Greensburg, Kansas

City of Greensburg
Location of Greensburg in Kansas
Country	United States
State	Kansas
County	Kiowa County
Population  (2004)
• Total	1,452
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)

Greensburg is a city in the central part of Kiowa County, located in Southwest Kansas, in the Central United States. The population was estimated to be 1,452 in the year 2004. It is the county seat and most populous city of Kiowa County. Greensburg is also home to the world's largest hand-dug well.

On May 4, 2007, Greensburg was devastated by an EF5 tornado that traveled rapidly through the area, destroying at least 95% of the city and killing ten people.

Geography

Greensburg is located at 37°36′16″N 99°17′37″W (37.604316, -99.293488).Template:GR

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.9 km² (1.5 mi²), all land.Template:GR

Marine One, carrying President George W. Bush, flies over the devastated community of Greensburg, Kansas Wednesday, May 9, 2007.

Demographics

As of the U.S. Census in 2000,Template:GR there were 1,574 people, 730 households, and 453 families residing in the city. The population density was 407.9/km² (1,055.9/mi²). There were 887 housing units at an average density of 229.8/km² (595.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.01% White, 0.83% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 1.02% from other races, and 1.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.59% of the population.

There were 730 households out of which 23.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% were married couples living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.9% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.76.

In the city the population was spread out with 21.5% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 20.5% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 26.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,438, and the median income for a family was $39,188. Males had a median income of $28,426 versus $20,875 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,054. About 8.4% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.6% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.

Attractions

Greensburg is home to the world's largest hand dug well. Work had begun on the well in 1887 to provide water for the steam engines of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad. When the well was completed in 1888 it was 109 feet deep and 32 feet in diameter. The well was used as the town's water supply until 1932. In 1939 it was opened as a tourist attraction allowing visitors to descend to the bottom of the well. The adjacent museum displayed a 1000-pound pallasite meteorite until the museum fell down around the meteorite during a 2007 tornado that destroyed the town. [1][2]

On October 16 2006, a related smaller meteorite measuring 154 pounds (70 kilograms) was dug up near Greensburg; the excavation proceedings showed that the Brenham meteor strikes occurred roughly 10,000 years ago, during the Pleistocene epoch, rather than 20,000 years ago as previously thought.

A younger attraction was the Twilight Theatre, which first showed movies in 1915. There was also an old soda fountain in the downtown drugstore.

Notable natives

• Manvel H. Davis - Lost to Harry S. Truman in 1940 Senatorial campaign
• Galen Marshall - founder of Masterworks Chorale

History

May 2007 tornado

See also: May 2007 Tornado Outbreak

File:Greensburg Tornado Radar.gif

Radar loop of the Greensburg supercell at the time it hit the town.

The Greensburg Volunteer Reception center, where AmeriCorps coordinates jobs and assigns them to volunteers who check in. Open 10AM to 5PM.

9:45 p.m.[3] CDT on May 4, 2007, Greensburg was hit by an EF5 tornado. The tornado was estimated to be 1.7 miles in width and traveled for nearly 22 miles. Ninety-five percent of the city was confirmed to be destroyed, with the other five percent in severe damage. The National Weather Service estimated winds of the tornado to reach 205 mph. This was the first tornado to ever be rated EF5 since the update of the Fujita scale, and also is the first "5" classification since May 3, 1999, when an F5 tornado ripped through Moore, Oklahoma, as part of the Oklahoma Tornado Outbreak. Twelve fatalities are attributed to the tornado, ten of them residents of Greensburg.[4] Tornado sirens sounded in the city twenty minutes before the tornado struck, and a tornado emergency was issued, which undoubtedly saved many lives.[5]

The American Red Cross has been maintaining a registry of "Safe and Well" families at its website, disastersafe.redcross.org. Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius and President George W. Bush have both declared Kiowa County a disaster area opening up the affected areas for national and international aid.

Volunteer information

Individuals and groups can assist AmeriCorps with debris removal and other jobs throughout town subject to the approval of Greensburg and its law enforcement officers. Volunteers must call 211 (in Kansas) or 888-413-4327 (out-of-state) prior to arrival. Highway 54 is now open to through traffic, though a curfue is in effect from 10PM to 6AM. Arrive at the Volunteer Reception Center on the east side of town, a large red & white tent. Volunteers should bring solid work gloves, jeans, and prepare for hazardous environments. The VRC opens at 10AM and closes at 5PM.

News and Disaster Information

Information regarding the status of Greensburg is updated online daily at the Kansas Adjutant General's office. Businesses and residents are still deciding whether or not to rebuild or relocate to another town. An online petition has been started to persuade Kroger to rebuild the local Dillon's grocery store, which was the only grocery store serving Greensburg and nearby towns.

See also

Information on this and other cities in Kansas

• List of cities in Kansas
• Kansas locations by per capita income

Other information for Kansas

• List of counties in Kansas
• List of unified school districts in Kansas
• List of colleges and universities in Kansas

References

See also: Geographic references and United States Census, 2000

External links

Official sites

• Greensburg, Kansas
• The Big Well and Pallasite Meteorite
• Kiowa County Signal (local newspaper)

Additional information

• Aerials of Greensburg Tornado Damage
• Interactive Map of Greensburg Tornado Damage
• Photos of Greensburg Recovery Efforts