Columbus, Kansas

Columbus is the second biggest city Cherokee County, Kansas, United States. It is about 15 miles south-southwest of Pittsburg. It is also the county seat of Cherokee County. In 2020, 2,929 people lived there. History The first settlement at Columbus was created in 1868. The first post office in Columbus was created in 1869. Columbus was a railroad junction for the Saint Louis and San Francisco, and the Missouri, Kansas, and Texas railroads. It was named Columbus by A.L. Peters, one of the European-American creators of the city. It was named after his hometown of Columbus, Ohio; the name is indirectly named after Christopher Columbus, the explorer. Coal, lead and zinc were found in the area. Columbus had a big trade in agricultural products. Its businesses had machine shops, grain elevators, flour mills, a cigar factory, bottle works (soft drinks), a canning factory, and a big brick-making factory. In 1875, Robert A. Long and Victor Bell created the Long-Bell Lumber Company in Columbus. From one lumberyard, Long-Bell grew their businesses and holdings to become one of the biggest vertically integrated lumber companies in the United States. In 1956, it was bought by International Paper. Geography Columbus is at 37°10′18″N 94°50′39″W (37.171614, -94.844076). The United States Census Bureau says that the city has a total area of 2.43 square miles (6.29 km2). All of it is land. Weather Columbus has hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. The Köppen Climate Classification system says that Columbus has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. People 2020 census The 2020 census says that there were 2,929 people, 1,251 households, and 746 families living in Columbus. Of the households, 63.5% owned their home and 36.5% rented their home. The median age was 39.8 years. Of the people, 86.8% were White, 3.1% were Native American, 0.5% were Black, 0.2% were Asian, 0.8% were from some other race, and 8.7% were two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.4% of the people. 2010 census The 2010 census says that there were 3,312 people, 1,424 households, and 850 families living in Columbus. Famous people Marcellus Boss, 5th Civilian Governor of Guam Elizabeth W. Crandall, educator James Reed Hallowell, politician Robert A. Long, lumber baron, developer, investor, newspaper owner, and philanthropist Doro Merande, film, stage and television actress Merle Evans, bandleader for Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus Norma Terris, singer and actress Leland Justin Webb, 1st Mayor of Columbus, lawyer, served in American Civil War and 19th Kansas Cavalry Regiment Thomas Daniel Winter, US Representative from Kansas, 1939-1947. References Other websites City City of Columbus "Columbus - Directory of Public Officials". Archived from the original on 2011-08-23. "Columbus Chamber of Commerce". Archived from the original on 2012-07-22. Schools USD 493, local school district Historical "Historic Images of Columbus". Archived from the original on May 23, 2011., Special Photo Collections at Wichita State University Library Maps Columbus City Map Archived 2020-05-05 at the Wayback Machine, KDOT