Scandia is a city in Republic 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 344.

History

The first American flag to be flown in what is now Kansas was raised in 1806 near the area of Scandia.Scandia - KS-Cyclopedia - 1912
/ref> The area was not settled until much later by Swedish immigrants and was first called New Scandinavia. The settlement of Scandia was promoted by crop failures during the 1860s in Sweden. In 1868, the Scandinavian Agricultural Society of Chicago purchased 12 sections of land along the Republican River and formed a colony. The name was changed to Scandia in 1876, according to post office records. Scandia was incorporated as a city in 1879. From there it became a transition point for trade and travel in the early 1900s. It is now a small rural community. Scandia is the site of several historic houses dating to the early days of settlement. The three-story Wohlfort Mansion was built in the early 1890s by Thure Wohlfort (1835-1916) who was an early member of the society and one of the original founders of Scandia.

Geography

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 , all land.

Demographics

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 372 people, 174 households, and 110 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 225 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.9%

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 ...

, 0.5% Native American, and 0.5% 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 were 1.6% of the population. There were 174 households, of which 23.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.8% were non-families. 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.69. The median age in the city was 48.2 years. 19.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 17.2% were from 25 to 44; 31.3% were from 45 to 64; and 24.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.5% male and 53.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 436 people, 192 households, and 123 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 239 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.31%

, and 0.69% Native American. There were 192 households, out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.8% were

living together, 4.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.91. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.8% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $29,896, and the median income for a family was $37,031. Males had a median income of $25,833 versus $14,688 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 $15,619. About 8.1% of families and 12.8% 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 11.9% of those under age 18 and 26.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The community is served by Pike Valley USD 426 public school district. School unification consolidated Courtland and Scandia schools forming USD 426. The Pike Valley High School mascot is Panthers. Prior to school unification, the Scandia High School mascot was Swedes. The Scandia Swedes won the Kansas State High School 8-Man football championship in 1970, 1971 and 1972.

Notable people

:''See List of people from Republic County, Kansas'' * Ransom Gile was an early settler in Scandia. He took a homestead of eighty acres in Republic County. Gile worked the land, planting orchards and establishing a

quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mining, open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock (geology), rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some juri ...

for the area on his property. * Greta Granstedt was a movie actress. The Granstedt family was one of the five pioneer families from Sweden who settled in this north central Kansas community in 1867–68. * Edwin Johnson was the 26th and 34th

Governor of Colorado The governor of Colorado is the head of government of the U.S. state of Colorado. The governor (United States), governor is the head of the Executive (government), executive branch of Government of Colorado, Colorado's state government and is cha ...

. He also served several terms in various other political offices. *

Richard Wilke Richard B. Wilke (June 18, 1930 – April 20, 2025) was an American Methodist bishop and writer. Life and career Wilke served as District Superintendent of the Winfield District in the Kansas Conference from 1971 to 1973. He was elected to t ...

was the writer of the ''Disciple'' ministry series. He was first a local pastor in Scandia and is the author of several other books and programs for the Christian community.

References

External links

Scandia - Directory of Public Officials

Scandia city map
KDOT {{Authority control Cities in Republic County, Kansas Cities in Kansas Swedish-American culture in Kansas Populated places established in 1868