Osborne, Kansas

Osborne, Kansas
City
Nickname:  OZ
Motto:  Just Live It!
Location of Osborne, Kansas
Country	United States
State	Kansas
County	Osborne
Area
• Total	1.5 sq mi (3.9 km2)
• Land	1.5 sq mi (3.9 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	1,552 ft (473 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	1,607
• Density	1,068.1/sq mi (412.4/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	67473
Area code	785
FIPS code	20-53325Template:GR
GNIS feature ID	0472281Template:GR

Osborne is a city in Osborne County, Kansas, United States. The population was 1,607 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Osborne County.Template:GR

History

Osborne is the only city in the Solomon Valley/Highway 24 Heritage Alliance region to be founded by a colony. A scouting party of 67 people left Reading and Lancaster Pennsylvania by train and five days later reached the end of the railroad at Waterville, Kansas. There they formed a wagon train and over the next two weeks traversed the region from Waterville west to the Solomon River valley, then along the South Fork Solomon River until they reached the Bullock Brothers Ranch, a stockade that was the westernmost settler outpost at the time between Denver and Kansas City. On May 1, 1871 the remaining 38 men, one women and two boys laid out the new townsite. It was colony leader Colonel William Bear who suggested the twon be named Osborne City after Civil War veteran Vincent B. Osborne. Two hundred and fifty members of the Pennsylvania colony ventured to the newly settled town that September.

In July of 1872 the colony officially disbanded and the Osborne City Town Company then formed to govern the community. The city was finally declared the permanent county seat in November 1872. In 1878, Osborne was declared a second class city with a mayor and city council form of government that continues today. By the mid-1890's the "City" part of the town name was dropped.

Osborne is the county seat of Osborne County. Two buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places; the Classic-styled Carnegie Library and the Osborne County Courthouse. The restored Carnegie Library is the headquarters of the Osborne County Historical and Genealogical Society, who, in partnership with the City of Osborne, have created a center of historical literature and genealogy that attracts visitors from throughout the United States. The busy community hosts many events each year including the Osborne County Fair, the Alumni Homecoming Memorial Day weekend, and the ever-popular Hole in the Wall Gang Rod Run in September. Osborne is the center of history, literature, justice and manufacturing.

Osborne is the Geodetic Center of North America. Located on private property, the Geodetic Center, commonly called "Meade's Ranch," was entered on the National Register of Historic Places on October 9, 1973, as the 144th Kansas site to be listed on the Register. The pastureland site of the Geodetic Center of North America was homesteaded by William H. Meade in 1885. Other early-day settlers were associated with the site before the marker was first put into place in 1891. Among these settlers was Pearl Sharp, who came as a small child in a covered wagon in 1878. Pearl lived most of her life just a few miles south of the Geodetic Center site, first as a child, and later after her marriage to S.C. Robinson. Their son, Frank Robinson, purchased the site in 1936, and its ownership has remained in the family since his death in 1969. The site is now owned by the Robinson's grandson, Kyle Brant. The Geodetic Center site remains on private property and permission to visit it must be obtained from the landowner.

Geography

Osborne is located at 39°26′26″N 98°41′50″W (39.440651, -98.697118)Template:GR. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²), all of it land. Osborne is geographically located at the intersection of Highways 24 and 281. Osborne is the Geodetic Center of North America.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 1,607 people, 693 households, and 419 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,068.1 people per square mile (413.6/km²). There were 841 housing units at an average density of 559.0/sq mi (216.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.88% White, 0.19% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, and 1.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.19% of the population.

There were 693 households out of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.5% were non-families. 37.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 22.1% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 27.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 87.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,775, and the median income for a family was $36,544. Males had a median income of $25,128 versus $14,591 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,092. About 5.5% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.7% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.