Beloit

History

On permanent organization of the county in 1870, Beloit was selected as the county seat of Mitchell County, Kansas, and is located northeast of the center of the county on the Solomon River. In 1873, an iron bridge was built across the river, costing $10,000, . The town was renamed to Beloit by Tim Hersey, one of the original founders and the first mayor, and is named after his hometown, Beloit, Wisconsin. A.A. Bell was appointed postmaster in 1870, and the first school was built in 1871. Beloit sits at the junction of the Union Pacific and the Missouri Pacific Railroads. Local legend has it that the local Indians advised Bell to locate the town at a certain bend of the Solomon river to protect the town from tornadoes. As of 2022, downtown Beloit has been hit with a tornado only once, in November 1922. The town of Beloit was platted March 26, 1872, and the original description as found in the recorder's office covers all of Section 9, and the south half of the southeast quarter and south half of the southwest quarter of Section 4, Town 7 and Range 7 west. The proprietors of the town were T.F. Hersey, A.A. Bell, George Campbell, Alexander Campbell, C.H. Morrill, Edward Valentine, W.C. Ingram, Daniel Kepler and Vinton Whitehurst. The town grew very rapidly, and in July 1872, was incorporated as a city of the third class. On March 10, 1879, Gov. John P. St. John proclaimed Beloit a city of the second class. Beloit was home to the Beloit Juvenile Correctional Facility of the Kansas Juvenile Justice Authority.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and is water. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Beloit has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  194
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  193
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  173
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  171
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  144
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  142
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  140
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  127

Largest nearby schools

• Beloit Elem
  Elementary · Beloit · 490 students · 13.6:1 ratio
• Beloit Jr-Sr High
  High · Beloit · 350 students · 10:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2026-06-16
  9 km SW of Natoma, Kansas
• M 2.9 — 2026-05-11
  7 km E of Cowles, Nebraska
• M 2.8 — 2026-05-09
  4 km ESE of Cowles, Nebraska
• M 2.5 — 2026-03-12
  6 km ESE of Cowles, Nebraska
• M 2.6 — 2026-03-02
  8 km N of Guide Rock, Nebraska
• M 2.6 — 2026-03-01
  9 km E of Cowles, Nebraska