Chetopa is a city in Labette County,

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 929. Chetopa was named for Chief Chetopah, an Osage Indian chief. Later, the community name was shortened.

History

The community began as an Osage village, named after its Chief Chetopah, whose name in the Osage language signifies "four lodges," was an advocate of peace, the leading chief of the Little Osage tribe, and one of the chief counselors of the Osage Nation. In 1847 a trading post to exchange goods with the Osage Nation was established here by Larkin McGhee. By the time of McGhee's arrival there were three other Euro-American families plus two families with a Euro-American husband and a Cherokee wife at Chetopa. There were also many Osage there. Chetopa was the site of a September 18, 1861 battle between the 6th Kansas Cavalry under the direction of James G. Blunt and pro-slavery raiders led by John Allen Mathews, whose wife was an Osage and was culturally identified with the Osages. The first post office in Chetopa was established in April 1867. In 1880, Postmaster J.M. Cavaness petitioned the removal of the ending “h” in the original spelling to become Chetopa. Chetopa was the destination of the Nevada and Minden Railway, completed in 1886. The town attracted that line, which ran southwest from Nevada, Missouri through Pittsburg, Kansas, when it donated land for right-of-way and year/depot purposes. Much of the trackage has since been abandoned.

Geography

Chetopa is located at (37.037452, -95.091892). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Chetopa has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 United States census counted 929 people, 430 households, and 233 families in Chetopa. The population density was 681.1 per square mile (263.0/km). There were 530 housing units at an average density of 388.6 per square mile (150.0/km). The racial makeup was 86.87% (807)

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

or European American (86.22% non-Hispanic white), 1.4% (13)

black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

or African-American, 4.2% (39) Native American or Alaska Native, 1.08% (10) Asian, 0.11% (1)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

Native Hawaiian Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians; , , , and ) are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, Indigenous Polynesians, Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiʻi was set ...

, 0.11% (1) from other races, and 6.24% (58) from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race was 0.75% (7) of the population. Of the 430 households, 24.4% had children under the age of 18; 38.1% were married couples living together; 30.7% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 41.2% of households consisted of individuals and 24.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.1 and the average family size was 2.8. The percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher was estimated to be 11.5% of the population. 19.9% of the population was under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 17.0% from 25 to 44, 31.5% from 45 to 64, and 25.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.5 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 106.1 males. The 2016-2020 5-year

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

estimates show that the median household income was $21,953 (with a margin of error of +/- $13,624) and the median family income was $42,188 (+/- $10,817). The median income for those above 16 years old was $20,375 (+/- $8,945). Approximately, 29.2% of families and 34.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 61.6% of those under the age of 18 and 17.4% of those ages 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 1,125 people, 493 households, and 292 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 647 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 85.4%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 2.1%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 6.0% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 1.0% from other races, and 5.2% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 3.2% of the population. There were 493 households, of which 25.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.8% were non-families. 36.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.87. The median age in the city was 46.9 years. 20.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.1% were from 25 to 44; 29.3% were from 45 to 64; and 22.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.3% male and 50.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,281 people, 560 households, and 341 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 651 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 89.15%

, 2.26%

, 6.32% Native American, 0.08% from other races, and 2.19% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.01% of the population. There were 560 households, out of which 24.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.1% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.1% were non-families. 35.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.85. In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.3% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 22.6% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 23.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.3 males. As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $23,250, and the median income for a family was $29,338. Males had a median income of $24,479 versus $19,231 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $11,705. About 13.1% of families and 18.8% of the population were below the

, including 29.3% of those under age 18 and 15.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Chetopa is served by three Chetopa–St. Paul USD 505 public schools: * Chetopa Elementary School * Chetopa Junior High School * Chetopa High School Chetopa is also served by a public library and a historic preservation society. The Chetopa Public Library is located at 312 Maple Street. The Historical Preservation Society of Labette County has a mission to preserve historical locales in Labette County for posterity.

References

External links

City of Chetopa

Chetopa - Directory of Public Officials

Chetopa city map
KDOT {{Authority control Cities in Kansas Cities in Labette County, Kansas 1857 establishments in Kansas Territory