Ellsworth, my hometown!

Ellsworth is a city in Ellsworth County, Kansas. The population was 2,965 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Ellsworth County.

The city is named for Fort Ellsworth, which was built in 1864. Due to speculation on imminent railroad construction, the population of Ellsworth boomed to over two thousand by the time it was incorporated in 1867. Today, the largest employer in Ellsworth is the Kansas State Ellsworth Correctional Facility. Ellsworth also has a local newspaper, the Ellsworth County Independent/Reporter

 Ellsworth was a bustling cattle town for a time during the late 1860s and well into the 1880s, during which time it was the scene of numerous killings following shootouts between drunken cowboys. Lawman Wyatt Earp served there for a short time, although at that time he was not well known at all. Professional gunman and gambler Ben Thompson was arrested there by Deputy Ed Hogue after his brother Billie shot and killed Ellsworth County Sheriff Chauncey Whitney in 1873. Ellsworth Marshal Will Semans was shot and killed on September 26th, 1869, while attempting to disarm a roudy man in a dance hall. By the late 1880's the crime rate had dropped dramatically. Ellsworth has seen a resurgence in interest in its historical significance. Plans for the restoration of Ellsworth's Signature Insurance Building and its operation as the National Drovers Hall of Fame are underway and party funded by one of the only historically accurate cattle drives in the US down Main Street every year.

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,965 people, 995 households, and 641 families residing in the city. The population density was 545.1/km² (1,413.3/mi²). There were 1,141 housing units at an average density of 209.8/km² (543.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 88.40% White, 7.55% African American, 0.94% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.94% from other races, and 1.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.95% of the population.

There were 995 households out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.5% were non-families. 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.84.

In the city the population was spread out with 17.3% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 132.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 139.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,625, and the median income for a family was $45,156. Males had a median income of $30,233 versus $19,762 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,396. About 3.8% of families and 7.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.0% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.

Ellsworth is featured in the game Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent. In the game, it is the home of Ellsworth Federal Penitentiary. There, the main character, Sam Fisher, must meet with an inmate named Jamie Washington, a member of a US terrorist organization called John Brown's Army. Fisher must escape with Washington and then use Washington to solidify cover for his mission. The actual Federal Penitentiary is in Leavenworth, KS.

The town is also featured in a recent song by Rascal Flatts titled "Ellsworth".

Courtesy of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellsworth,_Kansas