Arkansas City, Kansas

Infobox Settlement
official_name = City of Arkansas City
settlement_type = City


imagesize =
image_caption =


imagesize =
image_caption =

---

mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location of Arkansas City in Kansas.


mapsize1 =
map_caption1 =
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_name1 = Kansas
subdivision_name2 = Cowley
government_type =
leader_title =
leader_name =
established_title = Founded
established_date = 1870
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 19.5
area_total_sq_mi = 7.5
area_land_km2 = 19.5
area_land_sq_mi = 7.5
area_water_km2 = 0.1
area_water_sq_mi = 0.04
area_water_percent = 0.27
area_metro_km2 =
area_metro_sq_mi =
population_as_of = 2000
population_note =
population_total = 11963
population_density_km2 = 593.9
population_density_sq_mi = 1544.1
timezone = CST
utc_offset = -6
timezone_DST = CDT
utc_offset_DST = -5
elevation_m = 341
elevation_ft = 1119
latd = 37 |latm = 3 |lats = 55 |latNS = N
longd = 97 |longm = 2 |longs = 23 |longEW = W
postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 67005
area_code = 620
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 20-02300GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0470061GR|3
footnotes =
website = [http://www.arkcity.org/ www.arkcity.org]

Arkansas City is a city situated at the confluence of the Arkansas and Walnut rivers in the southwestern part of Cowley County, located in south-central Kansas, in the central United States. The population was 11,963 at the 2000 census. It is the second most populous city of Cowley County.

The name of this city is not pronounced like the nearby state of Arkansas, but rather as "Ar-Kansas" (the final "s" is pronounced). Over the years there has been much confusion about the regional pronunciation of "Arkansas," which locals render as "Ar-KAN-zus" rather than "AR-ken-saw." [ [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/arkansas%20city?r=14 Pronunciation Guide] ] Throughout much of Kansas, residents use this alternate pronunciation when referring to the Arkansas River, as well as Arkansas Street in the city of Wichita. Very few people from other states, and even much less from the state of Arkansas, use or have ever heard the anglicized pronunciation. Because of this, and for the sake of brevity, Arkansas City is most often referred to as simply Ark City.

History

White settlers first congregated in the area where Arkansas City now stands in the 1860s. The natives referred to the place as "Nichonka," which roughly translates as "place between the waters" — a reference to the confluence of the Arkansas and Walnut rivers.

The settlers established a town in around 1870, but had difficulty choosing a name; at first they hoped to flatter U.S. Postmaster General John A. J. Creswell (and win a highly-sought-after post office) by naming the town Cresswell in his honor. Unfortunately, numerous other cities had already taken that tack. Next the town fathers, swooning with high expectations for their nascent community, briefly contemplated naming the city Delphi. Walnut City was considered and discarded. Finally, Arkansas City was chosen as the official name of the town.

Though the people of the young settlement believed their community should be the county seat, neighboring Winfield just 10 miles away was given the honor.

Arkansas City grew steadily through the latter part of the 19th century, and enjoyed a population explosion starting in 1891, when thousands of people moved into the area in anticipation of the Cherokee Strip Land Run. It has been estimated that the city's population swelled from 5,000 to 150,000 (most living in temporary encampments) as the nationally-hyped federal land giveaway approached, and shrank back to 5,000 in its aftermath.

The James-Younger Gang of outlaws famously hid out in a cave west of town when they rode through the area.

At the turn of the century, Arkansas City was a rival to Wichita in size and enterprise, boasting several busy rail lines, an elegant opera house, numerous fine hotels, a manufacturing base and a bustling agricultural economy. There was even a famous [http://abyss.kgs.ku.edu/pls/abyss/pubcat.phd1.SelectPhotosCounty?f_cnty=191 sanitarium] (health spa) at nearby Geuda Springs, served by an electric railway running a triangular route from there to Ark City and Winfield. A popular swimming hole called Paris Lake was located west of downtown; the lake — and the hot springs at Geuda as well — was mired with silt in a flood in around 1919. Nearly 20 years later the WPA would build the Paris Park pool in the same spot. African Americans were not allowed to swim in the Paris Park pool during segregation and used a separate facility colloquially referred to as "the black pool" by local residents.

In 1928, the city's official fall festival, Arkalalah, was inaugurated. This annual event still draws thousands of visitors each October, and features a queen, a carnival, dozens of homegrown fair food vendors and a spectacular parade typically lasting three hours or more. During the 1955 Arkalalah celebration, a retired Santa Fe locomotive was driven on temporary tracks down the city's main street, Summit, to the spot in Wilson Park where it remains today.

The city prospered through much of the 20th century, but by the 1980s, the community was facing economic challenges. The railroads shifted many of their crews to other stops, the old Rodeo meat packing plant closed. In 1991 Total Petroleum was bought by UltraMar Diamond Shamrock, after Total Petroleum was found to be illegally dealing with Iraq and was forced out of the United States. In 1995 UltraMar Diamond Shamrock was purchased by Valero Energy Corporation. Valero began the process of cleaning up the soil and water. By 2003 other large employers in Cowley County, Binney & Smith (Crayola plant) and Winfield State Hospital in nearby Winfield, Montgomery KONE Elevator, Strother Field were also shuttered.

