Louisville, Kansas

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Louisville, Kansas
settlement_type = City
nickname =
motto =

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mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location of Louisville, Kansas


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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Kansas
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Pottawatomie
government_footnotes =
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leader_title =
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unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =

area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 1.3
area_land_km2 = 1.3
area_water_km2 = 0.0
area_total_sq_mi = 0.5
area_land_sq_mi = 0.5
area_water_sq_mi = 0.0

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 209
population_density_km2 = 165.0
population_density_sq_mi = 427.3

timezone = Central (CST)
utc_offset = -6
timezone_DST = CDT
utc_offset_DST = -5
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 308
elevation_ft = 1010
latd = 39 |latm = 15 |lats = 3 |latNS = N
longd = 96 |longm = 18 |longs = 51 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 66450
area_code = 785
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 20-42925GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0476241GR|3
website =
footnotes =

Louisville is a city in Pottawatomie County, Kansas, United States. The population was 209 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Manhattan, Kansas Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Louisville was originally known as Rock Post and was located near the Oregon Trail. The town was platted in 1857 and was named Louisville in honor of Louis Vieux and Louis Wilson. The town was a contender for county seat of Pottawatomie County but lost to St. George and Westmoreland.

On November 8, 1875, Louisville was struck by an earthquake. Throughout the 1880s Louisville's population declined. In 1882 the county seat was officially moved to Westmoreland and a majority of people moved either there or to Wamego.

Louis Vieux was a prominent citizen of Louisville who operated a trail crossing across the Vermillion River. He also made many trips to Washington, D.C. representing the Pottawatomis. When he passed away in 1872 he was a very wealthy man and bequeathed the entire town of Louisville to his wife and children. His name was also used in the naming of Belvue and is honored on an elm tree about three miles east of Louisville. The elm tree, now destroyed by weather, Dutch Elm disease and vandalism, was once the largest elm tree in the United States.

Geography

Louisville is located at coor dms|39|15|3|N|96|18|51|W|city (39.250863, -96.314041)GR|1, between Wamego and Westmoreland on K-99.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 209 people, 77 households, and 56 families residing in the city. The population density was 427.3 people per square mile (164.7/km²). There were 84 housing units at an average density of 171.7/sq mi (66.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.56% White, 0.48% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.44% of the population.

There were 77 households out of which 37.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.5% were married couples living together, 18.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.0% were non-families. 19.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the city the population was spread out with 29.2% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,568, and the median income for a family was $37,045. Males had a median income of $26,250 versus $18,472 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,741. About 8.9% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.5% of those under the age of eighteen and none of those sixty five or over.

References

Further reading

"Faded Dreams: More Ghost Towns of Kansas" by Daniel Fitzgerald. University Press of Kansas, 1994.

External links