Oskaloosa, Kansas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Oskaloosa, Kansas
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City and County seat
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Business district of Oskaloosa (2014)
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Location within Jefferson County and Kansas
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| Country | United States |
| State | Kansas |
| County | Jefferson |
| Founded | 1856 |
| Incorporated | 1869 |
| Named for | Oskaloosa, Iowa |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.00 sq mi (2.59 km2) |
| • Land | 0.99 sq mi (2.57 km2) |
| • Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.01 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,116 ft (340 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 1,110 |
| • Density | 1,110/sq mi (428.6/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
66066
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| Area code | 785 |
| FIPS code | 20-53375 |
| GNIS ID | 478510 |
Oskaloosa is a city in Jefferson County, Kansas. It is also the county seat of Jefferson County. This means it's where the main government offices for the county are located. In 2020, about 1,110 people lived in Oskaloosa.
Contents
History of Oskaloosa
Oskaloosa was started in 1856. It got its name from another city called Oskaloosa, Iowa. The first post office in Oskaloosa opened in November 1856.
In 1888, something very special happened. The people of Oskaloosa elected Mary D. Lowman as their mayor. What's more, the entire city council was made up of women! This made Oskaloosa the first city in Kansas to have an all-women city government.
Geography and Climate
Oskaloosa is located at 39°12′57″N 95°18′50″W / 39.21583°N 95.31389°W. You can find it where U.S. Route 59 and K-92 roads meet. It's about 15 miles north of Lawrence.
The city covers about 1 square mile (2.59 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with a very small part being water.
Oskaloosa's Climate
The weather in Oskaloosa has hot and humid summers. The winters are generally cold. This type of weather is called a humid subtropical climate. On climate maps, it's shown as "Cfa."
| Climate data for Oskaloosa, Kansas, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1958–2011 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 73 (23) |
82 (28) |
87 (31) |
92 (33) |
94 (34) |
109 (43) |
110 (43) |
108 (42) |
108 (42) |
97 (36) |
84 (29) |
70 (21) |
110 (43) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 60.9 (16.1) |
66.9 (19.4) |
76.7 (24.8) |
83.5 (28.6) |
87.8 (31.0) |
92.8 (33.8) |
97.9 (36.6) |
99.2 (37.3) |
92.1 (33.4) |
83.9 (28.8) |
71.8 (22.1) |
61.3 (16.3) |
100.6 (38.1) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 38.1 (3.4) |
44.5 (6.9) |
55.7 (13.2) |
65.9 (18.8) |
75.8 (24.3) |
85.3 (29.6) |
89.9 (32.2) |
88.1 (31.2) |
80.0 (26.7) |
68.3 (20.2) |
53.5 (11.9) |
41.6 (5.3) |
65.6 (18.6) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 28.0 (−2.2) |
33.4 (0.8) |
43.5 (6.4) |
54.0 (12.2) |
65.1 (18.4) |
74.4 (23.6) |
79.0 (26.1) |
77.0 (25.0) |
68.4 (20.2) |
56.3 (13.5) |
42.8 (6.0) |
32.0 (0.0) |
54.5 (12.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 17.9 (−7.8) |
22.2 (−5.4) |
31.3 (−0.4) |
42.1 (5.6) |
54.4 (12.4) |
63.6 (17.6) |
68.1 (20.1) |
65.8 (18.8) |
56.7 (13.7) |
44.3 (6.8) |
32.0 (0.0) |
22.4 (−5.3) |
43.4 (6.3) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −0.6 (−18.1) |
2.5 (−16.4) |
12.6 (−10.8) |
25.9 (−3.4) |
39.6 (4.2) |
49.7 (9.8) |
57.0 (13.9) |
54.0 (12.2) |
39.3 (4.1) |
27.4 (−2.6) |
15.3 (−9.3) |
1.1 (−17.2) |
−7.0 (−21.7) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −20 (−29) |
−15 (−26) |
−11 (−24) |
10 (−12) |
28 (−2) |
43 (6) |
48 (9) |
42 (6) |
29 (−2) |
16 (−9) |
−1 (−18) |
−24 (−31) |
−24 (−31) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.98 (25) |
1.32 (34) |
2.52 (64) |
3.51 (89) |
5.31 (135) |
5.36 (136) |
4.53 (115) |
4.76 (121) |
3.36 (85) |
2.92 (74) |
1.96 (50) |
1.81 (46) |
38.34 (974) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 4.7 (12) |
4.5 (11) |
1.6 (4.1) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.5 (1.3) |
1.1 (2.8) |
3.9 (9.9) |
16.4 (41.35) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 4.0 | 4.0 | 6.4 | 8.4 | 9.3 | 9.4 | 8.0 | 7.1 | 7.3 | 6.2 | 4.8 | 3.9 | 78.8 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 2.3 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 2.0 | 7.2 |
| Source: NOAA (mean maxima/minima 1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
People of Oskaloosa
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1860 | 631 | — | |
| 1870 | 640 | 1.4% | |
| 1880 | 725 | 13.3% | |
| 1890 | 773 | 6.6% | |
| 1900 | 978 | 26.5% | |
| 1910 | 851 | −13.0% | |
| 1920 | 700 | −17.7% | |
| 1930 | 733 | 4.7% | |
| 1940 | 800 | 9.1% | |
| 1950 | 721 | −9.9% | |
| 1960 | 807 | 11.9% | |
| 1970 | 955 | 18.3% | |
| 1980 | 1,092 | 14.3% | |
| 1990 | 1,074 | −1.6% | |
| 2000 | 1,165 | 8.5% | |
| 2010 | 1,113 | −4.5% | |
| 2020 | 1,110 | −0.3% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
Oskaloosa is part of the Topeka, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area. This means it's part of a larger area that includes the city of Topeka.
2020 Census Information
In 2020, the 2020 United States census counted 1,110 people living in Oskaloosa. There were 411 households and 255 families. A household is a group of people living together in one home.
Most people in Oskaloosa (about 91.8%) were white. A small number of people were from other racial backgrounds. About 3.6% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.
About 31.4% of households had children under 18. Many households (45.0%) were married couples. About 30.2% of households were single individuals living alone. The average age in Oskaloosa was 38.7 years old.
2010 Census Information
The census in 2010 counted 1,113 people in Oskaloosa. There were 435 households. The population density was about 1,091 people per square mile.
About 97% of the people were White. A small number were African American, Native American, or Asian. About 0.9% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.
About 33.1% of households had children under 18. The average household had 2.43 people. The average age of people in the city was 39.3 years.
Education in Oskaloosa
Students in Oskaloosa go to schools in the Oskaloosa USD 341 public school district. This district has a high school, a middle school, and an elementary school.
Local Media
Oskaloosa is home to The Oskaloosa Independent. This is the official newspaper for Jefferson County, Kansas. It comes out every Thursday. The newspaper was started in 1860, which means it's even older than the state of Kansas itself!
Famous People from Oskaloosa
- Roger Barker: A sociologist who studied everyday life in Oskaloosa.
- McKinley Burnett: A key person in the important Brown v. Board of Education court case.
- James Reynolds: An actor known for his role on the TV show Days of Our Lives.
- C. Wesley Roberts: A chairman of the Republican Party. He was the father of U.S. Senator Pat Roberts.
- Dummy Taylor: A deaf Major League Baseball pitcher.
See also
In Spanish: Oskaloosa (Kansas) para niños
