Ellis, Kansas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ellis, Kansas
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Downtown Ellis (2014)
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Location within Ellis County and Kansas
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| Country | United States |
| State | Kansas |
| County | Ellis |
| Founded | 1870 |
| Incorporated | 1888 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.66 sq mi (4.29 km2) |
| • Land | 1.66 sq mi (4.29 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 2,133 ft (650 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 1,958 |
| • Density | 1,180/sq mi (456.4/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
67637
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| Area code | 785 |
| FIPS code | 20-20450 |
| GNIS ID | 485569 |
Ellis is a city in Ellis County, Kansas, United States. In 2020, about 1,958 people lived there.
Contents
History of Ellis
The city of Ellis began in 1867 when the Kansas Pacific Railway built a water station there. This was a place where trains could stop to get water. In 1870, the first post office opened, which officially started the town.
In 1873, the railroad company planned out the town. They built a train station, a hotel, and some shops. People from New York and Kentucky moved to Ellis to work for the railroad. The first church opened in 1873, and the first school in 1874.
From 1875 to the end of the 1870s, Ellis was a "cowtown." This meant it was a place where cattle herds from the south were brought to be shipped by train. In 1886, people from a region called Bukovina in Europe started settling in the area. Ellis officially became a city in January 1888.
For a long time, Ellis, like some other towns, had a rule that African Americans were not welcome after dark. This was a common practice in certain towns during that period.
Geography and Climate
Ellis is located in northwestern Kansas. It is about 13 miles (21 km) west of Hays, which is the main city in Ellis County. The city is also about 146 miles (235 km) northwest of Wichita.
Ellis is on the western edge of the Smoky Hills region. A stream called Big Creek flows through the city. This creek has a dam that forms a long, narrow lake called Big Creek Lake.
The city covers an area of about 1.64 square miles (4.25 square kilometers), and all of it is land.
Weather in Ellis
In Ellis, January is usually the coldest month. July is both the warmest and the wettest month. The highest temperature ever recorded in Ellis was 110 °F (43 °C) in 2003. The lowest temperature was -24 °F (-31 °C) in 1989.
| Climate data for Ellis, Kansas | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 79 (26) |
84 (29) |
95 (35) |
103 (39) |
105 (41) |
109 (43) |
110 (43) |
110 (43) |
110 (43) |
102 (39) |
87 (31) |
79 (26) |
110 (43) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 42 (6) |
48 (9) |
57 (14) |
67 (19) |
76 (24) |
87 (31) |
93 (34) |
91 (33) |
83 (28) |
72 (22) |
55 (13) |
45 (7) |
68 (20) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 14 (−10) |
19 (−7) |
27 (−3) |
37 (3) |
48 (9) |
59 (15) |
64 (18) |
62 (17) |
53 (12) |
40 (4) |
26 (−3) |
18 (−8) |
39 (4) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −17 (−27) |
−20 (−29) |
−16 (−27) |
12 (−11) |
26 (−3) |
39 (4) |
45 (7) |
41 (5) |
26 (−3) |
12 (−11) |
−7 (−22) |
−24 (−31) |
−24 (−31) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.50 (13) |
0.60 (15) |
1.88 (48) |
2.03 (52) |
3.15 (80) |
3.00 (76) |
3.42 (87) |
2.97 (75) |
1.69 (43) |
1.25 (32) |
1.16 (29) |
0.59 (15) |
22.24 (565) |
| Source: The Weather Channel | |||||||||||||
Population and People
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1870 | 120 | — | |
| 1880 | 689 | 474.2% | |
| 1890 | 1,107 | 60.7% | |
| 1900 | 932 | −15.8% | |
| 1910 | 1,404 | 50.6% | |
| 1920 | 1,876 | 33.6% | |
| 1930 | 1,957 | 4.3% | |
| 1940 | 2,042 | 4.3% | |
| 1950 | 2,649 | 29.7% | |
| 1960 | 2,218 | −16.3% | |
| 1970 | 2,137 | −3.7% | |
| 1980 | 2,062 | −3.5% | |
| 1990 | 1,814 | −12.0% | |
| 2000 | 1,873 | 3.3% | |
| 2010 | 2,062 | 10.1% | |
| 2020 | 1,958 | −5.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In 2020, Ellis had a population of 1,958 people. Most residents were white. About 24.7% of the population was under 18 years old. The average age in Ellis was about 38.8 years.
Economy and Jobs
In 2012, most people over 16 in Ellis had jobs. Many worked in areas like management, sales, and service. The biggest industries were education, healthcare, and retail (shops).
The cost of living in Ellis is lower than the average for the United States. This means it's generally less expensive to live there. For example, the average home value in 2012 was $85,300.
Education in Ellis
The public schools in Ellis are part of the Ellis USD 388 school district.
- Washington Grade School teaches students from kindergarten to 6th grade.
- Ellis High School is for students in 7th to 12th grades.
There is also a Catholic school called St. Mary Grade School, which teaches Pre-K to 6th grade.
The Ellis High School sports teams, called the Railroaders, have won several state championships:
- 1985 Boys Track & Field - Class 3A
- 2009 Girls Track & Field - Class 2A
- 2016 Speech - Class 2A
- 2017 Speech - Class 2A
- 2018 Speech - Class 2A
City Services and Transportation
The city government handles services like trash collection, sewer maintenance, and providing water to homes. Electricity is provided by Midwest Energy, Inc. Most homes use natural gas for heating.
For transportation, Interstate 70 and U.S. Route 40 run together just north of Ellis. Kansas Highway 247 also runs through the northern part of the city.
The Union Pacific Railroad has a freight train line, called the Kansas Pacific (KP) line, that goes through Ellis.
Local News
The local newspaper in Ellis is called The Ellis Review. It is published every week. Ellis is also part of the Wichita-Hutchinson television market, which means people in Ellis get their TV channels from that area.
Fun Places to Visit
Walter P. Chrysler Boyhood Home and Museum
Ellis is home to the Walter P. Chrysler Boyhood Home and Museum. Walter P. Chrysler was the person who started the Chrysler Corporation, a famous car company. He grew up in Ellis. When he was 17, he started working at the railroad's roundhouse, where trains were repaired. He learned a lot about metalworking and machines there.
In 1993, the Chrysler Corporation celebrated Walter P. Chrysler's hometown with a parade and festival. A special car, a prototype Dodge Viper, was even loaned to the museum for a year!
Ellis Railroad Museum
The Ellis Railroad Museum opened in 1994. It shows items and photos from Ellis's history with railroads. Inside, there's a huge model train exhibit that covers 5,000 square feet (460 square meters)!
Outside the museum, there's a miniature railroad called the BK&E Railroad. It runs on a one-mile (1.6 km) loop track. BK&E stands for "Buddy King and Ellis Railroad," named after Francis "Buddy" King, a former mayor of Ellis who helped fund it.
Famous People from Ellis
- Walter Chrysler (1875–1940): He was the founder of the Chrysler Corporation.
- Walt Disney's grandfather, Kepple Disney, started family farms near Ellis in 1878. For a while, after Walt Disney opened Disneyland, these farms were even known as "Disneyland, KS" by local people!
Images for kids
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The Bukovina Society of the Americas (2007)
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A Victorian house in Ellis (2007)
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Big Creek Lake (2007)
See also
In Spanish: Ellis (Kansas) para niños
