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Atchison, Kansas

32 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1885 and the latest in 1990. It stands in Atchison City. It lies in ZIP code area 66002. It stands on White Clay Creek. The Survey maps it on the Atchison East quadrangle. 10,885 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 814 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Atchison within Atchison County

On record in Atchison

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 12 of 48 shown

Every listing in Atchison County

Population over time

2 figures

Atchison fell from 11,021 to 10,885 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
201011,021
202010,885-136 (-1%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

15 surveys from 32 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

21 since 2005

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 21 fires within 5 miles of Atchison between 2005 and 2018, burning about 58 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 6 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined8
Arson/incendiarism6
Debris and open burning3
Smoking3
Natural1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
11 September 2015Arson/incendiarismunder an acreKansas Forest Service150750
8 August 2018Arson/incendiarismunder an acreKansas Forest Service180751
10 August 2008Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresAtchison Countynot named
6 July 2018Smokingunder an acreKansas Forest Service180648
15 June 2017Arson/incendiarismunder an acreAtchison County170536
13 May 2018Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreKansas Forest Service180432
15 April 2008Arson/incendiarism1.0 acresAtchison Countynot named
13 April 2018Arson/incendiarismunder an acreKansas Forest Service180317

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Atchison County

Storms near this place

60 of 62 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Atchison in 62 storm reports between 1995 and 2025: 27 hail, 22 thunderstorm wind, 8 flood, 2 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
March 2019FloodAtchison$100,000Once the Missouri River started flooding on March 9, it remained in flood through the remainder of the month. The gauge in St. Joseph, Missouri reached 32.12 feet on March 22 (preliminarily a new record). The flooding was caused by several rounds of heavy snow across the Northern Plains through the winter months, followed by a rapid warm-up and several days of heavy rain. The Missouri River Basin across the Northern Plains flooded with catastrophic consequences as numerous dams and levees failed. As the water flowed into the Missouri River upstream of Buchanan County, the river swelled and ultimately overwhelmed the levees along the river. Local fields were also submerged, which delayed the growing season in the region, but several roads were washed away across Atchison County, and I-29 from St. Joseph northward to the Iowa/Missouri border was closed until mid May. Note: The dollar valued assigned to this event is likely inaccurate as a full tally of the extent of the physical damages is unknown. The Missouri River remained in flood through the rest of the month, into April.
March 2006HailAtchison$50,000no account filed
March 2006HailAtchison$25,000no account filed
July 2000LightningAtchison$22,000A lightning strike sparked a house fire. Damage was estimated at $22,000.
June 2009Thunderstorm WindAtchison$5,000Tractor trailers were overturned, and rail cars were blown over. Trees were also reported down.
June 2011Thunderstorm WindAtchison$2,000Trees were reported blown down, with one falling on a car. Thunderstorm wind gusts were estimated up to 60 mph.
July 1995Thunderstorm WindAtchison$1,000A severe thunderstorm moved through Atchison County. 60 mph winds were observed at Muscotah and trees were down in Atchison and in Effingham.
June 2008Thunderstorm WindAtchison$500Three large oak trees were blown down and a high school goal post was blown over.
May 2025HailAtchison-Quarter sized hail reported in Atchison.
May 2025Thunderstorm WindAtchison-Downed wires and power outages in the Atchison area.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindAtchison-Tree uprooted near 5th street and T street.
April 2023Thunderstorm WindAtchison-Large tree limbs reported down across Atchison.
April 2023HailAtchison-Quarter sized hail was reported in Atchison.
June 2023Thunderstorm WindAtchison-Casey's General Store employee estimated 70 mph winds through Atchison.
April 2019FloodAtchison-Ongoing flooding along the Missouri River continued through the month of April and into May. Several roads were closed near the banks of the Missouri River. This flooding began in mid March and due to upstream releases and continued periods of heavy rain the flooding continued into May. Monetary damages are unknown despite the entry indicating 0 dollars of damages.
