WaKeeney, Kansas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
WaKeeney, Kansas
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City and County seat
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Trego County fairgrounds exhibit building (2014)
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Location within Trego County and Kansas
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| Country | United States |
| State | Kansas |
| County | Trego |
| Founded | 1879 |
| Incorporated | 1880 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.78 sq mi (4.61 km2) |
| • Land | 1.78 sq mi (4.61 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 2,448 ft (746 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 1,799 |
| • Density | 1,010.7/sq mi (390.2/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
67672
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| Area code | 785 |
| FIPS code | 20-74450 |
| GNIS ID | 472517 |
WaKeeney is a city in Kansas, United States. It is the main town, also called the county seat, of Trego County, Kansas. In 2020, about 1,799 people lived there.
Contents
History of WaKeeney
In 1877, a man named James Keeney bought land where WaKeeney is today. He was a land speculator from Chicago. He and his business partner, Albert Warren, planned out the town in 1878.
They started a community there in 1879. They named it WaKeeney by combining parts of their last names: Warren and Keeney. They called it "The Queen City of the High Plains" to attract new people. Many settlers came quickly, but then their crops failed. This caused many people to leave by 1880. By 1882, only a few small stores were left. Later, people from Volga German backgrounds began to settle in the area.
WaKeeney became the county seat (the main town for the county government) in June 1879. It officially became a city in 1880.
Geography and Climate
WaKeeney is located in northwestern Kansas. It sits at an elevation of about 2,447 feet (746 meters) above sea level. The city is found where two major roads meet: Interstate 70 and U.S. Route 283.
It is about 162 miles (261 km) northwest of Wichita. It is also about 281 miles (452 km) east-southeast of Denver and 284 miles (457 km) west of Kansas City.
WaKeeney is in the High Plains area of the Great Plains. It is about 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Big Creek, which is a small river that flows into the Smoky Hill River.
The city covers a total area of about 1.71 square miles (4.43 square kilometers). All of this area is land.
What is the Climate Like?
WaKeeney has a humid continental climate. This means it has hot, humid summers and cold, dry winters. January is usually the coldest month. July is both the warmest and the wettest month.
The hottest temperature ever recorded was 115°F (46°C) on July 24, 1936. The coldest temperature recorded was -25°F (-32°C) on January 12, 1912, and again on December 22, 1989.
| Climate data for WaKeeney, Kansas, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 83 (28) |
87 (31) |
95 (35) |
102 (39) |
103 (39) |
114 (46) |
115 (46) |
112 (44) |
109 (43) |
99 (37) |
89 (32) |
81 (27) |
115 (46) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 66.7 (19.3) |
72.8 (22.7) |
82.0 (27.8) |
88.7 (31.5) |
94.4 (34.7) |
102.1 (38.9) |
104.7 (40.4) |
102.4 (39.1) |
98.2 (36.8) |
91.2 (32.9) |
78.1 (25.6) |
65.4 (18.6) |
105.6 (40.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 42.3 (5.7) |
46.2 (7.9) |
57.1 (13.9) |
66.2 (19.0) |
75.9 (24.4) |
87.5 (30.8) |
92.9 (33.8) |
90.3 (32.4) |
82.4 (28.0) |
69.2 (20.7) |
55.1 (12.8) |
43.6 (6.4) |
67.4 (19.7) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 29.8 (−1.2) |
33.1 (0.6) |
42.9 (6.1) |
52.0 (11.1) |
62.7 (17.1) |
74.0 (23.3) |
79.2 (26.2) |
76.7 (24.8) |
68.2 (20.1) |
54.8 (12.7) |
41.8 (5.4) |
31.6 (−0.2) |
53.9 (12.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 17.4 (−8.1) |
20.0 (−6.7) |
28.7 (−1.8) |
37.9 (3.3) |
49.4 (9.7) |
60.4 (15.8) |
65.5 (18.6) |
63.2 (17.3) |
54.1 (12.3) |
40.5 (4.7) |
28.4 (−2.0) |
19.6 (−6.9) |
40.4 (4.7) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 1.1 (−17.2) |
4.3 (−15.4) |
12.4 (−10.9) |
23.9 (−4.5) |
35.8 (2.1) |
49.8 (9.9) |
56.7 (13.7) |
54.8 (12.7) |
40.9 (4.9) |
25.0 (−3.9) |
13.2 (−10.4) |
3.7 (−15.7) |
−4.0 (−20.0) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −25 (−32) |
−19 (−28) |
−15 (−26) |
6 (−14) |
20 (−7) |
37 (3) |
43 (6) |
40 (4) |
24 (−4) |
10 (−12) |
−4 (−20) |
−25 (−32) |
−25 (−32) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.57 (14) |
0.85 (22) |
1.32 (34) |
2.04 (52) |
3.98 (101) |
3.09 (78) |
3.80 (97) |
3.04 (77) |
1.83 (46) |
1.64 (42) |
0.88 (22) |
0.88 (22) |
23.92 (607) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 4.3 (11) |
4.3 (11) |
3.2 (8.1) |
