Smith Center, Kansas | |
|---|---|
City and County seat | |
First National Bank building | |
Location within Smith County and Kansas | |
| Coordinates: 39°46′26″N 98°47′00″W / 39.77389°N 98.78333°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Kansas |
| County | Smith |
| Founded | 1871 |
| Incorporated | 1886 |
| Named for | Maj. J. Nelson Smith |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.27 sq mi (3.28 km2) |
| • Land | 1.27 sq mi (3.28 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,808 ft (551 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 1,571 |
| • Density | 1,200/sq mi (480/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code | 66967 |
| Area code | 785 |
| FIPS code | 20-65925 |
| GNIS ID | 2395900 |
| Website | smithcenterks.com |
Smith Center is a city in Smith County, Kansas, United States. It is also the county seat of Smith County. In 2020, 1,571 people lived there.
Smith Center was created in 1871. The first post office in Smith Center was created in January 1873. Like Smith County, Smith Center was named after Maj. J. Nelson Smith of the 2nd Colorado Cavalry. He was a pre-war native of Elwood, Kansas, who died leading his regiment on October 21, 1864 at the Battle of the Little Blue River.
Smith Center is at 39°46′43″N 98°47′7″W / 39.77861°N 98.78528°W (39.778550, -98.785141). The United States Census Bureau says that the city has a total area of 1.27 square miles (3.29 km2). All of it is land.
Smith Center is at the junction of U.S. Routes 281 and 36, about 100 miles south of Grand Island, Nebraska and 77 miles north of Russell and Interstate 70.
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 254 | — | |
| 1890 | 767 | 202.0% | |
| 1900 | 1,142 | 48.9% | |
| 1910 | 1,292 | 13.1% | |
| 1920 | 1,567 | 21.3% | |
| 1930 | 1,736 | 10.8% | |
| 1940 | 1,686 | −2.9% | |
| 1950 | 2,026 | 20.2% | |
| 1960 | 2,379 | 17.4% | |
| 1970 | 2,389 | 0.4% | |
| 1980 | 2,240 | −6.2% | |
| 1990 | 2,016 | −10.0% | |
| 2000 | 1,931 | −4.2% | |
| 2010 | 1,665 | −13.8% | |
| 2020 | 1,571 | −5.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
The 2020 census says that there were 1,571 people, 727 households, and 398 families living in Smith Center. Of the households, 76.1% owned their home and 23.9% rented their home.
The median age was 49.4 years. Of the people, 94.3% were White, 0.5% were Native American, 0.3% were Black, 0.2% were Asian, 1.3% were from some other race, and 3.5% were two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.5% of the people.
The 2010 census says that there were 1,665 people, 779 households, and 470 families living in Smith Center.
Smith Center is part of Unified School District 237.