Genuine Kansas - Victoria, Kansas

Victoria is a city in Ellis County, Kansas. The population was 1,208 at the 2000 census. Victoria is home to the Cathedral of the Plains. It was also the home of a number of German immigrants from Russia, the so-called Volga Germans.

The Early History of Victoria by William G. Cutler (1883) Victoria was the scene of the attempt by George Grant to establish a prosperous colony in the wilderness, elsewhere described. This colony was established in 1873. It brought considerable capital with it, and for a time its success seemed very probable. The first church in the county was built by this colony in 1877. It was intended for Episcopal services, nearly all of the colony holding the faith of the established church of England. The final dissolution of the colony is detailed in the general history of the county. St. Fidelis Church, of Victoria, Ellis County, Kan., was founded by Rev. Father Anthony Mary, and the erection began November 1, 1881, and will be completed in the fall of 1883. The size of the church building is 50x123 feet; including sacristy, it is 169 feet long. The walls are of cut Magnesia limestone, 30 feet high and 2 * feet thick. The steeple walls are 3 feet thick. Every 12 * feet around the building is a pillow 2x2 * feet. The sanctuary is 24x30 feet. The sacristy is 22x30 feet. The above church is built entirely by Russians. The walls, including steeple tower, will cost $2,417. Total cost of the structure will exceed $8,000. There are 152 families who are members of the above church. Geography Victoria is located at 38°51'13N, 99°8'51W (38.853588, -99.147456). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.5 km² (0.6 mi²), all land. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 1,208 people, 492 households, and 324 families residing in the city. The population density was 804.2/km² (2,095.1/mi²). There were 513 housing units at an average density of 341.5/km² (889.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 99.50% White, and 0.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.83% of the population. There were 492 households out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.1% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families. 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.86. In the city the population was spread out with 21.4% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 23.6% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 24.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 93.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,313, and the median income for a family was $39,375. Males had a median income of $27,569 versus $20,179 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,567. About 8.8% of families and 9.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.4% of those under age 18 and 15.3% of those age 65 or over.