Valley Falls is a city in Jefferson 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 1,092.

History

Valley Falls was originally called Grasshopper Falls, from the falls in the Grasshopper River (now known as the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...

). The first settlement was made there in 1854, and the town was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...

ted in 1855. Many of the town's streets were named after women pioneer settlers.

Geography

Valley Falls is located at (39.342936, -95.460584). 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 , of which is land and is water.

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, Valley Falls 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 ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

Valley Falls is part of the

Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeastern Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2020 cen ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area.

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 1,192 people, 444 households, and 290 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 518 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.2%

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 ...

, 2.1%

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 ...

, 1.0% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 0.5% 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 1.8% of the population. There were 444 households, of which 36.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% 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, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.7% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.04. The median age in the city was 40.8 years. 26.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.6% were from 25 to 44; 24.6% were from 45 to 64; and 18.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.5% male and 53.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,254 people, 485 households, and 297 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 521 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.89%

, 0.72%

, 1.12% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.16% from other races, and 0.72% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.64% of the population. There were 485 households, out of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were

living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.6% were non-families. 34.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.21. In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.0% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $34,018, and the median income for a family was $41,500. Males had a median income of $28,000 versus $21,771 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 $15,626. About 5.1% of families and 7.9% 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 5.2% of those under age 18 and 19.6% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Valley Falls is governed by a mayor/council form of government. There are five council members. The day-to-day business of the city is conducted by the city administrator, and a part-time city clerk, paid employees of the city.

Education

The community is served by Valley Falls USD 338 public school district. It has one local grade school serving grades PreK-8 and one local high school serving grades 9-12. The local sports teams are known as the Dragons and their school colors are black and gold.

Notable people

* Puella Dornblaser, temperance activist, lived in Valley Falls and edited at a newspaper in Oskaloosa * Moses Harman, American schoolteacher and publisher of the anarchist periodical ''Lucifer, the Light-Bearer''. The periodical began as ''The Kansas Liberal'' and was published in Valley Fall

* Lillian Harman, American sex radical feminist and editor. Famous for her "free marriage" for which she was prosecuted under the Kansas Marriage Act of 1867. "''In a ceremony in Valley Falls, Kansas, on September 19, 1886, she joined Edwin Cox Walker, thirty-seven, in an “autonomistic marriage” that repudiated Christian and governmental ideas of marriage''." * Fred Marsh, professional baseball player, born in Valley Falls in 1924. * King O'Malley, member of the

Australian House of Representatives The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Australian Senate, Senate. Its composition and powers are set out in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia. ...

in the early 20th century, although he also claimed he was born in

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, Canada * George Stafford, former chairman for the

Interstate Commerce Commission The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was a regulatory agency in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads (and later Trucking industry in the United States, truc ...

, was born and schooled in Valley Falls

References

External links

City of Valley Falls

Valley Falls - Directory of Public Officials

USD 338
local school district
Valley Falls City Map
KDOT {{Authority control Cities in Kansas Cities in Jefferson County, Kansas Topeka metropolitan area, Kansas 1854 establishments in Kansas Territory