Columbus, Kansas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Columbus, Kansas
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City and County seat
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Columbus Carnegie Library (2013)
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| Motto(s):
"Help America Discover Columbus..."
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Location within Cherokee County and Kansas
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| Country | United States |
| State | Kansas |
| County | Cherokee |
| Founded | 1868 |
| Incorporated | 1871 |
| Named for | Columbus, Ohio |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.39 sq mi (6.20 km2) |
| • Land | 2.39 sq mi (6.20 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 912 ft (278 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 2,929 |
| • Density | 1,225.5/sq mi (472.4/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
66725
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| Area code | 620 |
| FIPS code | 20-15075 |
| GNIS ID | 485558 |
Columbus is a city in Kansas, United States. It is the second largest city and the main town (called the county seat) in Cherokee County. In 2020, about 2,929 people lived there. Columbus is located about 15 miles southwest of Pittsburg.
Contents
History of Columbus, Kansas
The first people settled in the area of Columbus in 1868. The city got its first post office in 1869.
Columbus was an important meeting point for two big railroad lines. These were the Saint Louis and San Francisco, and the Missouri, Kansas, and Texas railroads. A.L. Peters, one of the founders, named the city Columbus. He named it after his hometown, Columbus, Ohio. This name also honors Christopher Columbus, the famous explorer.
The area around Columbus was rich in natural resources. People mined for coal, lead, and zinc. The city was also a center for farming products. It had many businesses, including:
- Machine shops
- Grain elevators (for storing grain)
- Flour mills (for making flour)
- A cigar factory
- Bottle works (for making soft drinks)
- A canning factory
- A large brick-making plant
In 1875, two people named Robert A. Long and Victor Bell started the Long-Bell Lumber Company in Columbus. This company grew from one lumberyard to become one of the biggest lumber companies in the United States. It was later bought by International Paper in 1956.
Geography and Climate
Columbus covers a total area of about 2.42 square miles (6.20 square kilometers). All of this area is land.
Climate in Columbus
The weather in Columbus has hot and humid summers. Winters are usually mild to cool. This type of weather is known as a humid subtropical climate. On climate maps, it is often called "Cfa."
| Climate data for Columbus, Kansas (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1892–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 77 (25) |
85 (29) |
93 (34) |
97 (36) |
98 (37) |
108 (42) |
117 (47) |
115 (46) |
108 (42) |
98 (37) |
85 (29) |
76 (24) |
117 (47) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 66.6 (19.2) |
70.6 (21.4) |
78.7 (25.9) |
83.2 (28.4) |
87.6 (30.9) |
93.1 (33.9) |
97.8 (36.6) |
98.7 (37.1) |
93.5 (34.2) |
85.5 (29.7) |
75.7 (24.3) |
67.5 (19.7) |
100.0 (37.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 43.6 (6.4) |
48.8 (9.3) |
58.1 (14.5) |
67.6 (19.8) |
75.8 (24.3) |
85.0 (29.4) |
89.6 (32.0) |
89.3 (31.8) |
81.4 (27.4) |
70.3 (21.3) |
57.5 (14.2) |
46.8 (8.2) |
67.8 (19.9) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 33.4 (0.8) |
38.1 (3.4) |
47.1 (8.4) |
56.6 (13.7) |
65.7 (18.7) |
74.9 (23.8) |
79.5 (26.4) |
78.5 (25.8) |
70.3 (21.3) |
58.9 (14.9) |
46.9 (8.3) |
37.1 (2.8) |
57.2 (14.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 23.3 (−4.8) |
27.4 (−2.6) |
36.1 (2.3) |
45.5 (7.5) |
55.5 (13.1) |
64.9 (18.3) |
69.3 (20.7) |
67.7 (19.8) |
59.3 (15.2) |
47.5 (8.6) |
36.3 (2.4) |
27.5 (−2.5) |
46.7 (8.2) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 6.0 (−14.4) |
11.4 (−11.4) |
18.7 (−7.4) |
30.6 (−0.8) |
41.1 (5.1) |
54.5 (12.5) |
60.8 (16.0) |
57.5 (14.2) |
44.9 (7.2) |
31.4 (−0.3) |
21.0 (−6.1) |
11.0 (−11.7) |
1.6 (−16.9) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −19 (−28) |
−28 (−33) |
−17 (−27) |
16 (−9) |
28 (−2) |
42 (6) |
45 (7) |
44 (7) |
30 (−1) |
15 (−9) |
4 (−16) |
−15 (−26) |
−28 (−33) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.67 (42) |
1.99 (51) |
3.41 (87) |
5.07 (129) |
7.10 (180) |
5.17 (131) |
4.15 (105) |
3.81 (97) |
4.45 (113) |
3.77 (96) |
2.98 (76) |
2.43 (62) |
46.00 (1,168) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 2.3 (5.8) |
1.1 (2.8) |
1.3 (3.3) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.2 (0.51) |
2.3 (5.8) |
7.2 (18) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 7.1 | 6.2 | 9.5 | 9.9 | 11.9 | 10.4 | 8.4 | 7.2 | 7.8 | 8.8 | 7.8 | 6.7 | 101.7 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 1.8 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 4.6 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
People of Columbus
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1870 | 402 | — | |
| 1880 | 1,164 | 189.6% | |
| 1890 | 2,160 | 85.6% | |
| 1900 | 2,310 | 6.9% | |
| 1910 | 3,064 | 32.6% | |
| 1920 | 3,155 | 3.0% | |
| 1930 | 3,235 | 2.5% | |
| 1940 | 3,402 | 5.2% | |
| 1950 | 3,490 | 2.6% | |
| 1960 | 3,395 | −2.7% | |
| 1970 | 3,356 | −1.1% | |
| 1980 | 3,426 | 2.1% | |
| 1990 | 3,268 | −4.6% | |
| 2000 | 3,396 | 3.9% | |
| 2010 | 3,312 | −2.5% | |
| 2020 | 2,929 | −11.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
Columbus Population in 2020
The 2020 United States census counted 2,929 people living in Columbus. There were 1,251 households and 746 families. This means there were about 1,204 people per square mile.
Most people in Columbus were white (about 86.8%). A smaller number were Native American (3.1%). About 8.7% of people were of two or more races. About 3.4% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.
About 27.3% of households had children under 18 years old. Around 40.1% were married couples. The average household had 2.2 people. The average family had 2.8 people.
The median age in Columbus was 39.8 years old. About 24.5% of the people were under 18. About 21.1% were 65 years or older.
Education
Students in Columbus attend schools in the Columbus USD 493 public school district.
Famous People from Columbus
- Marcellus Boss: He was the 5th Civilian Governor of Guam.
- Elizabeth W. Crandall: An important educator.
- Merle Evans: He was a bandleader for the Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Circus.
- James Reed Hallowell: A politician.
- Robert A. Long: A very successful lumber businessman and investor.
- Doro Merande: An actress who worked in movies, theater, and TV.
- Kenneth A. Spencer: An industrialist (someone who owns or manages large industrial businesses).
- Norma Terris: A singer and actress.
- Leland Justin Webb: The first Mayor of Columbus. He was also a lawyer and fought in the American Civil War.
- Thomas Daniel Winter: He represented Kansas in the U.S. Congress from 1939 to 1947.
See also
For information in Spanish: Columbus (Kansas) para niños
