Fort Scott is a city located 88 miles (158 km) south of Kansas City, on the Marmaton River. It is the largest city and county seat of Bourbon County, Kansas.
Fort Scott is located at 37°50'7" North, 94°42'7" West (37.835180, -94.702015).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.1 km2 (5.4 mi2). 14.1 km2 (5.4 mi2) of it is land and 0.0 km2 (0.0 mi2) of it is water. The total area is 0.18% water.
As of the census of 2000, there are 8,297 people, 3,481 households, and 2,081 families residing in the city. The population density is 590.0/km2 (1,529.4/mi2). There are 3,914 housing units at an average density of 278.3 persons/km2 (721.5 persons/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 91.53% White, 5.15% African American, 0.93% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.40% from other races, and 1.41% from two or more races. 1.68% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 3,481 households out of which 28.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% are married couples living together, 11.5% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 40.2% are non-families. 35.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 18.7% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.30 and the average family size is 2.97.
In the city the population is spread out with 24.9% under the age of 18, 11.3% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 21.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 37 years. For every 100 females there are 85.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 80.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $26,871, and the median income for a family is $34,531. Males have a median income of $25,919 versus $20,583 for females. The per capita income for the city is $14,997. 16.3% of the population and 10.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 22.3% of those under the age of 18 and 12.9% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
The town's most famous resident is Photographer, Author, Filmmaker, Composer Gordon Parks, who was born and raised in Fort Scott. Park's first motion picture, The Learning Tree was filmed in Fort Scott in 1968 using authentic town residents as extras. A photography contest each year at Fort Scott Community College is named after him.
Fort Scott has two public elementary schools, one public middle school and one high school. There is also a Catholic school for grades K-5 and a few other small private schools for students from grades K-12.
Fort Scott Community College, also based here, is Kansas' oldest community college, founded in 1919.
Fort Scott was named after the Civil War-era military fort that it grew up around. The fort was established in 1848, decommissioned for a short time and then reactivated in the 1860s. It is currently a national historic site.
In March 2005, a fire destroyed several historic buildings in Fort Scott's downtown. The Victorian-era buildings were among many that are a symbol of the town.
Source:
FortScottKansas.com
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