Salina, Kansas
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Salina is a city and the county seat of Saline County, KansasTemplate:GR. First settled by Preston B. Plum in 1856 along the Saline and Smoky Hill Rivers, and founded by William A. Phillips in 1858, Salina is situated at the intersection of Interstate Highways I-70 and I-135 in central Kansas. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 45,679.
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History
In 1860 Salina, the westernmost post on the Smoky Hill Trail, began to establish itself as a staging post for prospectors traveling to Pike's Peak, as well as a trading post between local native tribes, and Fort Leavenworth. After the Civil War, Phillips, then a colonel, used his influence to extend the Union Pacific Railroad to Salina in 1867. Starting in 1872, Salina began transporting meat shipped in refrigerated cars down the rails. During the agriculture boom During the 1870's, wheat became the dominant crop in Salina and a steam-powered flour mill was built. At the same time Dr. E. R. Switzer, of Salina, introduced alfalfa to Kansas farmers. During World War II Salina's air field was one of several notable B-29 training grounds. The exponential growth of the 1950s of Salina was related largely to the re-opening of Smoky Hill Air Force Base, later renamed to Schilling Air Force Base, which was closed in 1965 by the Department of Defense.
In February 2005, the city is hoping its name will be added to the likes of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in terms of being a significant name in aviation history, as it has been selected as the launch field for what is being touted as the 'last great aviation record'; the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer. This is a round the world solo record attempt that will take off and land at Salina without refuelling or stopping.
Industry
Predictably, agriculture is the predominant industry in Salina, and its grain elevators are visible from miles away. This agrarian emphasis is even reflected in a local Catholic Church which is built in white cylindrical shapes intriguingly like grain silos. However, Salina has several other important employers. Surprisingly, the city has a strong manufacturing base. Having over over 2000 workers, Tony's Pizza is the largest single employer. Tony's makes makes consumer retail frozen pizzas as well as food intended for school cafeterias and other institutions. Additionally, over 500 are employed in factories for Philips Lighting, Exide Battery, Great Plains Manufacturing (farm equipment), and Raytheon Aircraft. The high ratio of factory experience in the labor pool and Kansas' right-to-work status make Salina an attractive location for factory operation.
The city has a local daily newspaper, The Salina Journal, several radio stations; 99.9FM KSKG (http://www.999kskg.com), 910AM KINA, 92.7FM KILS, 95.5FM KQNS, 93.7FM KYEZ, 1150AM KSAL and 104.9FM KZBZ, though no local television news.
Schools
In addition to a branch of Kansas State University (which is based in Manhattan, Kansas), Salina is the home of Kansas Wesleyan University, a private liberal arts college that affiliates itself with the United Methodist Church. Enrollment to each of these institutions is around 800 in Salina.
Geography
KSMap-doton-Salina.png
Location of Salina, Kansas
Salina is located at 38°49'27" North, 97°36'26" West (38.824267, -97.607205)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 59.0 km² (22.8 mi²). 58.9 km² (22.7 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.18% water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 45,679 people, 18,523 households, and 11,873 families residing in the city. The population density is 775.9/km² (2,009.6/mi²). There are 19,599 housing units at an average density of 332.9/km² (862.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 87.76% White, 3.57% African American, 0.56% Native American, 1.96% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 3.78% from other races, and 2.32% from two or more races. 6.71% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 18,523 households out of which 31.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% are married couples living together, 10.5% have a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% are non-families. 30.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.39 and the average family size is 2.98.
In the city the population is spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 92.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $36,066, and the median income for a family is $45,433. Males have a median income of $31,250 versus $21,944 for females. The per capita income for the city is $18,593. 9.6% of the population and 6.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 10.6% of those under the age of 18 and 9.2% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Notable persons born or raised in Salina
- Steven Hawley - astronaut
- Thomas Braniff - Braniff airline co-founder
- Carl Belew - musician
- Bill Graves - businessman and former governor of Kansas
- George Murphy - actor
- Glen Martin - aviation pioneer
External links
- Salina Kansas Official Site (http://www.ci.salina.ks.us/about.html)
- Salina chamber of commerce promotional site (http://www.salinakansas.org/)
- The Salina Journal Newspaper (http://www.saljournal.com/)
- Kansas Wesleyan University (http://www.kwu.edu/)
- Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer (http://www.globalflyer.com)
