Editing Seneca, Kansas

{{Short description|City in Nemaha County, Kansas}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
|name                     = Seneca, Kansas
|settlement_type          = [[City]] and [[County seat]]

<!-- Images -->
|image_skyline            = Seneca Kansas Post Office front.jpg
|image_caption            = Post Office in Seneca (2021)
|image_flag               =
|image_seal               =

<!-- Maps -->
|image_map                = Nemaha_County_Kansas_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Seneca_Highlighted.svg
|map_caption              = Location within [[Nemaha County, Kansas|Nemaha County]] and [[Kansas]]
|image_map1               = Map of Nemaha Co, Ks, USA.png
|map_caption1             = [[Kansas Department of Transportation|KDOT]] map of [[Nemaha County, Kansas|Nemaha County]] ([[:File:Kansas official transportation map legend.png|legend]])

<!-- Location -->
|coordinates_footnotes    = <ref name="GNIS"/>
|coordinates              = {{coord|39|50|17|N|96|04|11|W|region:US-KS_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Kansas]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Kansas|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Nemaha County, Kansas|Nemaha]]
|subdivision_type3        = [[List of townships in Kansas|Township]]
|subdivision_name3        =

<!-- Established -->
|established_title        = Founded
|established_date         = 1857
|established_title1       = [[Platted]]
|established_date1        =
|established_title2       = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
|established_date2        = 1870
|named_for                = [[Seneca County, Ohio]]

<!-- Government -->
|government_footnotes     =
|government_type          = <!-- [[Mayor–council government|Mayor–Council]] -->
|leader_title             = [[Mayor]]
|leader_name              =

<!-- Area -->
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2019">{{cite web|title=2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_20.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=July 24, 2020}}</ref>
|area_total_sq_mi         = 1.67
|area_land_sq_mi          = 1.67
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.00
|area_total_km2           = 4.32
|area_land_km2            = 4.32
|area_water_km2           = 0.00
|unit_pref                = Imperial

<!-- Elevation -->
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name="GNIS"/>
|elevation_ft             = 1152

<!-- Population -->
|population_footnotes     = <ref name="Census-2020-Profile"/>
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_total         = 2139
|pop_est_footnotes        =
|pop_est_as_of            =
|population_est           =
|population_density_sq_mi = auto
|population_density_km2   = auto

<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[Central Time Zone|CST]]
|utc_offset               = -6
|timezone_DST             = CDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -5
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 66538
|area_code_type           = [[North American Numbering Plan|Area code]]
|area_code                = [[Area code 785|785]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 20-63950
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS ID]]
|blank1_info              = 485651<ref name="GNIS">{{GNIS|485651}}</ref>
|website                  = {{URL|https://www.senecakansas.com/|senecakansas.com}}
}}

'''Seneca''' is a city in and the [[county seat]] of [[Nemaha County, Kansas|Nemaha County]], [[Kansas]], United States.<ref name="GNIS"/>  As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the population of the city was 2,139.<ref name="Census-2020-Profile">{{cite web |title=Profile of Seneca, Kansas in 2020 |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=1600000US2063950 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=June 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220610003945/https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=1600000US2063950 |archive-date=June 10, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==History==
{{See also|History of Kansas}}
Seneca was founded in 1857. It was named after [[Seneca County, Ohio]].<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5zdAAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA249 | title=Biennial Report of the Board of Directors of the Kansas State Historical Society | publisher=Kansas State Printing Plant | author=Kansas State Historical Society | year=1916 | pages=249}}</ref>  The first post office in Seneca was established in November 1858.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kshs.org/geog/geog_postoffices/search/county:NM |title=Kansas Post Offices, 1828-1961 (archived) |publisher=Kansas Historical Society |accessdate=18 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131009123417/http://www.kshs.org/geog/geog_postoffices/search/county:NM |archivedate=October 9, 2013 }}</ref>  Seneca grew up along the wagon route from [[St. Joseph, Missouri]] to [[Oregon]] and [[California]].  British explorer [[Richard Francis Burton]] en route to California in 1860 passed through town and noted: "... Seneca, a city consisting of a few shanties ..."<ref>Richard Burton, (1862) ''The Look of the West 1860'', Lincoln: Univ. Nebraska Press, reprint, n.d., p.27.</ref>  Seneca was a station on the [[Pony Express]] of the early 1860s.  The station was located in the Smith Hotel, at the present-day location of Fourth and Main Streets.<ref>{{cite web | title = Kansas Stations | publisher = XP Pony Express Home Station | url = http://www.xphomestation.com/kssta.html#C | accessdate = 16 March 2016}}</ref>  Seneca was incorporated as a city in 1870.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qi9cXyTWt9EC&pg=PA668 | title=Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, Volume 2 | publisher=Standard Publishing Company | author=Blackmar, Frank Wilson | year=1912 | pages=668}}</ref>

