Эмпория, Канзас: История и современность города

City in Lyon County, Kansas, United States

Emporia is a city in and the county seat of Lyon County, Kansas, United States. Emporia lies between Topeka and Wichita at the intersection of U. S. Route 50 with Interstates 335 and 35 on the Kansas Turnpike. Emporia is also a college town, home to Emporia State University and Flint Hills Technical College. It is home of two annual sporting events: Unbound Gravel (gravel bicycle races) and Dynamic Discs Open (disc golf tournaments).

Located on upland prairie, Emporia was founded in 1857, drawing its name from ancient Carthage, a place known in history as a prosperous center of commerce. In 1864 the Union Pacific Railway, Southern Branch (later incorporated into the Missouri Kansas Texas Railroad) received land grants to build from Fort Riley to Emporia. The road eventually reached Emporia in 1869, becoming the first railroad to serve the burgeoning town. In July 1870, a second railroad, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway reached Emporia, and in the years following the American Civil War the city became a booming railroad hub. In 1888, railroad executive and educator John Byers Anderson donated his personal library to the College of Emporia to commemorate his 50th wedding anniversary, and his former mentee Andrew Carnegie donated additional funds to build a library in Anderson's honor (conditioned upon the new college paying off its mortgage). In 1953, Emporia was the site of the first Veterans Day observance in the United States. At the urging of local shoe cobbler Alvin J. King, U. S. Representative Edward Rees introduced legislation in The United States Congress to rename Armistice Day as Veterans Day. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the bill into law on October 8, 1954. On June 8, 1974, an F4 tornado struck Emporia, killing six people, injuring 200 people, and causing $25 million in damages. On Sunday, March 6, 1988 a heavily armed gunman walked into the Calvary Baptist Church during services and opened fire. The 29 year old gunman, Cheunphon Ji, had no particular target, killing one person and injuring four others.

Emporia is located in east central Kansas. It lies along the Kansas Turnpike at its intersection with Interstate 35 and U. S. Highway 50, 108 mile (174 km) southwest of Kansas City, 58 mile (93 km) southwest of Topeka, and 87 mile (140 km) northeast of Wichita on the eastern edge of the Flint Hills. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.94 square miles (31 km2), of which 11.83 square miles (31 km2) is land and 0.11 square miles (0 km2) is water. The Neosho River flows along the northern side of the city. The Cottonwood River, one of its tributaries, flows along the city's southern edge and of two large city parks, Peter Pan and Soden's Grove; the two rivers meet near the eastern boundary of Emporia and flow southeast to join the Arkansas River in Oklahoma.

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Emporia has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Emporia was on July 15, 1934 and August 14, 1936, while the coldest temperature recorded was on January 4, 1947.

As of the 2010 census, there were 24,916 people, 9,812 households, and 5,571 families residing in the city. The population density was There were 11,352 housing units at an average density of The racial makeup of the city was 84% White, 3.2% African American, 3.1% Asian, 0.8% American Indian, 10.5% from some other race, and 3.1% from two or more races. 14.4% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. Previously, a Tyson Foods beef packing plant employed more than 2,400 workers. makes products for the automotive aftermarket. The Braum dairy store chain, based in Oklahoma City, originated in Emporia in 1952 under the name Peter Pan. Simmons Pet Food operates a multi acre plant in Emporia that manufactures wet dog food. On January 25, 2008, Tyson unexpectedly announced the layoff of 1,500 workers (more than 60 percent) by March 25, 2008. The company said it needed to move its slaughter operations closer to where the cattle are raised in western Kansas. As the city's largest employer for 37 years, the Tyson plant creates almost 10 percent of the local economy.

Emporia is home to Emporia State University and Flint Hills Technical College. From 1882 to 1974, the private College of Emporia previously existed, and since the city had two colleges during its early years, it was sometimes called the "Athens of Kansas."

The community is served by Emporia USD 253 public school district, which has one high school (Emporia High School), one middle school, and six elementary schools, as well as an early childhood center. The community is also served by two private schools: Emporia Christian School (preschool 8th grade) and Sacred Heart Catholic School (preschool 5th grade).

The Emporia Public Library, has been in operation since 1869 and is the oldest in the state of Kansas to remain in operation.

The city is served by the Emporia Municipal Airport.

Bus service within the city is provided by LCAT, or Lyon County Area Transportation. The agency provides demand and deviated fixed route bus services within the city of Emporia. Lyon County. The buses are a service of Lyon County, with significant support coming from the Kansas Department of Transportation.

Emporia is served by the following highways: , , , , .

The former Southern Transcon main line of BNSF Railway (ex Santa Fe) passes east west through Emporia. A yard is located in Emporia. The city was served by Santa Fe passenger trains until the creation of Amtrak in 1971. The daily Southwest Chief served the city from 1971–1997. Service to Emporia station was eliminated in 1997, two years before a fire destroyed the 1884 built station. In 2014, local efforts were started to bring back the station. as of 2018, the future of revitalized service and a new station is still uncertain.

The Emporia Gazette is the city's main newspaper, published six days a week. The Gazette also publishes a Spanish language monthly paper, La Voz. Emporia State University publishes a bi weekly student newspaper, the Emporia State University Bulletin. Emporia is a center of broadcast media for east central Kansas. One AM radio station and ten FM radio stations are licensed to and/or broadcast from the city.

Emporia has 14 structures on the National Register of Historic Places. They are the Old Emporia Public Library, the Finney (Warren Wesley) House, the Granada Theater (also known as the Fox Theater), the Harris Borman House, the Howe (Richard) House, the Keebler Stone House, the Kress Building, the Mason (Walt) House, the Anderson Carnegie Memorial Library, the Plumb (Mrs. Preston B.) House, the Soden's Grove Bridge, the Soden (Hallie B.) House, the William Allen White House (also known as Red Rocks), and the Col. Harrison C. and Susan Cross House. There is also an authentic one room school house located on the Emporia State University campus (near Merchant Street) that is available for tours through the ESU Teachers College and The National Teachers Hall of Fame. At the Emporia service area of the Kansas Turnpike is a Kansas Historical Marker named Emporia Home of William Allen White.

The 1987 CBS miniseries Murder Ordained was filmed in Emporia. It dramatized an actual event in Emporia involving the 1983 death of Sandra Bird.