Hiawatha, Kansas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hiawatha, Kansas
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City and County seat
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Brown County Court House (2011)
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Location within Brown County and Kansas
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| Country | United States |
| State | Kansas |
| County | Brown |
| Founded | 1857 |
| Incorporated | 1857 |
| Named for | The Song of Hiawatha |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.59 sq mi (6.71 km2) |
| • Land | 2.59 sq mi (6.71 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,122 ft (342 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 3,280 |
| • Density | 1,266/sq mi (488.8/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
66434
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| Area code | 785 |
| FIPS code | 20-31675 |
| GNIS ID | 485591 |
Hiawatha is the biggest city and the main town of Brown County, Kansas, in the United States. In 2020, about 3,280 people lived there. The name Hiawatha comes from the Ioway word Hári Wáta, which means "I am looking far away."
Contents
History of Hiawatha
How Hiawatha Got Its Name
A person named B.L. Rider is said to have named Hiawatha. He got the name from a famous poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow called The Song of Hiawatha. This poem is about a legendary Onondaga and Mohawk leader named Hiawatha.
The city is close to where the Ioway-Sac reservation used to be. It is also near the current home of the Ioway Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska.
Hiawatha in the 1800s
Hiawatha was started in 1857. This makes it one of the oldest towns in Kansas. John M. Coe, John P. Wheller, and Thomas J. Drummond helped create the city. They marked out the land on February 17, 1857.
Hiawatha became the main town for Brown County in 1858. The first school in the city opened in 1870. The main street was named Oregon Street, after the famous Oregon Trail. Streets north of it were named after Native American tribes from the north. Streets to the south were named after tribes from the south.
Hiawatha in the 1900s
Hiawatha is famous for having the longest-running Halloween parade in the country. It started way back in 1914!
Did you know Hiawatha might have inspired a famous comic book town? According to The New York Times in 2012, the cartoonist Bob Montana created Archie and his friends. He placed them in a perfect Midwestern town called Riverdale. This was because John L. Goldwater, one of the creators of Archie Comics, had good memories of his time in Hiawatha. Goldwater had hitchhiked to Hiawatha when he was 17 and worked at the local newspaper.
Geography and Climate
Hiawatha covers an area of about 2.59 square miles (6.71 square kilometers). All of this area is land.
Hiawatha's Weather
Hiawatha has a type of weather called a "hot-summer humid continental climate." This means it has warm, humid summers and cold winters.
| Climate data for Hiawatha, Kansas, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1948–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 73 (23) |
77 (25) |
88 (31) |
97 (36) |
98 (37) |
102 (39) |
104 (40) |
104 (40) |
104 (40) |
89 (32) |
80 (27) |
73 (23) |
104 (40) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 36.2 (2.3) |
41.9 (5.5) |
53.2 (11.8) |
64.3 (17.9) |
73.9 (23.3) |
83.2 (28.4) |
87.3 (30.7) |
85.9 (29.9) |
78.9 (26.1) |
67.5 (19.7) |
52.8 (11.6) |
40.6 (4.8) |
63.8 (17.7) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 25.7 (−3.5) |
30.6 (−0.8) |
41.0 (5.0) |
52.4 (11.3) |
63.3 (17.4) |
73.0 (22.8) |
76.8 (24.9) |
74.6 (23.7) |
66.4 (19.1) |
54.7 (12.6) |
41.6 (5.3) |
30.5 (−0.8) |
52.6 (11.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 15.1 (−9.4) |
19.2 (−7.1) |
28.7 (−1.8) |
40.4 (4.7) |
52.6 (11.4) |
62.7 (17.1) |
66.3 (19.1) |
63.3 (17.4) |
54.0 (12.2) |
41.8 (5.4) |
30.3 (−0.9) |
20.4 (−6.4) |
41.2 (5.1) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −16 (−27) |
−21 (−29) |
−2 (−19) |
17 (−8) |
30 (−1) |
43 (6) |
49 (9) |
44 (7) |
31 (−1) |
22 (−6) |
6 (−14) |
−10 (−23) |
−21 (−29) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.77 (20) |
1.15 (29) |
2.01 (51) |
3.58 (91) |
4.83 (123) |
5.03 (128) |
4.46 (113) |
3.86 (98) |
3.22 (82) |
2.86 (73) |
1.72 (44) |
1.22 (31) |
34.71 (883) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 4.7 (12) |
4.1 (10) |
2.2 (5.6) |
1.1 (2.8) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
