Bunker Hill, Kansas

Bunker Hill is a city in Russell County, Kansas, United States.[4] In 2020, 103 people lived there.[3]

Location within Russell County and Kansas
Location within Russell County and Kansas
KDOT map of Russell County (legend)
Coordinates: 38°52′29″N 98°42′10″W / 38.87472°N 98.70278°W / 38.87472; -98.70278Coordinates: 38°52′29″N 98°42′10″W / 38.87472°N 98.70278°W / 38.87472; -98.70278[1]
CountryUnited States
StateKansas
CountyRussell
Founded1871
Incorporated1886
Named for1860s mail station
Area
 • Total1.39 sq mi (3.59 km2)
 • Land1.39 sq mi (3.59 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation1,860 ft (570 m)
Population
 • Total103
 • Density74.1/sq mi (28.69/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
67626
FIPS code20-09225
GNIS ID475228 [1]

History

In Summer 1871, J. B. Corbett and Valentine Harbaugh, leaders of a place from Ohio, created Bunker Hill at a place on the Kansas Pacific Railway.[5][6] The settlement was named after a Butterfield Overland Despatch station, built in 1865. That station was at the place before Bunker Hill was.[7] County commissioners said Bunker Hill was the county seat in 1872. Two years later, a popular vote moved the seat to nearby Russell. Many Bunker Hill residents moved there too. This made it hard for the town to grow. By 1883, a small business community grew, including a hotel, flour mill, and several shops.[5]

Geography

Bunker Hill is at 38°52′29″N 98°42′10″W / 38.87472°N 98.70278°W / 38.87472; -98.70278 (38.874716, -98.702759).[8] It is at an elevation of 1,860 feet (567 m).[9] It is in north-central Kansas. Bunker Hill is 108 miles (174 km) northwest of Wichita and 221 miles (355 km) west of Kansas City.[10] Located 1 mile (1.7 km) north of Interstate 70, it is roughly 8 miles (13 km) east of Russell, the county seat.[11]

The community is in the Smoky Hills region of the Great Plains. It is about 5 miles (8 km) north of the Smoky Hill River and 7 miles (11 km) south of the Saline River.[4][11] Wilson Lake lies 6 miles (10 km) to the northeast.[11]

The United States Census Bureau says that the city has a total area of 1.39 square miles (3.60 km2). All of it is land.[2]

Weather

Bunker Hill has hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. The Köppen Climate Classification system says that Bunker Hill has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[12]

People

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1880135
189015716.3%
1910242
192026810.7%
193029811.2%
1940253−15.1%
19502717.1%
1960200−26.2%
1970181−9.5%
1980124−31.5%
1990111−10.5%
2000101−9.0%
201095−5.9%
U.S. Decennial Census

2020 census

The 2020 census says that there were 103 people, 44 households, and 21 families living in Bunker Hill. Of the households, 95.5% owned their home and 4.5% rented their home.

The median age was 46.8 years. Of the people, 99.0% were White and 1.0% were two or more races. None were Hispanic or Latino.[3][13]

2010 census

The 2010 census says that there were 95 people, 47 households, and 21 families living in Bunker Hill.[14]

Economy

The cost of living in Bunker Hill is somewhat low; the cost of living index for Bunker Hill is 80.0, when compared to the U.S. average of 100.[15]

Government

Bunker Hill is a city of the third class with a mayor-council form of government. The city council has of five members. It meets on the second Tuesday of each month.[16]

Education

Bunker Hill is part of USD 407 Russell County Schools. The district high school is Russel High School in Russell.[17]

Bunker Hill schools were closed because of school unification. The Bunker Hill High School mascot was White Owls.[18]

Infrastructure

Transportation

Interstate 70 and U.S. Route 40 run concurrently east-west a mile south of the city.[11] Bunker Hill-Luray Road, a paved county road, goes north-south along the city's western part.[19]

Union Pacific Railroad has one freight rail line through Bunker Hill. It is the Kansas Pacific (KP) Line. The line goes east-west through the community.[20]

Utilities

Western Electric provides electricity to the people of Bunker Hill. Rural Telephone provides landline telephone service. Nex-Tech offers cable television and internet access.[21] Most people use natural gas for heating; service is provided by Midwest Energy, Inc.[15][21]

Media

Bunker Hill is in the Wichita-Hutchinson, Kansas television market.[22] Smoky Hills Public Television, part of the PBS network for western Kansas, is headquartered in Bunker Hill.[23]

Famous people

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Template:Cite gnis2
  2. 2.0 2.1 "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 "DP1: PROFILE OF GENERAL POPULATION AND HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  4. 4.0 4.1 "2003-2004 Official Transportation Map" (PDF). Kansas Department of Transportation. 2003. Retrieved December 11, 2010.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Cutler, William G. (1883), "Russell County, Part 5", History of the State of Kansas, Chicago: A.T. Andreas, retrieved April 17, 2010
  6. Kansas State Historical Society (1916). Biennial Report of the Board of Directors of the Kansas State Historical Society. Kansas State Printing Plant. p. 279.
  7. "The Early History of Russell County". Russell County Historical Society. Archived from the original on August 13, 2009. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
  8. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  9. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  10. "City Distance Tool". Geobytes. Archived from the original on October 5, 2010. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 "General Highway Map - Russell County, Kansas" (PDF). Kansas Department of Transportation. October 1, 2010. Retrieved December 11, 2010.
  12. Climate Summary for Bunker Hill, Kansas
  13. "P16: HOUSEHOLD TYPE". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  14. "American FactFinder 2". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  15. 15.0 15.1 "Bunker Hill, Kansas". City-Data.com. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  16. "Bunker Hill". Directory of Kansas Public Officials. The League of Kansas Municipalities. Archived from the original on May 5, 2011. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
  17. "USD 407 Russell County Schools". USD 407. Retrieved July 23, 2010.
  18. "The good ole days", The Salina Journal, December 1, 1994, p.17.
  19. "Kansas Road Map Travel Guide". MilebyMile.com. 2009. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved December 11, 2010.
  20. "UPRR Common Line Names" (PDF). Union Pacific Railroad. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
  21. 21.0 21.1 "Utilities". Russell County, Kansas Economic Development & CVB. Archived from the original on January 16, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  22. "Kansas". TV Market Maps. EchoStar Knowledge Base. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  23. "Contact Us". Smoky Hills Public Television. Archived from the original on May 21, 2011. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
  24. Blackmar, Frank W., ed. (1912). "Bickerdyke, Mary Ann". Kansas: a cyclopedia of state history, embracing events, institutions, industries, counties, cities, towns, prominent persons, etc. Vol. 1. Chicago: Standard. pp. 178–179. Archived from the original on 2013-11-03. Retrieved 2019-11-19.

Other websites

City
Schools
Maps