Seneca was home to [[minor league baseball]]. The [[Seneca (baseball)|Seneca]] team played the 1910 season as members of the [[Class D (baseball)|Class D]] level [[Eastern Kansas League]], finishing in 2nd place. The team played home games at City Park.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/roster/t-ss14507/y-1910|title=1910 Seneca minor league baseball Roster on StatsCrew.com|website=www.statscrew.com}}</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|1.63|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, all land.<ref name="Gazetteer files">{{cite web|title=US Gazetteer files 2010|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=2012-07-06|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120125061959/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt|archivedate=2012-01-25}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|align=left
|1880= 1203
|1890= 2032
|1900= 1846
|1910= 1806
|1920= 1885
|1930= 1864
|1940= 2015
|1950= 1911
|1960= 2072
|1970= 2182
|1980= 2389
|1990= 2027
|2000= 2122
|2010= 1991
|2020= 2139
|estyear=
|estimate=
|estref=
|align-fn=center
|footnote=[https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html U.S. Decennial Census]
}}
[[File:Seneca, Kansas jail and sheriff residence from NW 1.JPG|thumb|right|Nemaha County Historical Society (previously a Jail and Sheriff residence) (2015)]]
[[File:Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Seneca, Kansas (1916).jpg|thumb|right|Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church (1916)]]

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name ="wwwcensusgov">{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=2012-07-06}}</ref> of 2010, there were 1,991 people, 908 households, and 509 families living in the city. The [[population density]] was {{convert|1221.5|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 982 housing units at an average density of {{convert|602.5|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 98.6% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.4% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.2% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.1% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.1% [[Race (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.3% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 0.4% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.7% of the population.

There were 908 households, of which 21.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.6% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.9% were non-families. 40.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.84.

The median age in the city was 49.2 years. 20.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.3% were from 25 to 44; 28.7% were from 45 to 64; and 28.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 2,122 people, 897 households, and 539 families living in the city. The population density was {{convert|1,375.0|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 978 housing units at an average density of {{convert|633.7|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 98.82% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.42% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.05% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.05% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.05% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.61% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.66% of the population.

There were 897 households, out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.8% were non-families. 36.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.5% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 22.0% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 27.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,288, and the median income for a family was $40,819. Males had a median income of $27,875 versus $16,944 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $19,076. About 4.4% of families and 7.1% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 6.8% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==
The community is served by [[Nemaha Central USD 115]] public school district.

==Notable people==
* [[Roy E. Moore]], the father of American gymnastics
* [[John Riggins]], [[Pro Football Hall of Famer]], won a Super Bowl with the [[Washington Redskins]], named [[Super Bowl XVII]] MVP.
* [[Ira K. Wells]], Judge, [[United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico]]
* [[Edward White (Medal of Honor)|Edward White]], [[Philippine–American War]] veteran and recipient of the [[Medal of Honor]]

==See also==
* [[Tornado outbreak sequence of May 1896#Seneca–Oneida, Kansas/Falls City, Nebraska|Tornado outbreak sequence of May 1896]] - F5 tornado that struck Seneca

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{Portal|Kansas}}
{{Kansas books}}
{{See also|Nemaha County, Kansas#Further reading|l1=List of books about Nemaha County, Kansas}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Seneca, Kansas}}
* [https://www.seneca-kansas.com/ City of Seneca]
* [https://www.lkm.org/members/?id=41261030 Seneca - Directory of Public Officials]
* [https://www.ksdot.org/Assets/wwwksdotorg/bureaus/burTransPlan/maps/city-pdf/seneca.pdf Seneca city map], KDOT

{{Nemaha County, Kansas}}
{{Kansas}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Nemaha County, Kansas]]
[[Category:Cities in Kansas]]
[[Category:County seats in Kansas]]
[[Category:1857 establishments in Kansas Territory]]