Meriden, Kansas
19 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1889 and the latest in 1960. It stands in Rock Creek Township. It lies in ZIP code area 66512. It stands on Tick Creek. The Survey maps it on the Meriden quadrangle. 744 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 974 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresMeriden fell from 813 to 744 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.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 813 | |
| 2020 | 744 | -69 (-8%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
7 surveys from 19 printed sheetsMatched 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.
- 1889 USGS Topeka quadrangle1:125000
- 1894 USGS Topeka quadrangle1:125000, 5 printings
- 1950 USGS Kansas City quadrangle1:250000
- 1952 USGS Meriden quadrangle1:24000, 4 printings
- 1954 USGS Kansas City quadrangle1:250000
- 1956 USGS Kansas City quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1960 USGS Kansas City quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
Fires near this place
136 since 2002Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 136 fires within 5 miles of Meriden between 2002 and 2020, burning about 2,108 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 13 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 |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 62 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 55 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 13 |
| Smoking | 2 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 2 |
| Natural | 1 |
| Other causes | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 September 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Jefferson County | 242 |
| 17 September 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Jefferson County | 251 |
| 17 September 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 209 |
| 26 August 2015 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 116 |
| 2 August 2018 | Smoking | 5.0 acres | Kansas Forest Service | 675 |
| 19 August 2017 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Jefferson County | 221 |
| 18 August 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 184 |
| 16 August 2017 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Jefferson County | 216 |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
60 of 77 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Meriden in 77 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 40 hail, 29 thunderstorm wind, 7 flash flood, 1 flood. The reports record 2 injuries. 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2016 | Hail | Meriden | 2 hurt | Two injuries reported by the Emergency Manager. The victims refused treatment. Time was based on radar. |
| October 2005 | Flash Flood | Meriden | $420,000 | Officials closing several roads in the Meriden area due to flash flooding and deep water over the roads. |
| June 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Meriden | $80,000 | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Flash Flood | Meriden | $50,000 | Rural 54th street low water crossing has at least 6 inches of fast flowing water. |
| September 1993 | Hail | Meriden | $50,000 | A slow moving supercell thunderstorm that formed north of Manhattan moved across southern Jefferson county during the mid afternoon producing numerous reports of large hail and winds up to 75 knots. Widespread damage was inflicted to crops, vehicles and buildings by the combined effects of hail and high wind. Heavy rainfall of 3.00 to 5.00 inches temporarily flooded low lying and poor drainage areas, especially roads and highways. |
| May 2007 | Flash Flood | Meriden | $20,000 | Water over roads near Meriden and Oskaloosa. 10 inches of water over roadway at 102nd and Osage. 8 to 12 inches of water over roadway at 54th and Clark. |
| June 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Meriden | $20,000 | no account filed |
| April 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Meriden | $5,000 | Winds estimated to 60 mph knocked down large trees. |
| May 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Meriden | $2,000 | A bradford pear tree was blown down on top of a house causing roof damage. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Meriden | $1,000 | A Kansas Mesonet station near Meriden measured a 71 mph wind gust. In Perry, the top of a 15 inch diameter tree was blown down and the intersection of Front Street and Main Street. |
| May 2005 | Flash Flood | Meriden | $500 | Nearly 5 inches of rain brought fast flowing water across roads in Meriden area. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Meriden | - | Power lines and poles downed. Damage to roofs and trees also reported. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Meriden | - | Roof blown off of shed and fencing blown down at a local co-op. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Meriden | - | Tree down and blocking highway south of Meriden. |
| June 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Meriden | - | Wind gusts over 80 mph reported. |
| May 2022 | Hail | Meriden | - | Nickel sized hail reported. |
| May 2022 | Flash Flood | Meriden | - | Bridge closed due to flash flood damage. |
| March 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Meriden | - | Trained spotter reported a 60 mph wind gust. |
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Meriden | - | Public reported wind gust of 77 mph. |
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Meriden | - | Public reported wind gust of 75 mph. |
| April 2020 | Hail | Meriden | - | Reported at K-4 and 54th St. |
| April 2020 | Hail | Meriden | - | Reported at K-4 Highway and 62nd St. |
| April 2020 | Hail | Meriden | - | Reported at 66th and Clark Road. |
| July 2020 | Flash Flood | Meriden | - | Report of water over the road at K-4 and 39th Street. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Meriden | - | A tree and other branches reported down on the Muddy Creek bridge on K-4. The highway was closed for a brief time. |
| July 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Meriden | - | Three foot diameter tree 20 to 30 feet tall were split and were blocking traffic. |
| May 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Meriden | - | Windows were blown out of a mobile home. A small outbuilding was blown into a tree. Winds were estimated to be 60 to 90 mph. Time was estimated from radar. |
| August 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Meriden | - | Power lines down at K-4 and Detlor Road. Time estimated based on radar signature. |
| June 2011 | Flood | Meriden | - | Water flowing across 62nd Street, south of Meriden, caused closure of the road near the Shawnee/Jefferson County line. |
| April 2009 | Flash Flood | Meriden | - | Water reported to be running over the intersection of 82nd and Meriden Roads, rendering the roadway impassable. |
| April 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Meriden | - | Power lines and one tree reported down in the city. |
| April 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Meriden | - | Powerlines and one large tree reported down. |
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Meriden | - | Three inch limbs were blown down, and a barbecue grill was blown over. |
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Meriden | - | Estimated 70 mph winds damaged a shop and barn door, blew over a carport, and blew over a child's play fort. The wind gust also blew a second shed that had been anchored and tied down approximately 25 feet from it's original location. Tree limbs 6 to 10 inches in diameter blown down. |
| May 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Meriden | - | Trees downed and pontoon boat overturned. |
| August 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Meriden | - | Tree blown down onto a car in downtown. |
| August 2005 | Hail | Meriden | - | At Perry Lake Marina. |
| April 2025 | Hail | Meriden | - | no account filed |
| June 2017 | Hail | Meriden | - | no account filed |
| May 2016 | Hail | Meriden | - | no account filed |
| April 2011 | Hail | Meriden | - | no account filed |
| May 2011 | Hail | Meriden | - | no account filed |
| June 2011 | Hail | Meriden | - | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Hail | Meriden | - | no account filed |
| July 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Meriden | - | no account filed |
| March 2006 | Hail | Meriden | - | no account filed |
| April 2006 | Hail | Meriden | - | no account filed |
| April 2005 | Hail | Meriden | - | no account filed |
| April 2005 | Hail | Meriden | - | no account filed |
| May 2005 | Hail | Meriden | - | no account filed |
| May 2005 | Hail | Meriden | - | no account filed |
| May 2005 | Hail | Meriden | - | no account filed |
| May 2005 | Hail | Meriden | - | no account filed |
| May 2005 | Hail | Meriden | - | no account filed |
| May 2005 | Hail | Meriden | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Meriden | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Meriden | - | no account filed |
| October 2005 | Hail | Meriden | - | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Meriden | - | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Hail | Meriden | - | no account filed |
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 | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rock Creek | 4.3 miles | 19 | |
| West Shore | 4.9 miles | 22 | |
| Hilldale | 5.0 miles | 22 | |
| Hilldale South | 5.0 miles | 22 | |
| Indian Ridge | 5.4 miles | 22 | |
| Lake Ridge | 5.4 miles | 22 | |
| Ozawkie | 6.3 miles | 22 | |
| Grantville | 7.3 miles | 22 |
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 Meriden | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2094322 | The 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 478474. 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.






