Manhattan is a town located in northeastern Kansas at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. As of the 2000 census, it had a total population of 44,831. Manhattan is the county seat of Riley County. A small part of the town extends into Pottawatomie County.
Nicknamed The Little Apple in 1977 as a play on New York City's "Big Apple," Manhattan is most well-known for being the home of Kansas State University. Eight miles (13km) west of the town is Fort Riley, a United States Army post.
Manhattan has one public high school (Manhattan High School), seven elementary schools, and two junior high schools. The town also has two private schools systems: Flint Hills Christian School and the Manhattan Catholic Schools.
Manhattan is located at 39°11'25" North, 96°35'13" West (39.190142, -96.586818), or about 50 miles (80km) west of Topeka on the Kansas River.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 38.9 km2 (15.0 mi2). 38.9 km2 (15.0 mi2) of it is land and 0.07% is water.
Manhattan is located in the Flint Hills region of Kansas. Tuttle Creek Reservior is a lake located 5 miles (8km) north of Manhattan. While the dam which forms the lake was built by the Army Corps of Engineers primarily for flood control, the lake is now a state park, which offers many recreational opportunities. The Konza Prairie, a tallgrass prairie preserve owned by The Nature Conservancy and Kansas State University, is south of town.
As of the census of 2000, there are 44,831 people, 16,949 households, and 8,254 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,152.4/km2 (2,983.9/mi2). There are 17,690 housing units at an average density of 454.7/km2 (1,177.4/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 87.28% White, 4.86% African American, 0.48% Native American, 3.93% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 1.30% from other races, and 2.07% from two or more races. 3.49% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 16,949 households out of which 22.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.6% are married couples living together, 6.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 51.3% are non-families. 30.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 6.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.30 and the average family size is 2.89.
The age distribution is 15.8% under the age of 18, 39.2% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 13.2% from 45 to 64, and 7.8% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 24 years. For every 100 females there are 106.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 105.4 males. The general age distribution is typical of a university town; the sex distribution is not uncommon in areas dominated by major land-grant universities.
The median income for a household in the city is $30,463, and the median income for a family is $48,289. Males have a median income of $31,396 versus $24,611 for females. The per capita income for the city is $16,566. 24.2% of the population and 8.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 10.1% of those under the age of 18 and 7.8% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line. However, traditional poverty statistics can be misleading when applied to communities with large student populations, such as Manhattan.
Manhattan was settled in April 1855 by the abolitionist Isaac Goodnow and other New England settlers travelling to Kansas Territory under the auspices of the New England Emigrant Aid Company. It was originally named Boston. The new town incorporated two other small settlements already in the area, named Canton and Polistra. In June 1855 the steamboat Hartford, carrying 75 settlers from Ohio ran aground in the Kansas River near the settlement. The Hartford passengers accepted an invitation to join the new town, but insisted that it be renamed Manhattan, which was done on June 29, 1855. Manhattan was incorporated on May 30, 1857.
Early Manhattan settlers found themselves in conflict with Native Americans and the town itself was threatened by pro-slavery Southerners, but the proximity of Fort Riley protected the settlement from the major violence visited upon other Free State towns during the "Bleeding Kansas" era. Manhattan soon became an abolitionist stronghold, railroad hub, and center of education.
In 1861, when the State of Kansas entered the Union, Isaac Goodnow, who had been a teacher in Rhode Island, began lobbying the legislature to establish a university in Manhattan. As an inducement, the Manhattanites offered to the state the physical plant of the private Blue Mont Central College, which was chartered in Manhattan in 1858. The culmination of these efforts came on February 16, 1863, when the Kansas legislature established Kansas State University in Manhattan.
Since its founding, Manhattan has increased in population every decade. In 1900, 3,438 people lived in Manhattan; in 1910, 5,722; and in 1940, 11,659.
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Manhattan, KS
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