Ottawa, Kansas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ottawa, Kansas
City and County seat
Ottawa Historic District (2018)
Location within Franklin County and Kansas
KDOT map of Franklin County (legend)
Country	United States
State	Kansas
County	Franklin
Founded	1865
Incorporated	1866
Named for	Ottawa Tribe
Government
• Type	Council-Manager
Area
• Total	10.40 sq mi (26.94 km2)
• Land	10.31 sq mi (26.72 km2)
• Water	0.09 sq mi (0.23 km2)  1.06%
Elevation	902 ft (275 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	12,625
• Density	1,213.9/sq mi (468.63/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	66067
Area code	785
FIPS code	20-53550
GNIS ID	479367

Ottawa (pronounced) is a city in, and the county seat of, Franklin County, Kansas, United States. It is located on both banks of the Marais des Cygnes River near the center of Franklin County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 12,625. Ottawa University is located here.

History

Aerial view of Ottawa (2013)

Old Depot Museum (2008)

The town grew up around Ottawa Indian settlements. The tribe lived in the area from 1837 to 1867 and donated land for Ottawa University. The town and university were named for the tribe.

The first white permanent settler built his house at Ottawa in 1864.

The city of Ottawa has a history of flooding due to the Marais Des Cygnes river. One of the first major floods which was noted happened in 1844, twenty years before the city's founding in 1864. No official measurements were taken, though was estimated to be at 40 feet (12 m). A flood in 1928 had a crest point of 38.65 ft. in which six people died. Other flood years include 1904, with a crest of 35.8 feet (10.9 m); 1909, cresting at 36.3 feet (11.1 m); 1915, cresting at 31 feet (9.4 m), and 1944 cresting at 36.5 feet (11.1 m).

However, it is the Great Flood of 1951 which is the most famous. It was about five inches higher than the 1928 flood. The flood of 1951 affected much of Missouri and Kansas and 41 people died. One-third of Ottawa was covered because of this flood.

It is unlikely Ottawa will suffer major damage due to a flood again thanks to a series of levees and pumping stations built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the 1960s, which is part of a larger system of flood systems to regulate the Marais Des Cygnes River to the Missouri River. The levees built along the river are inspected on an annual basis to insure their quality.

In 1943, German and Italian prisoners of World War II were brought to Kansas and other Midwest states as a means of solving the labor shortage caused by American men serving in the war. Large internment camps were established in Kansas: Camp Concordia, Camp Funston (at Fort Riley), Camp Phillips (at Salina under Fort Riley). Fort Riley established 12 smaller branch camps, including Ottawa.

Geography

Ottawa is located at 38°36′43″N 95°15′59″W / 38.61194°N 95.26639°W / 38.61194; -95.26639 (38.612044, -95.266513). The city is situated along the Marais des Cygnes River. It is located 58 miles (93 km) southwest of Kansas City at the junction of U.S. Route 59 and K-68. U.S. Route 50 and Interstate 35 bypass to the south of the city with the business route for US-50 passing through the city.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.42 square miles (24.40 km²), of which 9.32 square miles (24.14 km²) is land and 0.10 square miles (0.26 km²) is water.

Climate

Over the course of a year, temperatures range from an average low of about 20 °F (−7 °C) in January to an average high over 90 °F (32 °C) in July. The maximum temperature reaches 90 °F (32 °C) an average of 52 days per year and reaches 100 °F (38 °C) an average of 6 days per year. The minimum temperature falls below the freezing point (32 °F) an average of 105 days per year. Typically the first fall freeze occurs between the beginning of October and early November, and the last spring freeze occurs between the end of March and late April.

The area receives nearly 40 inches (1,000 mm) of precipitation during an average year with the largest share being received in May and June—the April–June period averages 29 days of measurable precipitation. During a typical year the total amount of precipitation may be anywhere from 28 to 51 inches (1,300 mm). There are on average 87 days of measurable precipitation per year. Winter snowfall averages almost 16 inches, but the median is less than 9 inches (230 mm). Measurable snowfall occurs an average of 8 days per year with at least an inch of snow being received on five of those days. Snow depth of at least an inch occurs an average of 6 days per year.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 12,649 people, 4,998 households, and 3,127 families living in the city. The population density was 1,357.2 inhabitants per square mile (524.0/km²). There were 5,518 housing units at an average density of 592.1 per square mile (228.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.0% White, 2.2% African American, 0.9% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 1.6% from other races, and 3.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.0% of the population.

There were 4,998 households, of which 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.4% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.08.

The median age in the city was 33.2 years. 27% of residents were under the age of 18; 11.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.5% were from 25 to 44; 22.9% were from 45 to 64; and 13.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.

Economy

Ottawa's two major employers are Walmart and American Eagle Outfitters who both maintain distribution centers in the city. Ottawa has freight rail service from BNSF railway. There is also a grain elevator operated by the Ottawa Co-Op. The city operates the Ottawa Municipal Airport, a small General Aviation airport four miles south of the city.

Education

Former Ottawa Carnegie Library, now Carnegie Cultural Center (2013)

Colleges and Universities

The private four year university, Ottawa University, is within Ottawa, and Ottawa is also home to a branch campus of Neosho County Community College.

Primary and secondary

The community is served by Ottawa USD 290 public school district, which has five schools:

• Ottawa High School
• Ottawa Middle School
• Garfield Elementary School
• Lincoln Elementary School
• Sunflower Elementary school

Ottawa has several private schools.

• Sacred Heart Catholic Elementary School
• Pilgrim Bible Academy
• Ottawa Christian Academy

Notable people

• Steve Grogan, former New England Patriots quarterback, led Ottawa to a runner-up place in state football and to a state championship in basketball.
• Don Harrison, news anchor, one of the original anchors of CNN Headline News
• Gary Hart, former Democratic U. S. Senator from Colorado and Presidential Candidate in 1984 and 1988
• Steven Hawley, American astronaut (considers Salina as his hometown)
• Isaac Smith Kalloch, signatory of Ottawa's original town company charter, later became Mayor of San Francisco
• Semi Ojeleye, forward for the Milwaukee Bucks selected 37th overall in the 2nd round of the 2017 NBA Draft, led Ottawa to a state championship in basketball.
• Stanley Sheldon, bassist and vocalist for Peter Frampton, most notably on Frampton's Frampton Comes Alive! album.
• John G. Thompson, a prominent mathematician.
• Jerry Voorhis, U. S. Representative for California's 12th congressional district from 1937–1947

Images for kids

• 

  Main Street, circa 1865-1900

See also

In Spanish: Ottawa (Kansas) para niños