| Wathena, Kansas | |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Image Map1: | Map of Doniphan Co, Ks, USA.png |
| Map Caption1: | KDOT map of Doniphan County (legend) |
| Coordinates: | 39.7583°N -94.9394°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Kansas |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Doniphan |
| Subdivision Type3: | Township |
| Established Title: | Founded |
| Established Date: | 1861 |
| Established Title1: | Platted |
| Established Title2: | Incorporated |
| Established Date2: | 1873 |
| Named For: | Chief Wathena |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 2.38 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 2.34 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.04 |
| Area Total Km2: | 6.17 |
| Area Land Km2: | 6.07 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.11 |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Elevation Ft: | 814 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 1246 |
| 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: | 66090 |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
| Area Code: | 785 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 20-76000 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 2397215 |
Wathena is a city in Doniphan County, Kansas, United States, located about 5miles west of St. Joseph, Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,246.[2]
Wathena was founded in 1856.[3] The city is named in honor of Chief Wathena, a Native American chief of the Kickapoo tribe who previously lived in the area.[4]
The first post office in Wathena was established in 1855, August,1856 but before August, 1859, the post office was called Bryan.[5]
The St. Joseph & Denver Railroad was extended to Wathena in 1860.[6]
Wathena was incorporated as a city in 1873.[7]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.31sqmi, of which 2.28sqmi is land and 0.03sqmi is water.[8]
Wathena is part of the St. Joseph, MO - KS Metropolitan Statistical Area.
As of the census[9] of 2010, there were 1,364 people, 550 households, and 365 families living in the city. The population density was 598.2PD/sqmi. There were 587 housing units at an average density of 257.5/sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 96.6% White, 1.3% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.3% Asian, and 1.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.1% of the population.
There were 550 households, of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.6% were non-families. 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.92.
The median age in the city was 40.9 years. 24.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.9% were from 25 to 44; 25.9% were from 45 to 64; and 17.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.2% male and 52.8% female.
As of the census[10] of 2000, there were 1,348 people, 524 households, and 345 families living in the city. The population density was 690.6sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 566 housing units at an average density of 290sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the city was 97.48% White, 0.67% African American, 0.59% Native American, 0.30% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.96% of the population.
There were 524 households, out of which 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.14.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.3% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,046, and the median income for a family was $40,216. Males had a median income of $31,618 versus $20,800 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,440. About 5.5% of families and 9.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.6% of those under age 18 and 17.2% of those age 65 or over.
The community is served by Riverside USD 114 public school district.[11] School unification in 2010 consolidated Elwood schools and Wathena schools forming USD 114.[12] The Riverside High School mascot is Cyclones.[13]
Wathena High School closed through school unification. The Wathena High School mascot was Wathena Wildcats.[14]