Basehor, Kansas

Basehor is a located in Leavenworth County, Kansas and is a suburb of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 2,238.

Geography:

Basehor is located at 39°8'18" North, 94°56'19" West (39.138469, -94.938735).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.1 km2 (3.1 mi2). 8.1 km2 (3.1 mi2) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.

Demographics:

As of the census of 2000, there are 2,238 people, 830 households, and 650 families residing in the city. The population density is 275.2/km2 (712.3/mi2). There are 848 housing units at an average density of 104.3/km2 (269.9/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 97.14% White, 0.36% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.71% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.49% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. 1.61% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 830 households out of which 36.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.5% are married couples living together, 11.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 21.6% are non-families. 19.3% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.70 and the average family size is 3.09.

In the city the population is spread out with 27.2% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 37 years. For every 100 females there are 90.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 87.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $52,831, and the median income for a family is $60,000. Males have a median income of $40,540 versus $27,708 for females. The per capita income for the city is $20,731. 4.1% of the population and 2.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 4.7% of those under the age of 18 and 6.4% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

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History:

In exchange for extensive Delaware holdings in the state of Indiana, on September 24, 1829, the United States Government ceded a large tract of land to the Delaware Indians. Basehor is built on a small part of this tract.The Delawares held this land, or at least parts of it, until the 1860's. On July 4, 1866, the Secretary of the Interior of the United States was offered for sale what was left of the Delaware lands, then referred to as the Delaware Diminished Reserve, for not less than $2.50 per acre. The Leavenworth, Pawnee, and Western Railroad Company subsequently bought all of the remaining land on January 7, 1986.

The first individuals to own the land upon which Basehor now stands were Thomas S. and Mary Z. Townes. The couple bought it from the railroad in 1873 and mortgaged it to Ephraim Basehor the same year. On January 9, 1874, the Townes sold the 160 acres to Basehor.

Basehor, Kansas, located in Leavenworth County, was founded in 1889 by Ephraim Basehor and his brother Reuben. They both were of Pennsylvania Dutch descent and came to Kansas in 1854. After living in Lawrence for a time, Ephraim began working as a hired hand for an area farmer. He eventually bought the farm and other land holdings in the area.

In 1889, the railroad was completed and Ephraim plotted his land and began building the town site. It was dedicated on November 30, 1889, and was named after Mr. Basehor.

Ephraim Basehor donated the land for the school house around 1900. The old grade school was located north of town and was originally called the Prairie Garden District #32. The first high school classes in the community met in 1905 above the Kemler-Hammond General Store. In 1906, a building was erected to house the high school and grade school. It was built for K-12 on the southeast corner of 155th Street and Leavenworth Road. The high school was upstairs, and K-8 was located in the three classrooms downstairs. In 1929, there were 5 graduates.

Reuben Basehor donated $1,000 to the school to build a library which was a cement structure east of the old school. A new two-story brick high school was built as a W.P.A. project in 1938. The grade school classes continued to be held in the old building until a new grade school was built in 1955. By 1963, a new high school was built, and the older building was taken over by the top two grades of the grade school.