Dexter, Kansas

Dexter, Kansas
—  City  —
Location of Dexter, Kansas
Coordinates: 37°10′46″N 96°42′58″W / 37.17944°N 96.71611°W / 37.17944; -96.71611Coordinates: 37°10′46″N 96°42′58″W / 37.17944°N 96.71611°W / 37.17944; -96.71611
Country	United States
State	Kansas
County	Cowley
Area
– Total	0.3 sq mi (0.7 km2)
– Land	0.3 sq mi (0.7 km2)
– Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	1,211 ft (369 m)
Population (2010)[1]
– Total	278
– Density	926.7/sq mi (357.8/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
– Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	67038
Area code(s)	620
FIPS code	20-17925[2]
GNIS feature ID	0469581[3]
Website	City website

Dexter is a city in Cowley County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 278.^[1]

History

Early in the 20th century Dexter became the focus of research that would confirm the existence of an abundance of naturally occurring and readily available helium. In May 1903, a newly drilled natural gas well was found to contain a nonflammable gas. Researchers at the University of Kansas found the “Dexter gas” contained only 15 percent methane and 72 percent nitrogen, causing the gas to be nonflammable. In addition they discovered helium within an “inert residue” in the gas and, after expanding their research to other wells throughout Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma, published a paper in 1907 saying that helium could be extracted from natural gas. Helium did not have any practical applications at the time, but by 1917 the federal government was sponsoring extensive research into the possibility of using helium in airships.

Geography

Dexter is located at 37°10′46″N 96°42′58″W / 37.179373°N 96.715987°W / 37.179373; -96.715987 (37.179373, -96.715987).^[4] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.3 square miles (0.78 km²), all of it land.

Area events

• Blackdog Festival, celebrates the historic Black Dog Trail, also known as the Great Osage Trail, created by Osage Indian natives.^[5]

Area attractions

• The "Oh Henry!" Candy Bar was invented by a man named Tom Henry of Arkansas City, whose family now runs a candy factory on route K-15 in Dexter, Kansas called "Henry's Candies". The factory sells "Momma Henry" bars, which are near identical to the original "Oh Henry!" candy bar.
• Cowley Lake Waterfall

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1990	320		—
2000	364		13.8%
2010	278		−23.6%
U.S. Decennial Census

According to the census^[2] of 2000, there were 364 people, 119 households, and 81 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,309.4 people per square mile (501.9/km²). There were 133 housing units at an average density of 478.4 per square mile (183.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.03% White, 0.27% African American, 5.22% Native American, 0.82% from other races, and 1.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.10% of the population.

There were 119 households out of which 38.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.7% were married couples living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.1% were non-families. 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.43.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.0% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 87.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,656, and the median income for a family was $39,286. Males had a median income of $25,536 versus $18,125 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,615. About 14.1% of families and 16.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.4% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "2010 City Population and Housing Occupancy Status". U.S. Census Bureau. http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_PL_GCTPL2.ST13&prodType=table. Retrieved March 6, 2011. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
4. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
5. ^ Black Dog Trail - History

• McCool, John H. This Week in KU History: December 7, 1905 “High On Helium”. Detailing the discovery of helium by KU's chemistry professors.

External links

Kansas portal

City

• City of Dexter
• Dexter - Directory of Public Officials

Schools

• USD 471, local school district

Maps

• Cowley County Map, KDOT