Abilene, Kansas
| Abilene, Kansas | |
|---|---|
| City | |
Aerial view of Abilene
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 Location within Dickinson County and Kansas |
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 KDOT map of Dickinson County (legend) |
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| Coordinates: 38°55′11″N 97°13′2″W / 38.91972°N 97.21722°WCoordinates: 38°55′11″N 97°13′2″W / 38.91972°N 97.21722°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Kansas |
| County | Dickinson |
| Founded | 1857 |
| Incorporated | 1869 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–Council |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4.68 sq mi (12.12 km2) |
| • Land | 4.68 sq mi (12.12 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,155 ft (352 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 6,844 |
| • Estimate (2012) | 6,771 |
| • Density | 1,500/sq mi (560/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 67410 |
| Area code(s) | 785 |
| FIPS code | 20-00125 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0476675 |
| Website | AbileneCityHall.com |
Abilene (pronounced /ˈæbᵻliːn/) is a city in and the county seat of Dickinson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 6,844.The Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum is located in Abilene.
For millennia, the land now known as Kansas was inhabited by Native Americans. In 1803, most of modern Kansas was secured by the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase. In 1854, the Kansas Territory was organized, then in 1861 Kansas became the 34th U.S. state.
In 1857, Dickinson County was founded. Abilene began as a stage coach stop in the same year, established by Timothy Hersey and named Mud Creek. It wasn't until 1860 that it was named Abilene, from a passage in the Bible (Luke 3:1), meaning "city of the plains".
In 1867, the Kansas Pacific Railway (Union Pacific) pushed westward through Abilene. In the same year, Joseph G. McCoy purchased 250 acres of land north and east of Abilene, on which he built a hotel, the Drover’s Cottage, stockyards equipped for 2,000 heads of cattle, and a stable for their horses. The Kansas Pacific put in a switch at Abilene that enabled the cattle cars to be loaded and sent on to their destinations. The first twenty carloads left September 5, 1867, en route to Chicago, Illinois, where McCoy was familiar with the market. The town grew quickly and became the very first "cow town" of the west.
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