Girard, Kansas
Girard, Kansas | |
|---|---|
City and County seat | |
 Crawford County Courthouse (2012) | |
 Location within Crawford County and Kansas | |
 | |
| Coordinates: 37°30′32″N 94°50′44″W / 37.50889°N 94.84556°W[1] | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Kansas |
| County | Crawford |
| Founded | 1868 |
| Incorporated | 1869 |
| Named for | Girard, Pennsylvania |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.37 sq mi (6.14 km2) |
| • Land | 2.33 sq mi (6.05 km2) |
| • Water | 0.04 sq mi (0.10 km2) |
| Elevation | 991 ft (302 m) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 2,496 |
| • Density | 1,100/sq mi (410/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code | 66743 |
| Area code | 620 |
| FIPS code | 20-26300 |
| GNIS ID | 485582[1] |
| Website | girardkansas.gov |
Girard is a city in Crawford County, Kansas, United States.[4] It is also the county seat of Crawford County. In 2020, 2,496 people lived there.[3]
History[change | change source]
Girard was created in the spring of 1868. It was named after the town of Girard, Pennsylvania, the old home of Charles Strong.[5] It was built around a railroad line of the Kansas City, Fort Scott and Gulf Railroad. They built it there to try to gain an advantage over its rival, Crawfordsville.[6][7]
The first post office in Girard was created in September 1868.[8]
The first celebration in Girard happened on July 4, 1868, marking Sunday school and Independence Day. Under a law passed in March 1871, Girard became a third class city. In early April the first city officers were elected. The last meeting of the trustees was held April 5, and the first meeting of the new Council was held on April 7.[9]
In May 2003, four people were killed and over a dozen injured by the biggest tornado in Crawford County. At least ten people died in southeast Kansas and southwest Missouri.[10] The Girard tornado was first rated as an F4, but is a strong candidate for an upgrade to F5 status.[11]
Geography[change | change source]
Girard is at 37°30′32″N 94°50′44″W / 37.50889°N 94.84556°W (37.508855, -94.84552). The United States Census Bureau says that the city has a total area of 2.37 square miles (6.14 km2). Of that, 2.33 square miles (6.03 km2) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) is water.[2]
People[change | change source]
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 1,289 | — | |
| 1890 | 2,541 | 97.1% | |
| 1900 | 2,473 | −2.7% | |
| 1910 | 2,446 | −1.1% | |
| 1920 | 3,161 | 29.2% | |
| 1930 | 2,442 | −22.7% | |
| 1940 | 2,554 | 4.6% | |
| 1950 | 2,426 | −5.0% | |
| 1960 | 2,350 | −3.1% | |
| 1970 | 2,591 | 10.3% | |
| 1980 | 2,888 | 11.5% | |
| 1990 | 2,794 | −3.3% | |
| 2000 | 2,773 | −0.8% | |
| 2010 | 2,789 | 0.6% | |
| 2020 | 2,496 | −10.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2020 census[change | change source]
The 2020 census says that there were 2,496 people, 1,008 households, and 661 families living in Girard. Of the households, 64.9% owned their home and 35.1% rented their home.
The median age was 40.4 years. Of the people, 88.9% were White, 1.9% were Black, 1.0% were Native American, 0.4% were Asian, 0.5% were from some other race, and 7.2% were two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.6% of the people.[3][12]
2010 census[change | change source]
The 2010 census says that there were 2,789 people, 1,080 households, and 710 families living in Girard.[13]
Media[change | change source]
Hometown Girard is the local newspaper. It started on February 15, 2013.[14] It is published every two weeks.[15]
Famous people[change | change source]
- Percy Daniels, Populist lieutenant governor of Kansas 1892-94
- Dennis Franchione, college football coach
- Jane Grant, journalist who co-founded The New Yorker
- Dennis Hayden, actor, producer
- Charles Holland, Los Angeles, California, City Council member, 1929–31
- Ron Kramer, football player
- Ruth Stout, author
- Julius Wayland, Socialist propagandist
References[change | change source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Girard, Kansas
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "DP1: PROFILE OF GENERAL POPULATION AND HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
- ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ↑ Strong, Doug. Dr. Charles Strong.
- ↑ Cutler, William (1883). History of the State of Kansas. A. T. Andreas of Chicago IL.
- ↑ Blackmar, Frank Wilson (1912). Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, Embracing Events, Institutions, Industries, Counties, Cities, Towns, Prominent Persons, Etc. Standard Publishing Company. p. 750. ISBN 9780722249055.
- ↑ "Kansas Post Offices, 1828-1961 (archived)". Kansas Historical Society. Archived from the original on October 9, 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
- ↑ "Crawford County Towns & Coal Camps". www.pittsburgksmemories.com. Retrieved 2016-12-28.
- ↑ "Tornado Stories". franklinkansas.com. Archived from the original on 2016-07-25. Retrieved 2016-12-28.
- ↑ "May 4th, 2003 Tornado Outbreak". American Weather. Retrieved 2016-12-28.
- ↑ "P16: HOUSEHOLD TYPE". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
- ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-07-06.
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/HometownGirard/info/?tab=page_info About Hometown Girard
- ↑ "Hometown Girard". Hometown Girard. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
Other websites[change | change source]
- City
- Newspaper
- Hometown Girard, local newspaper
- Schools
- USD 248, local school district
- Historical
- History of Girard
- “Carnegie Libraries: The Future Made Bright”, a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan
- Girard Public Library
- Maps
- Girard City Map, KDOT
Municipalities and communities of Crawford County, Kansas, United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
