| Seneca, Kansas | |
| Settlement Type: | City and County seat |
| Image Map1: | Map of Nemaha Co, Ks, USA.png |
| Map Caption1: | KDOT map of Nemaha County (legend) |
| Coordinates: | 39.8381°N -96.0697°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Kansas |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Nemaha |
| Subdivision Type3: | Township |
| Established Title: | Founded |
| Established Date: | 1857 |
| Established Title1: | Platted |
| Established Title2: | Incorporated |
| Established Date2: | 1870 |
| Named For: | Seneca County, Ohio |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 1.67 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 1.67 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.00 |
| Area Total Km2: | 4.32 |
| Area Land Km2: | 4.32 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.00 |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Elevation Ft: | 1152 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 2139 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | auto |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone: | CST |
| Utc Offset: | -6 |
| Timezone Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -5 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 66538 |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
| Area Code: | 785 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 20-63950 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 485651 |
Seneca is a city in and the county seat of Nemaha County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 2,139.[2]
See also: History of Kansas. Seneca was founded in 1857. It was named after Seneca County, Ohio.[3] The first post office in Seneca was established in November 1858.[4] Seneca grew up along the wagon route from St. Joseph, Missouri to Oregon and California. British explorer Richard Francis Burton en route to California in 1860 passed through town and noted: "... Seneca, a city consisting of a few shanties ..."[5] Seneca was a station on the Pony Express of the early 1860s. The station was located in the Smith Hotel, at the present-day location of Fourth and Main Streets.[6] Seneca was incorporated as a city in 1870.[7]
Seneca was home to minor league baseball. The Seneca team played the 1910 season as members of the Class D level Eastern Kansas League, finishing in 2nd place. The team played home games at City Park.[8]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.63sqmi, all land.[9]
As of the census[10] of 2010, there were 1,991 people, 908 households, and 509 families living in the city. The population density was 1221.5PD/sqmi. There were 982 housing units at an average density of 602.5/sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 98.6% White, 0.4% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.3% from other races, and 0.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.7% of the population.
There were 908 households, of which 21.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.6% were married couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.9% were non-families. 40.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.84.
The median age in the city was 49.2 years. 20.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.3% were from 25 to 44; 28.7% were from 45 to 64; and 28.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.
As of the census[11] of 2000, there were 2,122 people, 897 households, and 539 families living in the city. The population density was 1375sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 978 housing units at an average density of 633.7sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the city was 98.82% White, 0.42% African American, 0.05% Native American, 0.05% Asian, 0.05% from other races, and 0.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.66% of the population.
There were 897 households, out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% were married couples living together, 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.8% were non-families. 36.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.5% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 22.0% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 27.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,288, and the median income for a family was $40,819. Males had a median income of $27,875 versus $16,944 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,076. About 4.4% of families and 7.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.8% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.
The community is served by Nemaha Central USD 115 public school district.