Stafford is a city in Stafford 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. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 959. It is located along Highway 50.

History

Stafford was founded in 1878. As with Stafford County, the city was named for Lewis Stafford, a casualty in the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

. Stafford was destroyed by a tornado in 1882 and rebuilt within a year. Stafford was incorporated as a city in 1885. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe

railroad depot A train station, railroad station, or railway station is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight, or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track, and a station building providing such an ...

, built in 1911, was slated to be demolished in late 2016 but was ultimately saved by a last-minute petition from the Stafford community.

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 of it land. It is approximately ninety-two miles northwest of Wichita on

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 ...

Demographics

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 1,042 people, 487 households, and 262 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 622 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.3%

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 ...

, 0.8%

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 ...

, 1.7% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 1.5% from other races, and 1.5% 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 5.9% of the population. There were 487 households, of which 23.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.9% 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, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 46.2% were non-families. 42.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 24.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.04 and the average family size was 2.76. The median age in the city was 48.2 years. 21.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.5% were from 25 to 44; 27.4% were from 45 to 64; and 26.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.8% male and 53.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,161 people, 525 households, and 305 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 640 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.95%

, 0.09%

, 0.86% Native American, 1.46% from other races, and 1.64% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 3.53% of the population. There were 525 households, out of which 25.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% were

living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.9% were non-families. 39.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 24.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.83. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.9% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 20.4% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 28.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $27,092, and the median income for a family was $32,383. Males had a median income of $26,307 versus $18,438 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 $16,032. About 11.2% of families and 16.4% 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 26.0% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The community is served by Stafford USD 349 public school district. All students in Stafford attend school in the same building. The district is rated 1A by the state; consequently, its teams play

eight-man football Eight-man football is a form of gridiron football, generally played by high schools with smaller enrollments. Eight-man football differs from the traditional 11-man game with the reduction of three players on each side of the ball and a field wid ...

Notable people

Neva Egan Desdia Neva Egan (October 3, 1914 – January 19, 2011) was an American educator who served as the first First Lady of Alaska from the state's creation in 1959 to 1966, and again from 1970 to 1974. Egan was the wife of the state of Alaska's fir ...

, American educator, former First Lady of Alaska (1959–1966, 1970–1974) * Brett Fairchild, member of the

Kansas House of Representatives The Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for craftin ...

Tony Fields Tony Fields (December 28, 1958 – February 27, 1995) was an American dancer and actor, famous for his performances on the television show '' Solid Gold'', several videos for Michael Jackson, and the film version of the American musical ''A ...

, dancer, actor; best known as a '' Solid Gold'' dancer (1979–1984) and for his roles in ''

A Chorus Line ''A Chorus Line'' is a 1975 musical conceived by Michael Bennett with music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban, and a book by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante. Set on the bare stage of a Broadway theater, the musical is cent ...

'' and ''

Trick Or Treat Trick-or-treating is a traditional Halloween custom for children and adults in some countries. During the evening of Halloween, on October 31, people in costumes travel from house to house, asking for treats with the phrase "trick or treat". Th ...

.'' * Norma Wendelburg (1918–2016), composer, pianist and academic

Gallery

Historic Images of Stafford
Special Photo Collections at Wichita State University Library Image:Stafford Reformed Presbyterian Church at construction.jpg, Stafford Reformed Presbyterian Church after its construction in 1913. Image:Stafford Reformed Presbyterian Church.jpg, Stafford Reformed Presbyterian Church (

NRHP The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of sites, buildings, structures, districts, and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

), 2009. Image:Henderson House, Stafford, Kansas.jpg, Sarah L. Henderson House (

), 2009. Image:Spickard House, Stafford, Kansas.jpg, Joseph L. Spickard House, (

), 2009.

References

External links

City of Stafford

Stafford - Directory of Public Officials

USD 349
local school district * , from ''Hatteberg's People'' on

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 ...

TV news
Stafford city map
KDOT {{Authority control Cities in Stafford County, Kansas Cities in Kansas