Russell, Kansas
city in and the county seat of Russell County, Kansas, United States From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Russell is the biggest city in Russell County, Kansas, United States.[4] It is also the county seat of Russell County. In 2020, 4,401 people lived there.[3]
Russell, Kansas | |
|---|---|
City and County seat | |
 Main Street in downtown Russell (2009) | |
 Location within Russell County and Kansas | |
 | |
| Coordinates: 38°53′23″N 98°51′26″W[1] | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Kansas |
| County | Russell |
| Founded | 1871 |
| Incorporated | 1872 |
| Named for | Russell County |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4.86 sq mi (12.58 km2) |
| • Land | 4.86 sq mi (12.58 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,828 ft (557 m) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 4,401 |
| • Density | 910/sq mi (350/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code | 67665 |
| Area code | 785 |
| FIPS code | 20-61825 |
| GNIS ID | 475222 [1] |
| Website | russellcity.org |
In 1871, colonists from Ripon, Wisconsin created Russell. It was named after the county.[5] Russell was incorporated and became the temporary county seat in 1872. After a two-year disagreement with Bunker Hill, it became the permanent county seat in 1874.[6][7] In 1876, Volga Germans, mostly from the area around Saratov and Samara in Russia, started moving in and around Russell.[8]
The first discovery oil well in Russell County was drilled west of Russell in 1923. An oil boom started and lasted through the 1930s, attracting settlers from Oklahoma and Texas. Petroleum production became an important part of the local economy.[9]
Russell came to national attention in the mid-1990s. This was because it was the hometown of U.S. Senators Bob Dole and Arlen Specter when both men campaigned for the U.S. presidency.[10] Dole was born and raised in Russell, and it remained his official place of residence throughout his political career.[11]
Russell is at 38°53′23″N 98°51′26″W (38.889807, -98.857113). It has an elevation of 1,827 feet (557 m).[12][13] It is in north-central Kansas at the intersection of Interstate 70 and U.S. Route 281. Russell is about 113 miles (182 km) northwest of Wichita, 231 miles (372 km) west of Kansas City, and 336 miles (541 km) east-southeast of Denver.[14][15]
The city is in the Smoky Hills region of the Great Plains. It is about 5 miles (8.0 km) south of the Saline River and 8 miles (13 km) north of the Smoky Hill River.[14][16] Fossil Creek, a tributary of the Smoky Hill River, goes just south of the city. It has been dammed to make a small reservoir called Fossil Lake.[16]
The United States Census Bureau says that the city has a total area of 4.86 square miles (12.59 km2). All of it is land.[2]
2020 census
The 2020 census says that there were 4,401 people, 1,930 households, and 1,091 families living in Russell. Of the households, 68.1% owned their home and 31.9% rented their home.
The median age was 42.9 years. Of the people, 90.4% were White, 1.2% were Black, 0.7% were Native American, 0.4% were Asian, 1.0% were from some other race, and 6.3% were two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.2% of the people.[3][17]
2010 census
The 2010 census says that there were 4,506 people, 2,041 households, and 1,216 families living in Russell.[18]
Health care
Russell Regional Hospital is the only hospital in Russell. It was created in 1942. It is a private, non-profit, 54-bed general medical and surgical facility.[19][20]
The Russell County News is the local newspaper. it is published weekly on Thursdays. It was a daily newspaper until 2000. It then became a twice-weekly newspaper from 2001-15.[21]
Russell is in the Wichita-Hutchinson, Kansas television market.[22]
Notable individuals who were born in and/or have lived in Russell include:
- Philip Anschutz (1939- ), business magnate[23]
- Sue Anschutz-Rodgers (1936- ), cattle ranch owner and philanthropist
- Wendall Anschutz (1938-2010), news anchor[24]
- Judith M. Barzilay (1944- ), U.S. federal judge[25]
- Steven Bender (1950-2010), technology entrepreneur[26]
- Curt Dawson (c. 1942-1985), stage and television actor[27]
- Bob Dole (1923-2021), former Senate Republican leader (1985-1996) and long-time U.S. senator from Kansas (1969-1996), Republican nominee for president of the United States in 1996 and for vice president in the 1976 election[28]
- Steve Doocy (1956- ), news anchor[29]
- Marj Dusay (1936- ), actress[30]
- Asa Kinney (1810-1886), pioneer and politician[31]
- Jim Line (1926-2013), University of Kentucky basketball player, member of Wildcats' 1948 national championship team[32]
- Larry Ochs (1924-2003), mayor of Colorado Springs, Colorado[33]
- Arlen Specter (1930-2012), U.S. senator from Pennsylvania[34]
- Walter Sutton (1877-1916), geneticist[35]
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