Sabetha, Kansas Facts for Kids

The town's settlement began circa 1854, with a name reportedly derived from the word "Sabbath", the day the first settler arrived. Sabetha was incorporated as a city in 1874.

On the evening of June 13, 1998, a tornado damaged much of the downtown, which led to the demolition of the City Hall building. No casualties were reported. The downtown area received little warning as the tornado struck less than 1 minute after the tornado siren began to sound. The siren located atop the city hall was cut off when it was tossed off the roof of the city hall by the tornado. The tornado caused $2 million to this building alone. Damage from the tornado was later assessed as being F2 on the Fujita scale.

Geography

Sabetha is located at 39°54′11″N 95°47′58″W / 39.90306°N 95.79944°W / 39.90306; -95.79944 (39.903109, -95.799408). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.47 square miles (8.99 km²), of which, 3.46 square miles (8.96 km²) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km²) is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1880	849	—
1890	1,368	61.1%
1900	1,646	20.3%
1910	1,768	7.4%
1920	2,003	13.3%
1930	2,332	16.4%
1940	2,241	−3.9%
1950	2,173	−3.0%
1960	2,318	6.7%
1970	2,376	2.5%
1980	2,297	−3.3%
1990	2,341	1.9%
2000	2,589	10.6%
2010	2,571	−0.7%
2019 (est.)	2,583	0.5%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 2,571 people, 1,090 households, and 645 families living in the city. The population density was 743.1 inhabitants per square mile (286.9/km²). There were 1,230 housing units at an average density of 355.5 per square mile (137.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.6% White, 0.9% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.5% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.0% of the population.

There were 1,090 households, of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.8% were non-families. Of all households, 37.2% were made up of individuals, and 20.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.97.

The median age in the city was 42.8 years. 25% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.3% were from 25 to 44; 23.1% were from 45 to 64; and 24.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.5% male and 52.5% female.

Economy

Sabetha has more jobs than residents, due in part to the large Wenger Manufacturing plant that produces extruders and related equipment. Schenck Process (formerly MAC Equipment) is also a large employer in the area, manufacturing bulk material handling and air filtration equipment. KSi Conveyors and USC are other notable employers in the area. The city managers estimate that the city has a poll factor of 2 to 1, meaning that the city has nearly 5000 jobs, while only having 2500 residents. Many of the small neighboring cities are bedroom communities for the many people who commute to work in Sabetha.

Education

The community is served by Prairie Hills USD 113 public school district, a public school district formed in 2010 by the merger of Sabetha USD 441 and Axtel USD 488.

Notable people

Wilbur Bestwick (1911–1972), the first Sergeant Major of the United States Marine Corps
Arthur Schabinger (1889–1972), basketball coach and administrator, member of the Basketball Hall of Fame

Images for kids

Sabetha as seen in 1913

Sabetha, Kansas facts for kids

Contents

History