCV-FM, a
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
station in
Overland Park, Kansas Overland Park ( ) is the largest city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States, and the List of cities in Kansas#Highest population listing, second-most populous city in the state of Kansas. It is one of four principal city, principal cities in ...
, operates a translator station in Russell which broadcasts on 95.1 FM. Russell is in the Wichita-Hutchinson, Kansas television market.
KAKE KAKE (channel 10) is a television station in Wichita, Kansas, United States, affiliated with ABC and owned by Lockwood Broadcast Group. The station's studios are located on West Street in northwestern Wichita, and its transmitter is located i ...
, the ABC affiliate in Wichita, operates a translator station (K38GH) in Russell which broadcasts on analog channel 38.
KBSH-DT KBSH-DT (channel 7) is a television station licensed to Hays, Kansas, United States, affiliated with CBS and owned by Gray Media. The station's news bureau, advertising sales office and transmitter are located on Hall Street in northwest Ha ...
, KOCW, and KSNC, the respective satellite stations of the CBS, Fox, and NBC affiliates in Wichita, are located in neighboring counties, placing Russell within their broadcast radius. Smoky Hills Public Television, the PBS affiliate for western Kansas, has its headquarters in nearby Bunker Hill.


Infrastructure


Transportation

Interstate 70 and U.S. Route 40 run concurrently east–west immediately south of Russell, intersecting U.S. Route 281, which runs north–south through the town, at Exit 184. U.S. Route 40 Business follows U.S. 281 north 1.5 miles to its intersection with the old alignment of U.S. 40, which runs east–west through Russell. The business route then follows the old alignment east, ending at its intersection with I-70 at exit 189. Russell Municipal Airport is located southeast of the city on the U.S. 40 business route. Publicly owned, it has two runways, one concrete and one turf, 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 ...
.
Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...
operates one freight rail line, the Kansas Pacific (KP) Line, through Russell. It runs east–west through the city.


Utilities

Electricity production and distribution, recycling and trash removal, waste water management, and water production and distribution are all provided by separate departments of the city government. Eagle Communication and Rural Telephone provide landline telephone service; Eagle Communication and Nex-Tech offer cable television and internet access. Most residents use
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 ...
for heating fuel; service is provided by Kansas Gas Service.


Health care

Russell Regional Hospital is the sole hospital in the city. Established in 1942, it is a private, non-profit, 54-bed general medical and surgical facility.


Notable people

Notable individuals who were born in and/or have lived in Russell include:


References


Further reading


External links

*
Historic Images
- Wichita State University Libraries
Russell city map
KDOT
Topo Map of Russell area
USGS {{Authority control Cities in Russell County, Kansas Cities in Kansas County seats in Kansas Populated places established in 1871 1871 establishments in Kansas