Smith Center, Kansas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Smith Center, Kansas
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City and County seat
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Downtown Smith Center (2021)
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Location within Smith County and Kansas
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| Country | United States |
| State | Kansas |
| County | Smith |
| Founded | 1871 |
| Incorporated | 1886 |
| Named for | Maj. J. Nelson Smith |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.28 sq mi (3.33 km2) |
| • Land | 1.28 sq mi (3.33 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,808 ft (551 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 1,571 |
| • Density | 1,227/sq mi (471.8/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
66967
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| Area code | 785 |
| FIPS code | 20-65925 |
| GNIS ID | 2395900 |
Smith Center is a small city located in Smith County, Kansas, in the United States. It's the main town, also known as the county seat, for Smith County. In 2020, about 1,571 people lived there.
Contents
History of Smith Center
Smith Center was started in 1871. The first post office opened in January 1873. The city and Smith County are both named after Maj. J. Nelson Smith. He was a brave soldier who died in a battle in 1864.
Geography and Location
Smith Center covers about 1.24 square miles (3.21 square kilometers) of land. It's located where two main roads, U.S. Routes 281 and 36, meet. The city is about 100 miles south of Grand Island, Nebraska. It's also about 77 miles north of Russell and Interstate 70.
Smith Center's Climate
Smith Center has a climate with warm summers and cold winters. The hottest month is usually July, and the coldest is January. The area gets a fair amount of rain throughout the year, with more in spring and summer. Snowfall is common in winter.
| Climate data for Smith Center, Kansas (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1910–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 79 (26) |
85 (29) |
91 (33) |
102 (39) |
105 (41) |
113 (45) |
112 (44) |
111 (44) |
105 (41) |
98 (37) |
87 (31) |
77 (25) |
113 (45) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 62.4 (16.9) |
68.8 (20.4) |
79.7 (26.5) |
87.7 (30.9) |
94.2 (34.6) |
100.4 (38.0) |
104.0 (40.0) |
101.4 (38.6) |
97.1 (36.2) |
89.0 (31.7) |
74.8 (23.8) |
62.5 (16.9) |
104.8 (40.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 38.9 (3.8) |
43.7 (6.5) |
55.4 (13.0) |
65.7 (18.7) |
75.7 (24.3) |
87.1 (30.6) |
92.1 (33.4) |
89.1 (31.7) |
81.7 (27.6) |
68.1 (20.1) |
53.4 (11.9) |
40.9 (4.9) |
66.0 (18.9) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 27.3 (−2.6) |
31.2 (−0.4) |
41.6 (5.3) |
51.8 (11.0) |
63.0 (17.2) |
74.1 (23.4) |
79.1 (26.2) |
76.3 (24.6) |
68.0 (20.0) |
54.4 (12.4) |
40.5 (4.7) |
29.8 (−1.2) |
53.1 (11.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 15.7 (−9.1) |
18.8 (−7.3) |
27.9 (−2.3) |
37.9 (3.3) |
50.2 (10.1) |
61.0 (16.1) |
66.1 (18.9) |
63.4 (17.4) |
54.4 (12.4) |
40.7 (4.8) |
27.7 (−2.4) |
18.6 (−7.4) |
40.2 (4.6) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −1.7 (−18.7) |
1.7 (−16.8) |
11.2 (−11.6) |
23.9 (−4.5) |
36.0 (2.2) |
49.4 (9.7) |
57.2 (14.0) |
54.4 (12.4) |
40.0 (4.4) |
24.5 (−4.2) |
11.6 (−11.3) |
2.2 (−16.6) |
−6.2 (−21.2) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −26 (−32) |
−20 (−29) |
−18 (−28) |
11 (−12) |
27 (−3) |
38 (3) |
43 (6) |
40 (4) |
23 (−5) |
3 (−16) |
−6 (−21) |
−26 (−32) |
−26 (−32) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.59 (15) |
0.70 (18) |
1.45 (37) |
2.12 (54) |
4.00 (102) |
3.64 (92) |
4.39 (112) |
3.42 (87) |
1.98 (50) |
1.86 (47) |
1.16 (29) |
0.79 (20) |
26.10 (663) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 4.4 (11) |
5.9 (15) |
2.3 (5.8) |
0.7 (1.8) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.5 (1.3) |
1.5 (3.8) |
3.0 (7.6) |
18.3 (46) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 3.9 | 4.2 | 6.7 | 8.2 | 11.0 | 10.1 | 10.0 | 8.8 | 6.2 | 6.1 | 4.6 | 4.0 | 83.8 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 2.9 | 3.1 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 2.6 | 11.9 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
Population Changes Over Time
The number of people living in Smith Center has changed over many years. The city's population grew steadily for a long time. It reached its highest point in 1970 with 2,389 people. Since then, the population has slowly decreased. In 2020, there were 1,571 residents.
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 254 | — | |
| 1890 | 767 | 202.0% | |
| 1900 | 1,142 | 48.9% | |
| 1910 | 1,292 | 13.1% | |
| 1920 | 1,567 | 21.3% | |
| 1930 | 1,736 | 10.8% | |
| 1940 | 1,686 | −2.9% | |
| 1950 | 2,026 | 20.2% | |
| 1960 | 2,379 | 17.4% | |
| 1970 | 2,389 | 0.4% | |
| 1980 | 2,240 | −6.2% | |
| 1990 | 2,016 | −10.0% | |
| 2000 | 1,931 | −4.2% | |
| 2010 | 1,665 | −13.8% | |
| 2020 | 1,571 | −5.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
Smith Center's Population in 2010
In 2010, Smith Center had 1,665 people living in 779 households. Most people (97.7%) were White. A small number of people were from other racial backgrounds. About 1% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.
The average age of people in Smith Center was about 48.7 years old. About 20.6% of residents were under 18. Many people (28.9%) were 65 years or older. There were slightly more females than males living in the city.
Education in Smith Center
The public schools in Smith Center are part of the Smith Center USD 237 school district. There are two main schools in the city:
- Smith Center Junior/Senior High School teaches students from 7th to 12th grade.
- Smith Center Elementary School is for younger students, from Kindergarten to 6th grade.
Famous People from Smith Center
Many notable people have connections to Smith Center, Kansas. These include:
- Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, a famous silent film actor.
- Nolan Cromwell, a former professional football player.
- Mitch Holthus, a well-known radio announcer for the Kansas City Chiefs football team.
- Mark Simoneau, another former professional football player.
- Steve Tasker, a former professional football wide receiver.
- Evelyn Wilson, who became a Justice on the Kansas Supreme Court.
Images for kids
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Downtown Smith Center in 2021
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Location of Smith Center within Smith County and Kansas
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Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) map of Smith County
See also
In Spanish: Smith Center (Kansas) para niños
