Goessel, Kansas

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Goessel, Kansas
—  City  —
Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church, north of Goessel
Location of Goessel, Kansas
Detailed map of Goessel, Kansas
Coordinates: 38°14′49″N 97°20′53″W / 38.24694°N 97.34806°W / 38.24694; -97.34806Coordinates: 38°14′49″N 97°20′53″W / 38.24694°N 97.34806°W / 38.24694; -97.34806
Country  United States
State  Kansas
County Marion
Platted 1910
Incorporated 1952
Government
 • Type Mayor–Council
 • Mayor Peggy Jay[1]
 • City Clerk Anita Goertzen[1]
Area
 • Total 0.3 sq mi (0.8 km2)
 • Land 0.3 sq mi (0.8 km2)
 • Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation 1,532 ft (467 m)
Population (2010)[2]
 • Total 539
 • Density 1,796.7/sq mi (693.7/km2)
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code 67053
Area code(s) 620
FIPS code 20-26750[3]
GNIS feature ID 0477764[4]
Website City website

Goessel is a city in Marion County, Kansas, United States. It was named after Captain Kurt von Goessel (1852–1895) who went down with his ship, the Elbe, in the English Channel after it was rammed.[5] As of the 2010 census, the city population was 539.[2]

[edit] History

[edit] 19th century

For millennia, the land that is currently Kansas was inhabited by Native Americans. In 1803, most of modern Kansas was secured by the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase. In 1855, Marion County, Kansas, where Goessel is located, was founded.

The year 1874 saw the first wave of an immigration of Russian Mennonites to south-central Kansas. The move was an attempt to preserve religious heritage and freedom. During the next decade, one-third of Mennonites in Russia moved to North America. In 1874 a large portion of the Russian village of Alexanderwohl immigrated en masse to the United States aboard the ships Teutonia and Cimbria. This group split into two groups after arriving in Kansas and founded the communities around Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church and Hoffnungsau Mennonite Church.

The village of Alexanderwohl was founded in 1874. Dr. Peter Richert was looking to establish a hospital. He decided to locate the hospital in what is now Goessel. He had read the story of Captain Kurt von Goessel, who went down with his steamship Elbe in the English Channel. Dr. Richert decided to submit the name Goessel to the U.S. Postal Department, and it was accepted on April 13, 1895.[citation needed] In 1910, the population was 100 people, and by 1952 it had grown to 260.[citation needed]

[edit] 20th century

On March 13, 1990 an F5 tornado went through Goessel after merging with the Hesston tornado.[citation needed]

[edit] Geography

Goessel is located at 38°14′49″N 97°20′53″W / 38.246972°N 97.348178°W / 38.246972; -97.348178 (38.246972, -97.348178).[6] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.3 square miles (0.78 km2), all of it land. The county line is 1 mile west of Goessel.

[edit] Area events

  • Goessel Threshing Days,[7] located at Mennonite Heritage and Agricultural Museum. 37th annual in 2010. Old-fashioned threshing demonstration and show with more than 100 exhibitors from a 7-state area display and demonstrate antique equipment related to farming during the past century. Numerous antique tractors are displayed. Ethnic Mennonite food is available.
  • Goessel Harvest Festival[8]

[edit] Area attractions

  • Mennonite Heritage and Agricultural Museum,[9] 200 N Poplar St. The Mennonite Heritage Museum was dedicated in 1974. It is a museum of artifacts of the Mennonites that settled in the Goessel area. The museum has eight buildings that show the life of the immigrants that moved to Goessel.[10]
  • Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church,[11] 1 mi north on K-15 Highway.
  • Kansas Historical Marker - The Mennonites In Kansas,[12] 1 mi north on K-15 Highway.

[edit] Demographics

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1960 327
1970 386 18.0%
1980 421 9.1%
1990 506 20.2%
2000 565 11.7%
2010 539 −4.6%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 565 people, 203 households, and 142 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,870.3 people per square mile (727.2/km2). There were 221 housing units at an average density of 731.6 per square mile (284.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 97.70% White, 0.18% Native American, 0.18% from other races, and 1.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.71% of the population.

There were 203 households out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.1% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.0% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the city the population was spread out with 21.6% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 22.8% from 25 to 44, 16.1% from 45 to 64, and 32.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 73.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 71.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,250, and the median income for a family was $42,727. Males had a median income of $30,313 versus $18,750 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,106. About 2.2% of families and 14.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.7% of those under age 18 and 39.4% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Government

The Goessel government consists of a mayor and five council members. The council meets the 3rd Monday of each month at 8PM. [1][13]

  • City Hall, 101 S Cedar St.

[edit] Education

[edit] Primary and secondary education

Goessel is part of Unified School District 411.[14][15]

[edit] Sports

The Goessel High School mascot is a Bluebird. All high school athletic and non-athletic competition is overseen by the Kansas State High School Activities Association. For 2010/2011 seasons, the football team competes as Class 8 Man - Division I.[19]

Past Championships:

  • 1988, 1st Place, Class 1A, High School Boys Basketball.

[edit] Library

Each USD 411 school has a library for student access.

The city is served by the Goessel City Library at 101 South Cedar Street. The library is a member of the North Central Kansas Libraries System, which provides an inter-library book loan service between its members.

[edit] Media

[edit] Print

[edit] Radio

Goessel is served by numerous radio stations of the Wichita-Hutchinson listening market area,[20] and satellite radio. See Media in Wichita, Kansas.

[edit] Television

Goessel is served by over-the-air ATSC digital TV of the Wichita-Hutchinson viewing market area,[21] cable TV, and satellite TV. See Media in Wichita, Kansas.

[edit] Infrastructure

[edit] Transportation

K-15 highway runs along the east side of the city.

[edit] Utilities

[edit] Notable people

[edit] Gallery

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Goessel - Directory of Public Officials
  2. ^ a b "2010 City Population and Housing Occupancy Status". U.S. Census Bureau. http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_PL_GCTPL2.ST13&prodType=table. Retrieved March 6, 2011. 
  3. ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  4. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  5. ^ http://www.skyways.org/towns/Goessel/index.html
  6. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
  7. ^ Goessel Threshing Days
  8. ^ Goessel Events
  9. ^ Mennonite Heritage Museum
  10. ^ Kansas Photo Tour - Goessel
  11. ^ Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church
  12. ^ Kansas Historical Marker - The Mennonites In Kansas
  13. ^ Goessel - Government
  14. ^ USD 411
  15. ^ Kansas School District Boundary Map
  16. ^ Goessel Senior High School
  17. ^ Goessel Junior High School
  18. ^ Goessel Elementary School
  19. ^ KSHSAA Football Class Size Assignments
  20. ^ Wichita-Hutchinson Radio market.
  21. ^ Wichita-Hutchinson TV market.
  22. ^ Kansas Legislators Past & Present

[edit] Further reading

Goessel
  • In Earlier Days - A History of Goessel, Kansas; Marjorie Jantzen; 1987.
Marion County
Kansas
  • Kansas: A Cyclopedia Of State History, Embracing Events, Institutions, Industries, Counties, Cities, Towns, Prominent Persons, Etc Vol 1, Vol 2, Vol 3; Frank W. Blackmar; Standard Publishing Co; 1912.
  • History Of The State of Kansas''; William G. Cutler; A.T. Andreas Publisher; 1883.

[edit] External links

City
Schools
Historical
Maps
Personal tools
Namespaces
Variants
Actions
Navigation
Interaction
Toolbox
Print/export
Languages