1.2 (3.0) |
3.6 (9.1) |
16.9 (42.5) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 5.2 | 5.0 | 7.9 | 10.5 | 10.6 | 9.9 | 9.5 | 8.6 | 7.3 | 7.2 | 5.5 | 5.3 | 92.5 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 2.6 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Source 1: NOAA | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service | |||||||||||||
People of Hiawatha
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 1,375 | — | |
| 1890 | 2,486 | 80.8% | |
| 1900 | 2,829 | 13.8% | |
| 1910 | 2,974 | 5.1% | |
| 1920 | 3,222 | 8.3% | |
| 1930 | 3,302 | 2.5% | |
| 1940 | 3,238 | −1.9% | |
| 1950 | 3,294 | 1.7% | |
| 1960 | 3,391 | 2.9% | |
| 1970 | 3,365 | −0.8% | |
| 1980 | 3,702 | 10.0% | |
| 1990 | 3,603 | −2.7% | |
| 2000 | 3,417 | −5.2% | |
| 2010 | 3,172 | −7.2% | |
| 2020 | 3,280 | 3.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
Hiawatha's Population in 2020
The 2020 United States census counted 3,280 people living in Hiawatha. There were 1,378 homes and 798 families. Most people living in Hiawatha were white. There were also smaller groups of African American, Native American, and Asian people. Some people were from other races or had two or more races. About 4.4% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.
About 27.7% of homes had children under 18. Many homes were married couples living together. About 37% of homes had just one person living there. The average age in Hiawatha was 41.4 years old.
Hiawatha's Population in 2010
In 2010, there were 3,172 people living in Hiawatha. There were 1,369 homes. The city had about 1,225 people per square mile. Most people were white (89.6%). Other groups included African American, Native American, and Asian people. About 3.9% of the people were Hispanic or Latino.
About 30.4% of homes had children under 18. Many homes were married couples. About 34.3% of all homes had only one person living there. The average age in the city was 42.6 years.
Fun Places to Visit
Hiawatha has some interesting spots to check out!
Davis Memorial
The Davis Memorial is a special monument in Mount Hope Cemetery. A man named John Milburn Davis built it for his wife, Sarah, after she passed away. He started building it in 1930 and finished in 1934. The monument has statues of John and Sarah, and a small shelter. It's all made from Italian marble.
It cost a lot of money to build, about $200,000. This was during the Great Depression, when many people didn't have much money. So, some people in the town thought Davis spent too much. Today, many tourists visit the memorial, which helps the town's economy. The memorial was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
City Clock
You can find the city clock at 701 Oregon Street in downtown Hiawatha. This clock is special because it's the only one like it between Indianapolis and Denver on U.S. Route 36. It was built in 1891 as part of the First National Bank building. It is also listed on the Kansas Register of historic places.
Brown County Historical Museum
The Brown County Historical Museum is at 611 Utah Street, south of the Brown County Courthouse Square. The Brown County Historical Society owns and runs it. This building is also listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Brown County Ag Museum
The Brown County Ag Museum is located at 301 E. Iowa Street, west of the Davis Memorial. It looks like a farm from the 1900s. There's a paved windmill trail that people can use for walking or jogging. You can see a replica log cabin, a wash house, a barn, and many old farm buildings. There are also lots of windmills and wind chargers.
Things to Do for Fun
Hiawatha offers many ways to have fun and enjoy the outdoors.
Hiawatha City Lake
Hiawatha City Lake is a 7-acre lake surrounded by trees. It's about a mile south of the city. It's a great place for picnicking and camping.
Baseball and Softball Parks
- Bruning Park: This park is in west Hiawatha. It has three main fields: two for baseball and one for softball. There are other fields too, but they are not managed. Bruning Park also has a snack stand and a small playground. You can also play soccer here.
- Noble Park: This park is a newer addition to Hiawatha, just south of the aquatic park. It's known as one of the best fields for American Legion baseball in the state. Hiawatha has hosted big baseball tournaments here. It's the home field for American Legion Post #66. The park has a snack stand, a batting cage, and a playground. Every year, the Leo Tritsch Memorial Tournament is held at Noble Park.
