History of Hoisington
from the Hoisington Historical Society
The story of Hoisington is the story of the Missouri-Pacific Railroad in Central Kansas. Land-hungry settlers from Illinois, Iowa and other eastern states were eager to press forward and settle in this new country. The War with Mexico had bequeathed to the United States an immense new western empire. America was now a two-ocean nation. California had been admitted as a state, and later, railroad survey parties were surveying land through Kansas for possible rail route to the Pacific.
At the time Barton County was organized in 1872, the area was one of the finest grazing lands for the buffalo on the American continent. It was truly a hunters paradise. Buffalo and antelope roamed this area by the millions. Deer and elk were in the timbered stream valleys.
The pioneers of Homestead Township in the 1870's had preceded the establishment of the town of Hoisington and had contributed to the laying of the railroad by voting bond issues. The original railroad was built as The Kansas and Colorado Railroad Company. Some of the main line grading was done through this part of the state in 1885, but it was not until the fall of 1886 that the first work-train arrived.
In the beginning, Monon, meaning "Lady of the Lake," was the railroad station. It became the division point because Chivington, Colorado, failed to yield the required water. Lake Barton was constructed to provide water for the trains and shops. When the changeover from steam to diesel occurred, Lake Barton was converted to a recreational area.
Monon was established about 1888. Meanwhile, a post office had been established a mile and a half south of Monon at Buena Vista in 1879. The name of the post office was changed to Hoisington, in honor of Andrew Jackson Hoisington , in April, 1887. By 1889, the station at Monon was moved to a new rail line which went through Hoisington.
Facts and city life
On April 21, 2001, Hoisington suffered a large scale disaster, when an F4 tornado ripped through the city, coming from the southwest corner and traveling almost straight into the middle of the city. But the city's population and commerce recovered quickly due its close proximity to Great Bend.
Geography
Hoisington is located at 38°31'2N, 98°46'42W (38.517301, -98.778422). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.1 km² (1.2 mi²), all land.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,975 residents, 1,252 households, and 785 families in the city. The population density was 973.4/km² (2,519.9/mi²). There were 1,449 housing units at an average density of 474.1/km² (1,227.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.73% White, 1.08% African American, 0.67% Native American, 1.18% from other races, and 1.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.63% of the population.
There were 1,252 households of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18, 51.0% were married couples living together, 8.3% had female householders with no husband present, and 37.3% were non-families. Of all households, 34.3% were made up of individuals and 17.7% 65 years of age or older living alone. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.96.
The population was 24.8% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 20.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 85.6 males. The ratio for ages 18 and over was 100 females to 83.3 males.
The census reported the median household income in the city was $28,022, and the median family income was $32,431. The median income for males was $26,306 versus $21,827 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,234. Approximately 12.3% of families and 15.4% of the population fell below the poverty line, including 25.7% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.
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