Jamestown, Kansas
Encyclopedia
Jamestown is a city in Cloud County
Cloud County, Kansas
Cloud County is a county located in North Central Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 9,533. Its county seat and most populous city is Concordia.-19th century:...

, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 286.

1911 fire

In 1911 the entire downtown shopping district was destroyed by a fire. Few records remain of that fire, but the townspeople rebuilt the downtown shopping district.

2000 fire

History repeated itself on January 28, 2000 when another fire consumed several buildings on Main Street and spread to the city hall. The fire chief and small group of volunteer firefighters worked nearly 24 hours without sleep to contain the fire. And again, history repeated itself as the town rebuilt. Mayor Judy Hill stated, "A fire like that can destroy a small town, but instead it ignited a community spirit here." In a few days, Jamestown was having town meetings to make plans for the future.

Rebuilding town

The funeral home in Jamestown was selected as the temporary city office and meeting place. More than 50 people (out of a population of 307 at the time) came to town meetings there and the citizens organized into several committees to begin work.

Today, Jamestown has a new community center with daycare facilities and a thriving downtown activities center with a health clinic, public library, and several businesses.

Geography

Jamestown is located at 39°36′0"N 97°51′42"W (39.600031, -97.861759). According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the city has a total area of 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 399 people, 139 households, and 92 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 1,391.4 people per square mile (531.2/km²). There were 169 housing units at an average density of 589.3 per square mile (225.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.24% White, 0.25% Asian, and 2.51% from two or more races.

There were 139 households out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.6% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 3.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.1% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.25.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.6% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 17.3% from 45 to 64, and 23.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 106.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,167, and the median income for a family was $33,750. Males had a median income of $25,313 versus $16,250 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the city was $12,641. About 9.2% of families and 12.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.5% of those under age 18 and 1.9% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Jamestown is mostly a small agricultural community. There is a local bank
Bank
A bank is a financial institution that serves as a financial intermediary. The term "bank" may refer to one of several related types of entities:...

 that services accounts through the area and Jamestown also has a nursing home
Nursing home
A nursing home, convalescent home, skilled nursing unit , care home, rest home, or old people's home provides a type of care of residents: it is a place of residence for people who require constant nursing care and have significant deficiencies with activities of daily living...

 facility and a cafe. Through local efforts and federal funding, a Community Center, Activities Center, and Library have been added to the downtown area (see section on "History" below). A large number of residents complete their shopping in nearby Concordia, Kansas
Concordia, Kansas
Concordia is a city in and the county seat of Cloud County, Kansas, United States. Located on the Republican River in the Smoky Hills region of the Great Plains, Concordia was founded in 1871 and is an economic and cultural center in north-central Kansas...

.

The opening day of hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...

 season brings an influx of people who enjoy small bird game hunting. Also, the nearby Jamestown Wildlife Area
Jamestown (Kansas) Wildlife Area
Jamestown Wildlife Area consist of in Northern Kansas. It is located primarily in Republic County, Kansas and partially in Cloud County, Kansas. Driving directions are North and West of Jamestown, Kansas. The area is commonly called "Jamestown Lake" by local residents.The area is popular...

 (commonly called "Jamestown Lake") provides fishing for local anglers seeking small fish such as perch
Perch
Perch is a common name for fish of the genus Perca, freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which there are three species in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Perciformes, from the Greek perke meaning spotted, and the...

, crappie
Crappie
Crappie is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The type species is P. annularis, the white crappie...

, and bass
Bass (fish)
Bass is a name shared by many different species of popular gamefish. The term encompasses both freshwater and marine species. All belong to the large order Perciformes, or perch-like fishes, and in fact the word bass comes from Middle English bars, meaning "perch."-Types of basses:*The temperate...

.

Education

In 1911, local residents of Jamestown transferred some property to School District 32 to create the Jamestown Schools. Kansas public schools underwent reorganization and in 1962, the "old" school district 32 entered a Quit Claim Deed and transferred the property to Unified School District #333. The Jamestown School provided classes for grades 1-12 in one building and also maintained a second building for industrial arts classes. The school also kept a playground and athletic field.

Jamestown maintained a public school until the junior high school and high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....

 was closed in 1980. The elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...

 was closed in 1983. The student population was always considered low compared to many other area public schools, but in the later years the average grade level fell to an average of between six to eight students. Jamestown residents are served by the Concordia school district USD #333.

Records from October 1984 show a Resolution to Transfer the property from USD #333 back to the City of Jamestown. The main building has been demolished and only the gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...

 stands today.

Jamestown High School athletic teams were known as the Jamestown Jayhawks and competed in the Pike Trail League, primarily made up of small local schools in the area. Students participated in 8-man football, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...

, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

, and track & field.
Jamestown Community College
Jamestown Community College
Jamestown Community College is a two-year college in the SUNY system. JCC has two campuses in Chautauqua County, New York, located in Dunkirk and Jamestown. A third campus serves Cattaraugus County in Olean. A fourth site is located in Warren, Pennsylvania...

in the state of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

also claims the same mascot and are called the Jamestown Jayhawks, but the relationship is merely coincidence.

External links

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