1.3 (3.3) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
1.1 (2.8) |
1.8 (4.6) |
4.3 (11) |
20.3 (51.8) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 3.7 | 4.5 | 5.2 | 7.0 | 9.5 | 7.9 | 7.9 | 7.6 | 5.6 | 5.4 | 4.2 | 3.5 | 72.0 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 2.8 | 3.3 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 2.8 | 12.6 |
| Source 1: NOAA | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service | |||||||||||||
People of WaKeeney
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 418 | — | |
| 1890 | 439 | 5.0% | |
| 1900 | 394 | −10.3% | |
| 1910 | 883 | 124.1% | |
| 1920 | 1,003 | 13.6% | |
| 1930 | 1,408 | 40.4% | |
| 1940 | 1,852 | 31.5% | |
| 1950 | 2,446 | 32.1% | |
| 1960 | 2,808 | 14.8% | |
| 1970 | 2,334 | −16.9% | |
| 1980 | 2,388 | 2.3% | |
| 1990 | 2,161 | −9.5% | |
| 2000 | 1,924 | −11.0% | |
| 2010 | 1,862 | −3.2% | |
| 2020 | 1,799 | −3.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
How Many People Live Here?
The 2020 census counted 1,799 people living in WaKeeney. There were 837 households and 482 families. The city had about 1,009 people per square mile.
Most of the people (93.55%) were white. A small number were black, Native American, or Asian. About 2.5% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.
About 22.2% of households had children under 18. Many households (44.8%) were married couples living together. The average household had 2 people, and the average family had 2.4 people.
The median age in WaKeeney was 47.4 years old. About 21.5% of the people were under 18. About 24.5% were 65 years old or older.
Education in WaKeeney
The public schools in WaKeeney are part of the WaKeeney USD 208 school district. There are two schools in the city:
- Trego Grade School, which teaches students from pre-kindergarten to 8th grade.
- Trego Community High School, for students in grades 9 through 12.
The Trego Golden Eagles, which is the high school's sports team, have won state championships in Track & Field. They won the boys' class 2A championship in 1977 and the boys' class 3A championship in 1997.
Transportation and Media
How to Get Around WaKeeney
Major roads run through or near WaKeeney. Interstate 70 and U.S. Route 40 pass just south of the city. U.S. Route 283 goes north-south through the city. In downtown WaKeeney, U.S. 283 runs east-west for a mile.
The Trego WaKeeney Airport is located south of I-70. It is a public airport with one concrete runway. It is used for general aviation, meaning smaller, private planes.
The Union Pacific Railroad also has a freight train line, called the Kansas Pacific (KP) line, that runs east-west through WaKeeney.
Local News and Radio
WaKeeney has a local newspaper called the Western Kansas World. It is published every week.
There is also a radio station, K231BG, which broadcasts on 94.1 FM. It plays Contemporary Christian music. This station is a translator for KJIL radio in Copeland, Kansas.
WaKeeney is part of the Wichita-Hutchinson, Kansas television market.
Culture and Attractions
Special Events
Since 1950, WaKeeney has been famous for its beautiful Christmas lighting display. It has over 6,000 lights and a 35-foot tall man-made Christmas tree in the middle of town. The tree is lit up the Saturday after Thanksgiving and stays lit until New Year's Day.
Places to Visit
The train depot was one of the first big buildings in WaKeeney. It was built in 1879 using local limestone. It opened on July 4th of that year, with important people like the Kansas governor attending. The Union Pacific company later owned the depot and used it until the 1930s.
The Opera House was another important building, finished in 1884. It had beautiful ceiling murals and could seat 400 people. Sadly, it was destroyed by fire the next year.
The Trego County Courthouse was built using local stone. It was designed in the Queen Anne style and had a tall, 100-foot tower. The courthouse is still used today. It even appeared in the 1974 movie Paper Moon.
Famous People From WaKeeney
Some well-known people who were born or lived in WaKeeney include:
- Charles Harris Garrigues (1903-1974), a journalist.
- Steve Gotsche (1961- ), a professional golfer.
- Andrew J. Harlan (1815-1907), who was a U.S. Representative from Indiana.
- Frank Mechau (1904-1946), a painter.
- Mike Schreiner (1969- ), a politician who leads the Ontario Green Party in Canada.
- Orrin Upshaw (1874-1937), an Olympic athlete in tug of war.
Images for kids
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Trego County fairgrounds exhibit building (2014)
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Location within Trego County and Kansas
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KDOT map of Trego County (legend)
See also
In Spanish: WaKeeney (Kansas) para niños