- Hiawatha Middle School Softball Field: This field is used for Hiawatha High School softball practices and some games. It's located between the middle school and the Fisher Community Center.
Education in Hiawatha
The public schools in Hiawatha are part of the Hiawatha USD 415 school district.
Hiawatha High School (HHS)
Hiawatha High School teaches students in grades 9-12. It's located at 600 Red Hawk Drive. The school's mascot is the Red Hawks, and their colors are red and blue. The mascot was changed from Redskins after the year 2000.
The school campus is on the far east side of Hiawatha. The main building is round, with a circular gym nicknamed "The Roundhouse." Classrooms are connected in sections called "pods." There's also a "West Campus" with separate buildings for agriculture and industrial arts classes. Memorial Stadium is north of the school, and there's a prairie trail and practice field to the east.
In sports, HHS is in Class 3A. They have won state championships in girls basketball (1978 and 1979), football (1980), and girls cross country (2017). The Red Hawks are part of the Big 7 League, which has eight teams in northeast Kansas. Sports offered include football, volleyball, cross country, basketball, power lifting, track and field, softball, baseball, and boys' golf. They also have a Scholar's Bowl team.
Other activities and groups include cheerleading, Color Guard, Dance Team, journalism, Yearbook, and the National Honor Society. Students can also join the Red Hawk Club, Kansas Association for Youth, International Club, Student Council, and the Red Hawk Reader's Club. There's a Biology Club that travels to the Bahamas every year! Other groups are National FFA Organization, Business Professionals of America, Family Career and Community Leaders of America, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. The school has a greenhouse at West Campus and a weight room.
Hiawatha Middle School (HMS)
- Grades: 5-8
- Location: 307 S. Morrill Avenue
- Mascot: Red Hawks (changed from Warriors after 2000)
- Colors: Red & Blue (changed from Burgundy & White after 2008)
HMS was built in 2000. It is on the east side of Hiawatha, just south of the high school. The school is divided into four sections, one for each grade level. HMS has a modern gym and a special technology classroom. They offer programs like Gifted-Talented and extra help for math and reading. There's a softball field south of the school and a practice field and track to the west. The Hiawatha Hawks are part of the Big 7 League, which has six teams in northeast Kansas. Sports include cross country, football, volleyball, wrestling, basketball, and track and field. Scholars' Bowl and gymnastics are also available.
Hiawatha Elementary School (HES)
- Grades: Kindergarten-4
- Location: 600 Miami Street
- Mascot: Red Hawks (changed from Braves after 2000)
HES is in north central Hiawatha and has been there for many years. Kids start in Kindergarten and finish after 4th grade. The school has different halls for each grade level. HES offers many programs, including extra help for reading, speech therapy, Gifted-Talented, and Extended Learning. The playground is modern and has new fitness equipment for children.
School Mascot Change
In December 2000, the Hiawatha USD 415 School District voted to stop using American Indian mascots for their schools. The high school was called the 'Redskins', and before that, 'Indians'. The middle school was the 'Warriors', and the elementary school was the 'Braves'.
The school district received a lot of praise for making this change. Groups like the National Congress of American Indians supported their decision. After looking at many new names, the high school decided to keep its red pride. They renamed themselves the 'Red Hawks'. The middle school became the 'Hawks', and the elementary school became the 'Junior Hawks'.
Local Media
- KNZA 103.9 - This is an FM radio station that plays country music. It also shares local news, weather, and sports.
- The Hiawatha World - This is the city's weekly newspaper.
- Penny Press - This newspaper publishes classified ads.
Famous People from Hiawatha
- Bion Barnett - a banker.
- William Gallagher - a photographer who won a 1953 Pulitzer Prize.
- John Goldwater - He helped start, edit, and publish Archie Comics. He was a news reporter when he lived in Hiawatha.
- Bill Martin, Jr. - a well-known children's book author.
- Homer McCrerey - a US Naval Academy officer and bioengineering oceanographer.
- John McLendon - He was put into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1979.
- Joe Wilhoit - a baseball player who holds the record for the longest hitting streak in professional baseball (69 games).
- Tod D. Wolters - a retired United States Air Force four-star general. He was the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, and fought in the Persian Gulf and Afghan wars.
See also
In Spanish: Hiawatha (Kansas) para niños
