Junction City, Kansas

Junction City is a city in and the county seat of Geary County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 23,353. Fort Riley, a major U.S. Army post, is nearby. Junction City is part of the Manhattan, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History
Junction City is located between the Smoky Hill and Republican on the west side where they merge to form the Kansas River. In 1853, Fort Riley was established on the northeast side of the confluence.

In 1854, Andrew J. Mead of New York of the Cincinnati-Manhattan Company, Free Staters connected to the Massachusetts Emigrant Aid Company planned a community there called Manhattan (there was also a discussion to call it New Cincinnati). When the steamship Hartford delivering the immigrants could not reach the community because of low water on the Kansas River, the Free Staters settled 20 miles east in what today is Manhattan, Kansas. The community was renamed Millard City for Captain Millard of the Hartford on October 3, 1855. It was renamed briefly Humboldt in 1857 by local farmers and renamed again later that year to Junction City. It was formally incorporated in 1859.

In 1923, John R. Brinkley established Radio Station KFKB (which stood for ‘’Kansas First, Kansas Best’’) using a 1 kW transmitter. It is one of the first—if not the very first—radio stations in Kansas. Brinkley used the station to espouse his belief that goat testicles could be implanted in men to enhance their virility.

Among its residents is film director Kevin Wilmott whose movies including Ninth Street are set in Junction City. Ninth Street specifically refers to a bawdy area of the community that was frequented by Fort Riley soldiers in the 1960s. In the 1980s a major initiative was undertaken to clean up the Ninth St. area.

Timothy McVeigh rented the Ryder truck he used in the Oklahoma City bombing from an auto body shop in Junction City.

Geography
Junction City is located at 39.0275°N, -96.84028°W (39.027519, -96.840351). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.6 square miles (19.7 km²), of which, 7.6 square miles (19.6 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.53%) is water.

Climate
Over the course of a year, temperatures range from an average low of about 15 °F in January to an average high of 90 °F in July. The maximum temperature reaches 90 °F an average of 47 days per year and reaches 100 °F an average of 7 days per year. The minimum temperature falls below the freezing point (32 °F) an average of 126 days per year. Typically the first fall freeze occurs during the month of October, and the last spring freeze occurs during the month of April.

The area receives over 32 in of precipitation during an average year with the largest share being received during May, June, and July—with a combined 29 days of measurable precipitation. During a typical year the total amount of precipitation may be anywhere from 23 to 43 in. There are on average 86 days of measurable precipitation per year. Winter snowfall averages less than 14 in, but the median is just over 7 in. Measurable snowfall occurs an average of 6 days per year with at least an inch of snow being received on four of those days. Snow depth of at least an inch occurs an average of 17 days per year.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 18,886 people, 7,492 households, and 5,079 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,500.8 people per square mile (965.8/km²). There were 8,740 housing units at an average density of 1,157.3 per square mile (447.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 58.38% White, 26.69% African American, 0.82% Native American, 3.83% Asian, 0.39% Pacific Islander, 4.01% from other races, and 5.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.31% of the population.

There were 7,492 households out of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were married couples living together, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.2% under the age of 18, 13.4% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,084, and the median income for a family was $35,093. Males had a median income of $25,695 versus $20,846 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,581. About 11.2% of families and 14.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.4% of those under age 18 and 12.2% of those age 65 or over.

Growth
As of recently, the city has been experiencing a major growth due to the return of the 1st Infantry Division to Fort Riley. Several thousand housing units are currently under construction or completed within numerous new subdivisions. The construction of new homes had slowed in 2008, but has become brisk once again with the Army's prediction of a shortfall of 1200 family housing units in the region. This shortfall is for married soldiers only and does not include civilian support staff, or the doctors, nurses, and staff of the new $450,000,000 hospital that is planned on post.

Government
Junction City has a City Manager/City Commission form of government. The City Manager is responsible for the day to day operations of the City and serves at the discretion of the Commission. The City Commission consists of five members who are elected by the registered voters of the City. Each Commissioner serves for either two or four years, depending on the number of votes they received. The mayor is a Commissioner that is "elected" by the other members of the Commission and serves for a minimum two year term.

Education
There were over 678 new students this school year, 2009–2010, in USD 475 breaking all records for enrollment in the school district.

Print
Newspapers
 * The Daily Union, daily
 * The Fort Riley Post, weekly
 * The Junction City Daily Union Plus, weekly

Radio
The following radio stations are licensed to Junction City:

AM

FM

Television
The following television stations are licensed to Junction City:

Transportation

 * The Greyhound Lines has a bus stop in Junction City.

Notable people

 * Joey Devine, (born 1983), Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Oakland Athletics.
 * Franklin Lashley, (born 1976), mixed martial artist, former professional wrestler, and a former collegiate amateur wrestler.
 * Joseph Stanley Pennell, author of the 1944 novel The History of Rome Hanks and Kindred Matters, was born in Junction City on July 4, 1903.