June 2019FloodAtchison-Heavy spring rains caused ongoing flooding along the Missouri River to Continue through the month. Some locations along the Missouri River experienced major flooding at times during the month. Damage estimates from roads washed out and crop damage are unknown at this time.
May 2019FloodAtchison-Heavy spring rains caused ongoing flooding along the Missouri River to Continue through the month. Some locations along the Missouri River experienced major flooding at times during the month. Damage estimates from roads washed out and crop damage are unknown at this time.
June 2017Thunderstorm WindAtchison-An Emergency Manager near Atchison reported a 60 mph wind gust.
May 2016HailAtchison-This report was gathered via social media.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindAtchison-A tree of unknown size or condition was down in Atchison.
May 2013Thunderstorm WindAtchison-Thunderstorm wind gusts were estimated up to 60 mph.
August 2010Thunderstorm WindAtchison-Thunderstorm wind gusts were estimated up to 60 mph, with tree limbs down.
August 2010Thunderstorm WindAtchison-Thunderstorm wind gusts were estimated up to 70 mph.
August 2010Thunderstorm WindAtchison-Thunderstorm wind gusts were estimated up to 60 mph.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindAtchison-Thunderstorm winds gusted to an estimated 65 mph. Numerous trees were reported down in the city, blocking roads and causing power outages.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindAtchison-Gust to 58 mph was measured at the Amelia Earhart Airport.
May 2008FloodAtchison-The Missouri River at Atchison crested at 23.40 feet, or 1.40 feet above flood stage.
June 2008Thunderstorm WindAtchison-Law enforcement relayed a report of a couple of trees blown over. One of the trees was three feet in diameter.
May 2007FloodAtchison-The Missouri River at Atchison crested at 23.07 feet, or 1.07 feet above flood stage.
May 2007FloodAtchison-The Missouri River at Atchison crested at 29.15 feet, or 7.15 feet above flood stage.
October 2007FloodAtchison-The Missouri River at Atchison crested at 23.35 feet, or 1.35 feet above flood stage.
April 2005Tornado (F0)Atchison-Brief tornado touchdown wrapped in rain, photographed by storm chaser in open country.
April 2005Tornado (F0)Atchison-Tornado videotaped by storm chaser and observed by Leavenworth Co. EMA in open country.
June 2001Flash FloodAtchison-Numerous roads remain flooded across the county.
June 2001Flash FloodAtchison-Flooding continues across the county with numerous roads closed.
May 2000Thunderstorm WindAtchison-Storm spotters estimated wind gusts at 70 mph.
July 2000Thunderstorm WindAtchison-Thunderstorm winds downed a maple tree 12 inches in diameter.
August 2000Thunderstorm WindAtchison-The sheriff's department reported downed trees and power lines blocking roads.
September 1998HailAtchison-Dime-size hail was reported by the Atchison County Sheriff's Office at the intersection of Highway 59 and 262nd Road. This location is approximately 5 miles southwest of Atchison.
June 1998HailAtchison-The Atchison County Sheriif's Office reported dime-size hail during a severe thunderstorm 8 miles south of Atchison.
June 1998Thunderstorm WindAtchison-Tree limbs, 4 inches in diameter, were reported blown down along River road in Atchison by the sheriff's office.
August 2018HailAtchison-no account filed
March 2015HailAtchison-no account filed
April 2015HailAtchison-no account filed
May 2014HailAtchison-no account filed
August 2012HailAtchison-no account filed
April 2011HailAtchison-no account filed
May 2010HailAtchison-no account filed
June 2009HailAtchison-no account filed
June 2009HailAtchison-no account filed
May 2009HailAtchison-no account filed
March 2006HailAtchison-no account filed
October 2005HailAtchison-no account filed
October 2005HailAtchison-no account filed
May 2004HailAtchison-no account filed
August 2004HailAtchison-no account filed
June 2002HailAtchison-no account filed
May 2001Thunderstorm WindAtchison-no account filed
May 2000HailAtchison-no account filed
June 2000HailAtchison-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Atchison County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Dalbey5.1 miles26
Good Intent5.7 miles27
Saint Pats5.9 miles26
Parnell6.0 miles27
Shannon6.5 miles27
Hawthorne7.7 miles21
Port Williams8.7 miles26
Potter9.5 miles21

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on AtchisonAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q753949The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 473516. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.