Blue Rapids, Kansas

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Blue Rapids
other_name =
nickname =
motto = The only Blue Rapids in America


imagesize =
image_caption =


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mapsize = 250x200px
map_caption = Location of Blue Rapids within Kansas


mapsize1 =
map_caption1 =
pushpin_

pushpin_label_position =
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Kansas
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Marshall
government_type =
leader_title =
leader_name =
established_title = Founded
established_date = 1869
established_title2 = Incorporated
established_date2 = March 20, 1872cite encyclopedia | last=Blackmar | first=Frank W | title=Blue Rapids | encyclopedia=Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History... | volume=1 | pages=197-198 | publisher=Standard Pub. Co | location=Chicago | date=1912 | id=OCLC|11274216 | url=http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/archives/1912/b/blue_rapids.html ]
area_magnitude =
unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =
area_total_km2 = 5.4
area_land_km2 = 5.3
area_water_km2 = 0.1
area_total_sq_mi = 2.1
area_land_sq_mi = 2.1
area_water_sq_mi = 0.0
area_water_percent =
population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_note =
settlement_type = Town
population_total = 1088
population_density_km2 = 204
population_density_sq_mi = 529
timezone = CST
utc_offset = -6
timezone_DST = CDT
utc_offset_DST = -5
latd = 39 |latm = 40 |lats = 55 |latNS = N
longd = 96 |longm = 39 |longs = 33 |longEW = W
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 350
elevation_ft = 1150
postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 66411
area_code = 785
website = [http://skyways.lib.ks.us/towns/BlueRapids/ skyways.lib.ks.us]
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 20-07650GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0473162GR|3
footnotes =

Blue Rapids is a city in Marshall County, Kansas in the United States. The population was 1,088 at the 2000 census.

Located on highway US-77/K-9, Blue Rapids is convert|5|mi east of its sister town Waterville, convert|12|mi south of the county seat Marysville, convert|13|mi west of Frankfort, and convert|46|mi north of the large university town of Manhattan.

Geography

Blue Rapids is located in northeast Kansas near the junction of the Little Blue and Big Blue rivers, at coord|39|40|54|N|96|39|34|W|region:US-KS_type:city(1000)_scale:10000|display=inline,title. Its elevation is convert|1150|ft above sea level. Georgia-Pacific has a gypsum mine near Blue Rapids containing some of the purest gypsum in the world.Fact|date=February 2007

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²), which is 99% land.

Demographics

USCensusPop
1870 = 250 | 1870n=
1880 = 829
1890 = 936
1900 = 1100
1910 = 1756
1920 = 1534
1930 = 1465
1940 = 1433
1950 = 1430
1960 = 1426
1970 = 1148
1980 = 1280
1990 = 1131
2000 = 1088As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 1,088 people, 439 households, and 295 families residing in the city. The population density was 529 people per square mile (204/km²). There were 494 housing units at an average density of 240/sq mi (93/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.07% White, 0.18% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.37% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.55% of the population.

There were 439 households out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% were married couples living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.1% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 22.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,682, and the median income for a family was $37,273. Males had a median income of $30,066 versus $18,214 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,859. About 9.3% of families and 13.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.2% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.

History

The first endeavor to establish a town below the junction of the rivers, in 1857, failed due to misfortunes of two of the three participants. No further attempt to utilize the impressive water power was made until 1869–1870, when a colony of about 50 families from Genesee County, New York moved in, purchased land and water power rights, and began establishing a community. The Blue Rapids Town Company was formed, and by the end of 1870 the population was about 250. In 1872, Blue Rapids was incorporated as a city of third class under the statutes of Kansas.

Among the first projects in 1870 were a stone dam and a wrought iron bridge built on the Big Blue River. A hydroelectric power plant was then added to provide power for manufacturing and for the town. The power plant was destroyed by a flood in 1903. In the late 1800s and early 1900s there were four gypsum mines in the area. The population peaked around 1910 at over 1,750. The public library, built in 1875, is the oldest library west of the Mississippi in continuous operation in the same building.cite web | title=Blue Rapids home page | work=Blue Skyways | url=http://skyways.lib.ks.us/towns/BlueRapids/ | accessdate=2007-01-01 ]

Blue Rapids was the birthplace of the pancreatic cancer drug Streptozotocin. The bacterium from which the drug is derived was discovered in the late 1950s in a soil sample taken from "an uncultivated sandy soil in a grassland region" at Blue Rapids.

Blue Rapids claims to be the smallest town in the U.S. to have hosted a national league baseball game. On October 24, 1913, more than 3,000 fans watched the Chicago White Sox and New York Giants play a world tour exhibition game on the local ball field that is still in use today.cite web | title=Blue Rapids | work=Leisure And Sport Review | url=http://www.lasr.net/pages/city.php?City_ID=KS0705009 | accessdate=2007-01-02 ]

References

External links

* [http://www.kumc.edu/cgi-bin/findtown.pl?townname=Blue+Rapids Meta page] , linking to some history and images