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Junction City, Kansas
Geary County Courthouse (1979)
Geary County Courthouse (1979)
Location within Geary County and Kansas
Location within Geary County and Kansas
KDOT map of Geary County (legend)
Country United States
State Kansas
County Geary
Area
 • Total 11.21 sq mi (29.02 km2)
 • Land 11.11 sq mi (28.77 km2)
 • Water 0.10 sq mi (0.25 km2)
Elevation
1,102 ft (336 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 22,932
 • Density 2,045.7/sq mi (790.21/km2)
Time zone UTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes
66441-66442
Area code 785
FIPS code 20-35750
GNIS ID 476555

Junction City is a city in and the county seat of Geary County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 22,932. Fort Riley, a major U.S. Army post, is nearby.

History

Church near Junction City, Kansas
Church near Junction City (1943)

Junction City is so named from its position at the confluence of the Smoky Hill and Republican rivers.

In 1854, Andrew J. Mead of New York of the Cincinnati-Manhattan Company, Free Staters connected to the Massachusetts Emigrant Aid Company planned a community there called Manhattan (there was also a discussion to call it New Cincinnati). When the steamship Hartford delivering the immigrants could not reach the community because of low water on the Kansas River, the Free Staters settled 20 miles West in what today is Manhattan, Kansas. The community was renamed Millard City for Captain Millard of the Hartford on October 3, 1855. It was renamed briefly Humboldt in 1857 by local farmers and renamed again later that year to Junction City. It was formally incorporated in 1859.

In 1923, John R. Brinkley established Radio Station KFKB (which stood for ‘’Kansas First, Kansas Best’’) using a 1 kW transmitter. It is one of the first—if not the very first—radio stations in Kansas.

Among its residents is film director Kevin Wilmott whose movies including Ninth Street are set in Junction City. Ninth Street specifically refers to a bawdy area of the community that was frequented by Fort Riley soldiers in the 1960s. In the 1980s a major initiative was undertaken to clean up the Ninth St. area.

Timothy McVeigh rented the Ryder truck he used in the Oklahoma City bombing from an auto body shop in Junction City.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.22 square miles (31.65 km2), of which, 12.15 square miles (31.47 km2) is land and 0.07 square miles (0.18 km2) is water.

Climate

Over the course of a year, temperatures range from an average low of about 15 °F (−9 °C) in January to an average high of 90 °F (32 °C) in July. The maximum temperature reaches 90 °F (32 °C) an average of 47 days per year and reaches 100 °F (38 °C) an average of 7 days per year. The minimum temperature falls below the freezing point (32 °F) an average of 126 days per year. Typically the first fall freeze occurs during the month of October, and the last spring freeze occurs during the month of April.

The area receives over 32 inches (810 mm) of precipitation during an average year with the largest share being received during May, June, and July—with a combined 29 days of measurable precipitation. During a typical year the total amount of precipitation may be anywhere from 23 to 43 inches (1,100 mm). There are on average 86 days of measurable precipitation per year. Winter snowfall averages less than 14 inches (360 mm), but the median is just over 7 inches (180 mm). Measurable snowfall occurs an average of 6 days per year with at least an inch of snow being received on four of those days. Snow depth of at least an inch occurs an average of 17 days per year.

Source: Monthly Station Climate Summaries, 1971–2000, U.S. National Climatic Data Center
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Temperatures (°F)
Mean high 36.8 43.4 54.3 64.9 74.3 84.0 90.0 88.2 80.3 69.0 52.9 40.8 64.9
Mean low 14.8 20.0 30.1 41.2 51.8 61.5 66.9 64.9 55.3 42.8 30.4 19.6 41.6
Highest recorded 62
(2006)
79
(1972)
90
(1967)
96
(1989)
100
(1998)
108
(1980)
110
(1980)
108
(1983)
109
(2000)
94
(1994)
83
(1999)
75
(1995)
110
(1980)
Lowest recorded −17
(1985)
−18
(1979)
−9
(1978)
8
(1975)
29
(1981)
41
(1998)
47
(1972)
49
(1981)
28
(1984)
15
(1993)
−1
(1976)
−21
(1989)
−21
(1989)
Precipitation (inches)
Median 0.69 0.83 1.98 2.60 4.54 3.93 3.58 2.76 3.08 2.34 1.58 0.77 31.78
Mean number of days 4.2 4.4 7.1 8.8 11.4 9.3 8.5 8.2 7.9 6.4 5.7 4.3 86.2
Highest monthly 2.50
(1979)
2.99
(1997)
8.04
(1973)
6.99
(1999)
17.22
(1995)
9.55
(1977)
12.32
(1992)
8.39
(1977)
8.14
(1973)
6.20
(1983)
4.40
(1998)
3.33
(1980)
Snowfall (inches)
Median 4.0 2.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.5 7.3
Mean number of days 2.6 1.5 0.5 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.3 1.0 6.0
Highest monthly 12.5
(1983)
16.0
(1971)
9.0
(1975)
3.0
(1977)
0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 7.3
(1975)
10.0
(1983)
Notes: Temperatures are in degrees Fahrenheit. Precipitation includes rain and melted snow or sleet in inches; median values are provided for precipitation and snowfall because mean averages may be misleading. Mean and median values are for the 30-year period 1971–2000; temperature extremes are for the station's period of record (1965–2001). The station is located northwest of Junction City at Milford Lake at 39°4′N 96°54′W, elevation 1,210 feet (369 m).

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1860 217
1870 2,778 1,180.2%
1880 2,684 −3.4%
1890 4,502 67.7%
1900 4,695 4.3%
1910 5,598 19.2%
1920 7,533 34.6%
1930 7,407 −1.7%
1940 8,507 14.9%
1950 13,462 58.2%
1960 18,700 38.9%
1970 19,018 1.7%
1980 19,305 1.5%
1990 20,604 6.7%
2000 20,671 0.3%
2010 23,353 13.0%
2020 22,932 −1.8%
U.S. Decennial Census
2010-2020

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 23,353 people, 9,134 households, and 6,109 families living in the city. The population density was 1,922.1 inhabitants per square mile (742.1/km2). There were 10,480 housing units at an average density of 862.6 per square mile (333.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 60.7% White, 22.3% Black, 0.9% Native American, 3.9% Asian, 0.9% Pacific Islander, 4.0% from other races, and 7.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.0% of the population.

There were 9,134 households, of which 39.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.9% were married couples living together, 16.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.1% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.07.

The median age in the city was 28.8 years. 29% of residents were under the age of 18; 13% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 30.3% were from 25 to 44; 19.3% were from 45 to 64; and 8.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.9% male and 51.1% female.

Transportation

  • Greyhound Lines has a bus stop in Junction City.

Fiction

In Sidney Sheldon's New York Times bestseller Windmills of the Gods, the heroine of the novel is from Junction City. In both the stage and film version of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, the character of Hedwig moves to Junction City after leaving East Germany.

Education

The community is served by Geary County USD 475 public school district. There is one public high school in the city, Junction City High School.

There were over 678 new students in the 2009–2010 school year, breaking all records for enrollment in the school district.

Notable people

Notable individuals who were born in and/or have lived in Junction City include U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Adna R. Chaffee, Jr., inventor Amanda Jones, playwright Velina Hasu Houston, and wrestler Bobby Lashley.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Junction City (Kansas) para niños

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