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, the population of the city was 791. It is located along Highway 50.
History
The land for the townsite of Spearville was deeded by the Santa Fe to the Arkansas Valley Town Company in March 1873. Spearville was built on an area along a section of the Santa Fe Trail called Dry Ridge. The town was named for Alden H. Speare, railroad director and president of the town company. Spearville History The city name appeared as both Spearville and Speareville until the 1890s, when local newspapers settled on the spelling of the town's name.
Spearville's first permanent residents were the Santa Fe section foreman, Jonas Stafford, and his family, who settled in Spearville in January, 1875. Stafford's wife and daughters opened an eating house, mainly for the accommodation of the section hands.
The first post office in Spearville was established in June 1877.
Toward the end of October 1892, Spearville was the site of the second robbery of the Bill Doolin Gang, which had been formed in the aftermath of the Dalton Gang's demise in Coffeyville, Kansas. The Ford County Bank was robbed of $1,697 by Doolin and two members of his gang. One of the outlaws, Ollie (Ol) Yantis, was soon tracked down and killed by a posse.
Its nickname is City of Windmills, from the large number of windmills used to pump groundwater in the late 1800s. There are now wind farms with more than 350 turbines surrounding the city.
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, Spearville 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 ...
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 773 people, 300 households, and 218 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 320 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.5%
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 ...
, 0.4%
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 ...
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 8.4% of the population.
There were 300 households, of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.0% 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, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 27.3% were non-families. 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.08.
The median age in the city was 39.9 years. 28.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.7% were from 25 to 44; 28% were from 45 to 64; and 15.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.3% male and 50.7% female.
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 813 people, 295 households, and 202 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 311 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.91%
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 ...
, 0.25%
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 ...
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 5.04% of the population.
There were 295 households, out of which 38.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.7% 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, 3.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.2% were non-families. 28.1% 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 2.69 and the average family size was 3.34.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 31.4% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $40,625, and the median income for a family was $52,917. Males had a median income of $29,615 versus $21,875 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 $16,686. About 3.6% of families and 7.4% 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 9.2% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.
wind farm
A wind farm, also called a wind park or wind power plant, is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electricity. Wind farms vary in size from a small number of turbines to several hundred wind turbines covering an exten ...
in Kansas at the time it opened, behind the Gray County Wind Farm which opened in 2001. Phase I of the
Smoky Hills Wind Farm
The Smoky Hills Wind Farm (Phase I & Phase II) is a 250 megawatt (MW) wind farm in Lincoln and Ellsworth Counties, 140 miles west of Topeka in Kansas, north of Ellsworth. The farm is operated by Enel Green Power. Highway K-14 and Interstate 70 ...
edged Spearville into third place in 2008.
File:Spearville Wind Energy Facility 553084783 35a87dd952 o.jpg
File:Spearville Wind Energy Facility 553085021 b8a45172a0 o.jpg
Notable people
*
Willie Cauley-Stein
Willie Trill Cauley-Stein (born Willie Durmond Cauley Jr.; August 18, 1993) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Nanjing Monkey Kings of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball with ...