Goddard, Kansas

Goddard is a city in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States. It is a suburb of Wichita. In 2020, 5,084 people lived there. History In 1883, Ezekiel Wilder bought farmland on the planned railway of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway south of Blendon, Kansas. It was about 10 miles (16 km) west of Wichita. There, he built the town of Goddard. It was named after J. F. Goddard, former third vice-president of the ATSF Railway. The railroad reached Goddard in 1884. A post office was built there the same year. Several buildings were moved from Blendon, including the town hall and the planned Methodist church. Goddard was officially incorporated in 1910. On June 23, 1969, an F4 tornado hit Goddard. No people died, but six people were injured. Geography Goddard is at 37°39′35″N 97°34′27″W (37.659706, -97.574271) at an elevation of 1,463 feet (446 m). Goddard is on U.S. Route 54 in south-central Kansas immediately west of Wichita. Goddard is about 12 miles (19 km) southwest of the Arkansas River and 8 miles (13 km) north-northeast of the Ninnescah River in the Wellington-McPherson Lowlands region of the Great Plains. The United States Census Bureau says that the city has a total area of 5.14 square miles (13.32 km2). Of that, 5.10 square miles (13.20 km2) is land and 0.05 square miles (0.12 km2) is water. People Goddard is part of the Wichita, KS Metropolitan Statistical Area. 2020 census The 2020 United States Census says that there were 5,084 people, 1,662 households, and 1,313 families living in Goddard. Of the households, 79.7% owned their home and 20.3% rented their home. The median age was 32.5 years. Of the people, 84.8% were White, 1.2% were Black, 1.1% were Asian, 0.7% were Native American, 1.8% were from some other race, and 10.4% were two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.4% of the people. 2010 census The 2010 United States Census says that there were 4,344 people, 1,442 households, and 1,124 families living in Goddard. Education Primary and secondary education Goddard USD 265 has eleven schools in and around the city. Libraries The Goddard Public Library, which is in downtown, has a collection of over 28,000 volumes. It also has technology services and reading programs for the people. Infrastructure Utilities The city government's Public Works Department is responsible for both providing water and waste water management. Westar Energy provides electric power. Most people use natural gas for heating fuel; service is provided by Kansas Gas Service. Media Goddard is in both the Wichita radio and television markets. Parks and recreation The city government maintains two parks in Goddard as well as a city swimming pool. Famous people Derek Norris (1989- ), baseball catcher Ed Siever (1875-1920), baseball pitcher Todd Tiahrt (1951- ), U.S. Representative from Kansas Logan Watkins (1989- ), baseball 2nd baseman References Other websites City City of Goddard Goddard - Directory of Public Officials Maps Goddard City Map Archived 2020-05-04 at the Wayback Machine, KDOT