Welcome to Alton ...
The city of Alton is located in Osborne County<1>.
The location of Alton has been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (ie- the GNIS).<2>
While we don't have a date for the founding of Alton, you might consider that their post office opened in 1885.
The origin (or the toponymy) of Alton: Named after Alton, Illinois (IL).
When the people of Alton refer to themselves (known as a demonym), they frequently use Altonian<3>
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Alton has a population of 91 people<4> (see below for details).
Alton is 1,640 feet [500 m] above sea level.<5>.
Time Zone: Alton lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time
The telephone area code for Alton: (785)
The ZIP code for Alton: 67623<6>
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Alton had an population of 91 people. This is a decrease of 11.65% since the 2010 Census (or a decrease of 22.22% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Alton had a population of 103 people. This makes Alton the county's 5th most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 103 people, the population of Alton decreased 11.97% from the 2000 Census (which had a count of 117 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Alton.
Communities Also Named Alton ...
While we believe that this Alton is located in Osborne County, we know of another 2 Kansas communities named Alton. Those communities are located in the following counties: Lyon and Sumner County.
Beyond Kansas, there are 37 communities that are also named Alton - they are located in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia (2), Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana (2), Maine, Michigan (2), Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nova Scotia, Ohio, Ontario (3), Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas (2), Utah, Virginia and West Virginia.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Alton.
Communities near Alton ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Alton.
- Osborne
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Osborne have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osborne
- Osborne is located in Osborne County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,280 people
- Osborne has also been known as:
- Peru
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Osborne <7>
- Stockton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stockton
- Stockton is located in Rooks County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,234 people
- Former name for Stockton:
- Stocktown
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stockton <7>
- Natoma
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Natoma have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Natoma
- Natoma is located in Osborne County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 296 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Natoma <7>
- Kirwin
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirwin
- Kirwin is located in Phillips County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 154 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kirwin <7>
- Woodston
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodston
- Woodston is located in Rooks County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 126 people
- Woodston has also been known as:
- Woodston Saw
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Woodston <7>
- Gaylord
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gaylord have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gaylord
- Gaylord is located in Smith County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 104 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gaylord <7>
- Portis
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portis
- Portis is located in Osborne County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 92 people
- Cedar
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north) - Bloomington
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomington
- Bloomington is located in Osborne County
- Harlan
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harlan
- Harlan is located in Smith County
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Alton. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Alton.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Alton. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Alton.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Alton. See our Newspapers Page for Alton.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Alton ...
Looking for more information about Alton? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
While we are unaware of a Tourism page that is specific to Alton, there are neighboring communities that do have Tourism pages. A map of those communities can be found with our TripAdvisor Page for Alton.
Adding Alton to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Alton in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Alton was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<8>
From that list, the Alton post office opened in 1885.
We also found Alton in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Alton.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Alton. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Kansas: https://portal.kansas.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Kansas' counties, including Osborne, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <3> | A demonym is the name for a resident of a community which is usually derived from (or is related to) the name of that community. In other words, it's how the residents of Alton refer to themselves. It's important to note that there aren't any rules for taking a city's name and turning it into a demonym. A demonym is informal and while the majority of Alton may use one name, keep in mind that others may use something different. |
| <4> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Alton. |
| <5> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Alton - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <6> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a city (such as Alton). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Alton or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <7> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <8> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |