Wamego, Kansas

Geography Wamego is located at 39°12'15" North, 96°18'30" West (39.204074, -96.308328)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.3 km² (1.7 mi²). 4.2 km² (1.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 2.40% water.

Wamego is located at the intersection of US highway 24 and Kansas highway 99. It is about 26km (17mi) east of Manhattan, Kansas, home of Kansas State University; and about 75km (35 mi) west-northwest of Topeka, Kansas. The Kansas River flows along the southern edge of the city.

Demographics As of the census of 2000, there are 4,246 people, 1,630 households, and 1,155 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,012.0/km² (2,615.3/mi²). There are 1,740 housing units at an average density of 414.7/km² (1,071.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 96.75% White, 0.73% African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.78% from other races, and 1.27% from two or more races. 1.88% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 1,630 households out of which 38.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.7% are married couples living together, 10.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 29.1% are non-families. 25.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.8% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.57 and the average family size is 3.09.

In the city the population is spread out with 29.4% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 17.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 88.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $38,115, and the median income for a family is $46,017. Males have a median income of $29,881 versus $21,974 for females. The per capita income for the city is $16,307. 8.6% of the population and 5.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 9.1% are under the age of 18 and 18.0% are 65 or older.

Industry

The primary industry of the area is agriculture. The broad river valley is used to grow alfalfa, sweetcorn, maize and wheat. In the hills around the city, rocky pastures support herds of cattle. There is a processing plant for alfalfa in Wamego. The other major industry is a factory which produces attachments for earth-moving and other heavy construction equipment. Many of the residents of the city commute to nearby areas for employment, chiefly Manhattan and Topeka.

Education

Wamego is served by Unified School District 320, which provides Kindergarten through 12th grade public education. There is a branch facility for Highland Community College in the city.

External Links

• http://www.wamego.org/ City of Wamego homepage
• http://www.usd320.k12.ks.us/ Unified School District 320 homepage