Bloom is an unincorporated community in Ford County, Kansas, United States.[1] Its post office closed in 1992.[2] At a 2018 estimate, the community had a population of 94.[3] It is located along U.S. Route 54 highway.

Bloom, Kansas
KDOT map of Ford County (legend)
Bloom is located in Kansas
Bloom
Bloom
Bloom is located in the United States
Bloom
Bloom
Coordinates: 37°29′11″N 99°53′46″W / 37.48639°N 99.89611°W / 37.48639; -99.89611[1]
CountryUnited States
StateKansas
CountyFord
Founded1880s
Named forBloomsburg, Pennsylvania
Elevation2,585 ft (788 m)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code620
FIPS code20-07350
GNIS ID470693[1]

History

edit

Bloom[4] was established by Thomas J. Vanderslice and Samuel O. Albright in 1887 or 1888.[5][6] Vanderslice named it Bloom after his hometown of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. The small town sprang to life when the Rock Island Railroad pushed west. The town's original train depot can still be found in Bloom.

Bloom's population reached a few hundred in the 1930s but gradually declined since and is now less than 50. The Bloom High School Badgers [7] closed in the 1964 when the town's school district merged with that of Minneola, Kansas.

The small town once had a hotel, gas station, restaurant, post office, and lumber yard. Today, only a grain elevator business and private residences remain. Wheat farms and ranches surround the small town.[8]

Demographics

edit

At a 2018 estimate, Bloom, Kansas has a population of 94. The same estimate also found that there were 37 households, with there being an average of 2.5 people per household. The median age is estimated to be at 35.8. The per capita income is estimated to be around $44,295, with about 4.3% of residents below the poverty line.[3]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Bloom, Kansas
  2. ^ "Kansas Post Offices, 1828-1961 (archived)". Kansas Historical Society. Archived from the original on October 9, 2013. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Census profile: Bloom township, Ford County, KS". Census Reporter. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  4. ^ Small Town Locator, Internet website, [1] Retrieved January 12, 2013.
  5. ^ Dead towns of Kansas, Internet blog/website, [2] Retrieved January 12, 2013.
  6. ^ Kansas State Historical Society (1916). Biennial Report of the Board of Directors of the Kansas State Historical Society. Kansas State Printing Plant. pp. 190.
  7. ^ Flicker, Internet website [3] Retrieved January 12, 2013.
  8. ^ Dead towns of Kansas, Internet website.

Further reading

edit
edit