Sylvia is a city in

Reno County Reno County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat and largest city is Hutchinson. As of the 2020 census, the population was 61,898. The county is named for Jesse Reno, a general during the Civil War. History ...

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 215.

History

Sylvia was originally called Zenith, and was founded under that name in 1874. It was renamed Sylvia in 1886, perhaps named for the wife and daughter of a railroad employee. The local

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

team was on the losing side of a lopsided football game against another school from across the county in

Haven Haven or The Haven may refer to: * Harbor or haven, a sheltered body of water where ships can be docked Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Haven (Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter), from the novel series * Haven (comics), from the ''X-Men ...

. Played in 1927 with a final score of 256–0, the game produced multiple state high school records.

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 218 people, 97 households, and 58 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 142 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.4%

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 ...

, 0.5% from other races, and 4.1% 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 people of any race were 5.0% of the population. There were 97 households, of which 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% 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, 4.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 8.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.2% were non-families. 34.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.79. The median age in the city was 45.7 years. 25.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.7% were from 25 to 44; 28% were from 45 to 64; and 22.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 53.7% male and 46.3% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 297 people, 122 households, and 84 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 142 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.97%

, 0.34% Native American, 1.01% Asian, 0.67% from other races, and 1.01% from two or more races.

or Latino people of any race were 1.68% of the population. There were 122 households, out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.8% were

living together, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.1% were non-families. 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.94. In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.6% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 20.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $29,167, and the median income for a family was $38,125. Males had a median income of $38,958 versus $17,813 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 $17,322. About 4.4% of families and 4.4% 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 4.3% of those under the age of eighteen and 6.3% of those 65 or over.

Education

The community is served by Fairfield USD 310 public school district. The Sylvia High School Mustangs won the Kansas State High School boys class B Track & Field championship in 1960.

Notable people

* Alva Duer, basketball coach, born in Sylvia and a member of the

Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pres ...

and

College Basketball Hall of Fame The National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Kansas City, Missouri, is a hall of fame and museum dedicated to men's college basketball. The museum is an integral portion of the College Basketball Experience created by the Nation ...

; longtime coach at Pepperdine

References

External links

Sylvia - Directory of Public Officials

Sylvia city map
KDOT {{Authority control Cities in Reno County, Kansas Cities in Kansas 1874 establishments in Kansas Populated places established in 1874