Udall is a city in

Cowley County, Kansas Cowley County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat is Winfield, Kansas, Winfield, and its most populous city is Arkansas City, Kansas, Arkansas City. As of the 2020 United States census, 202 ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 661.

History

The first post office at Udall was established in September 1879. J.M. Napier and P.W. Smith purchased a ten-acre tract from I.N Nelson in 1879. Udall was laid out in 1881 by Napier and Smith. It was named after English author Cornelius Udall. D.C. Green built the first house in Udall and opened a store.

1955 tornado

On May 25, 1955, after an F5 tornado killed 20 people, injured 250, and destroyed/damaged hundreds of buildings in

Blackwell, Oklahoma Blackwell is a city in Kay County, Oklahoma, United States, located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 177 and State Highway 11 along Interstate 35. The population was 6,085 as of the 2020 census. Blackwell was established following the Sep ...

, the same supercell produced another F5 tornado that struck Udall at 10:35 p.m, the deadliest tornado to ever hit the state of

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 ...

. A wide F5 tornado demolished Udall; no building within the city limits was untouched, including the

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 ...

water tower A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system, distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towe ...

, old grade school, new high school, city hall, three churches. The water tower had been knocked over and the streets were flooded. Vehicles were thrown hundreds of yards and mangled beyond recognition, including a pickup truck that was wrapped around a tree and stripped of everything but its frame and tires. In Udall, the tornado killed 77, injured 270, 192 buildings were destroyed, including 170 homes, around 50% of families lost one or more members. 1955 F5 Blackwell and Udall tornado tracks.gif, 1955 tornado tracks map Mennonite Disaster Service clean up after the famous Udall, Kansas, tornado of May 25, 1955 (8067771707).jpg, Men helping cleanup after tornado Men and dog inspect rubble left by tornado. Udall, Kansas - NARA - 283889.jpg, Men and dog inspect tornado rubble Car wrapped around large tree by tornado. Udall, Kansas - NARA - 283886.jpg, Stripped pickup truck caused by tornado

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.

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 746 people, 289 households, and 203 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 319 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.8%

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 ...

, 2.0% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 2.5% 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 3.1% of the population. There were 289 households, of which 38.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% 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, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 29.8% were non-families. 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.5% 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 3.07. The median age in the city was 31.7 years. 30.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.3% were from 25 to 44; 22.5% were from 45 to 64; and 12.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.4% male and 53.6% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 794 people, 302 households, and 221 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 322 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.73%

, 1.64% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.63% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 3.27% of the population. There were 302 households, out of which 41.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.6% were

living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.8% were non-families. 24.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.16. In the city, the population was spread out, with 32.2% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $37,639, and the median income for a family was $42,981. Males had a median income of $34,750 versus $20,227 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 $16,202. About 4.8% of families and 5.8% 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 8.0% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The community is served by Udall USD 463 public school district. The Udall Eagles won the Kansas State High School class 1A volleyball championship in 1973.

References

External links

City of Udall

Udall - Directory of Public Officials
;1955 tornado
Udall tornado 1955
- Kansas Historical Society
Booklet with 22 photos of Udall tornado damage
- Kansas Historical Society

- The Wichita Eagle {{Authority control Cities in Kansas Cities in Cowley County, Kansas