Arkansas City is now home to state-of-the-art meat processor Creekstone Farms Premium Beef LLC which employees over 700 workers. Several smaller manufacturing companies are expanding their operations while new start ups are finding a home in Cowley County due to the great workforce supplied by the two local colleges in the county. Both cities, only eleven miles apart, now have large Wal-Mart stores (A new Wal-Mart Supercenter opened in Ark City in March 2006, and another has beeen constructed in Winfield); conversely, both towns' movie theaters recently closed and were replaced by a single facility halfway between the cities, just south of the Strother Field industrial park. B & B Theatres donated the two downtown buildings to non-profit organizations in each of the respective communities. The Ark City Burford Theatre and Commercial Building is undergoing a transformation/renovation that will become a new community arts center and gathering space. Construction began in Spring 2006 on the planned downtown revitalization streetscape. In 2006 the local physicians in Arkansas City banned together with the South Central Kansas Regional Medical Center (SCKRMC) board and the City of Ark City to build a new hospital. However, progress is slow moving as financing the construction is found to be difficult to obtain. And now in December 2007, the City Commissioners have decided to not approve the annexation of land just North of Arkansas City to facilitate the construction of a new "Big Box Store"...rumor was that it would have been a Lowe's Home Center. A new Sonic has opened on east side of Summit street.

Ark City is the home of Jodi LeAnn Sanderholm.

Geography

Arkansas City is located at coor dms|37|3|55|N|97|2|23|W|city (37.065267, -97.039608).GR|1 The city is situated along the northern bank of the Arkansas River and to the west of its confluence with the Walnut River. It is located at the junction of U.S. Route 77 and U.S. Route 166, only four miles north of the Kansas-Oklahoma state border. Winfield, the county seat, is 13 miles north of Arkansas City along US-77, and Strother Field, a general aviation airport, is about eight miles north.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.5 square miles (19.5 km²), of which 7.5 square miles (19.5 km²) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²), or 0.27%, is water.

Demographics

USCensusPop
1880= 1012
1890= 8347
1900= 6140
1910= 7508
1920= 11253
1930= 13946
1940= 12752
1950= 12903
1960= 14262
1970= 13216
1980= 13201
1990= 12762
2000= 11963
estyear=
estimate=

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 11,963 people, 4,855 households, and 3,102 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,592.5 people per square mile (615.0/km²). There were 5,628 housing units at an average density of 749.2/sq mi (289.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.15% White, 4.51% African American, 2.69% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.95% from other races, and 3.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.47% of the population.

There were 4,855 households out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.2% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.1% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 88.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,158, and the median income for a family was $39,962. Males had a median income of $30,665 versus $19,919 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,933. About 12.4% of families and 16.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.5% of those under age 18 and 14.5% of those age 65 or over.

Cowley College

The main campus of Cowley College, formerly Cowley County Community College, is located between 1st and 4th streets and Washington and Central in Ark City. Cowley is a community college and vocational/technical school with more than 68 majors and degree possibilities. Cowley College celebrates 85 years of innovation and excellence in 2007. (Beginning in 1922 in the basement of Arkansas City High School.) Other campuses include: Southside Campus (Wichita, KS) Aviation Tech Center (Wichita, KS), Allied Health Center (Winfield, KS), Career & Technical Education Center (Mulvane, KS), and Bloomenshine Center (Mulvane, KS). Its primary buildings are the Brown Center Theatre, W.S. Scott Auditorium, Renn-Memorial Library, Kerr Buildling, Walker Industrial Technology Building, Ben Cleveland Wellness Center, Kerr Building, Galle-Johnson Hall and four separate dormitories: Storbeck, Kirke W. Dale, Docking, and Kimmell. The college also owns one of the old high school buildings (Ireland Hall), which houses its cosmotology classes. The most recent building, Webb-Brown, is located on the Eastern corner of 3rd and Washington.

Notable residents

Actress Elizabeth Taylor's parents both "hailed" from Arkansas City. Her mother, Sara Sothern, was born in Arkansas City on October 8, 1895. Taylor's father, Francis Lenn Taylor was born on December 28, 1897 in Springfield, Missouri and the family moved to Arkansas City.

Darren Daulton (played baseball for the Philadelphia Philies)--Born January 3, 1962 in Arkansas City, KS

Frank Denton (whose childhood home was at one time the town's Arts Center) lived in Arkansas City. He was chosen by Andrew W. Mellon, then Secretary of the Treasury, as the youngest bank examiner in the United States.Fact|date=February 2007 Frank later became Chairman of Mellon National Bank in the 1960s. [http://www.stanfordsigs.com/SignificantSigs.htm]

Automobile businessman Robert James Eaton grew up in Arkansas City.

References

External links

Official sites
* [http://www.arkcity.org/ Arkansas City]
* [http://www.cowley.edu/ Cowley College]
* [http://www.arkcity.com/ Arkansas City Public Schools USD 470]
* [http://www.arkcity.net/ "The Arkansas City Traveler"] (Local Newspaper)
* [http://www.kacy.fm/ KACY Radio] (Local Radio Station)Additional information