Early History of Herington
by Frank W. Blackmar (1912)
Herington, a comparatively new city of Dickinson county, was founded in Jan., 1884, by M. D. Herington, after whom it was named. The first building was erected by Risley & Lincoln for a hardware store in March, 1884. Among the early business men and firms were M. D. Herington, F. S. Mitchell, C. C. Thompson, Tusten & Caldwell, Calkins Bros., J. W. Chandler, B. F. Hartman and Risley & Lincoln. The site was selected chiefly because of the beautiful natural grove there. One year after the town was founded the value of the buildings was estimated at $75,000, and the Herington Tribune of Jan. 22, 1885, gives the volume of business done during the first year as $485,300.

Herington is located in the southeastern part of the county at the junction of the Missouri Pacific and the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific railroads, 27 miles from Abilene, the county seat. It has 2 banks, an international money order postoffice with four rural routes, telegraph and express service, a telephone exchange, 2 weekly newspapers (the Sun and the Times), electric lights, waterworks, graded and high schools and churches of various denominations.

Among the industries and commercial enterprises are flour mills, an ice and cold storage plant, a creamery, the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific railroad shops, good hotels, and a number of well stocked and substantial mercantile concerns. Herington is an incorporated city of the second class and in 1910 reported a population of 3,273, a gain of 1,666, or more than 100 per cent. during the preceding ten years. The city is divided into four wards, and much of its progress is due to the intelligent and well directed efforts of its commercial club.

Geography
Herington is located at 38°40'19N, 96°56'44W (38.671990, -96.945423). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.5 km² (2.1 mi²). None of the area is covered with water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,563 people, 1,126 households, and 669 families residing in the city. The population density was 466.8/km² (1,206.9/mi²). There were 1,305 housing units at an average density of 237.7/km² (614.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.79% White, 0.62% African American, 0.39% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.64% from other races, and 1.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.53% of the population.

There were 1,126 households out of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.5% were non-families. 36.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.0% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 24.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,333, and the median income for a family was $36,696. Males had a median income of $28,359 versus $15,515 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,526. About 6.2% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.0% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

Official City Website