Ellis County, Kansas

Ellis County, Kansas
Ellis County Courthouse in Hays
Map of Kansas highlighting Ellis County
Location in the state of Kansas
Map of the United States highlighting Kansas
Kansas's location in the U.S.
Founded 1867
Seat Hays
Largest city Hays
Area
 • Total 900 sq mi (2,331 km2)
 • Land 899 sq mi (2,328 km2)
 • Water 0.5 sq mi (1 km2), 0.05%
Population
 • (2010) 28,452
 • Density 32/sq mi (12/km²)
Congressional district 1st
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5
Website www.ellisco.net

Coordinates: 38°55′N 99°19′W / 38.917°N 99.317°W

Ellis County (county code EL) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 28,452.[1] Its county seat and most populous city is Hays.[2]

The Hays, KS Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Ellis County.

Ellis County is the official German Capital of Kansas. German immigrants settled in Hays, Ellis, Victoria, and nearby villages in the 1870s and 1880s.[3]

History

Ellis County was founded on February 26, 1867.[4][5] It is named for George Ellis, first lieutenant of the Twelfth Kansas Infantry.[6]

In 1942, the Walker Army Airfield was built northwest of Walker. Thousands were stationed at the airfield for training of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress during World War II. The airfield was abandoned and most of it razed.

Law and government

Wild Bill Hickock under contract served as Sheriff in 1870. Ellis County was a prohibition, or "dry", county until the Kansas Constitution was amended in 1986 and voters approved the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink with a 30% food sales requirement. The food sales requirement was removed with voter approval in 1988.[7]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 900 square miles (2,300 km2), of which 900 square miles (2,300 km2) is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km2) (0.05%) is water.[8]

Politics

Ellis County is an anomaly in western Kansas, having voted several times for Democratic presidential candidates, even when the vast majority of the state's 105 counties went for the Republican nominee. Ellis County bucked the national and statewide trend by voting for Michael Dukakis over winner George H.W. Bush in the 1988 presidential election, one of only three Kansas counties to go for Dukakis. Ellis County gave a plurality to Bill Clinton over Bush and Ross Perot in the 1992 presidential election, but has been in the Republican column in each of the past four elections, giving 66 percent to Republican John McCain to 32 percent for Democrat Barack Obama in the 2008 election, higher than the 57 percent McCain won statewide.[9]

Adjacent counties

Major highways

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
18701,336—
18806,179362.5%
18907,94228.5%
19008,6268.6%
191012,17041.1%
192014,13816.2%
193015,90712.5%
194017,50810.1%
195019,0438.8%
196021,27011.7%
197024,73016.3%
198026,0985.5%
199026,004−0.4%
200027,5075.8%
201028,4523.4%
Est. 201329,0612.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]
1790-1960[11] 1900-1990[12]
1990-2000[13] 2010-2013[1]
Population pyramid

As of the U.S. Census in 2000,[14] there were 27,507 people, 11,193 households, and 6,771 families residing in the county. The population density was 31 people per square mile (12/km²). There were 12,078 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile (5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.10% White, 0.67% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.82% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.31% from other races, and 0.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.37% of the population.

There were 11,193 households out of which 28.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.00% were married couples living together, 7.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.50% were non-families. 30.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the county the population was spread out with 22.40% under the age of 18, 18.40% from 18 to 24, 25.20% from 25 to 44, 19.60% from 45 to 64, and 14.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 95.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,339, and the median income for a family was $44,498. Males had a median income of $29,885 versus $21,269 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,259. About 6.50% of families and 12.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.20% of those under age 18 and 10.00% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Unified school districts

Private schools

Universities and Colleges

Communities

2005 Kansas Department of Transportation Map of Ellis County (map legend)

Cities

Unincorporated places

The town of Antonino

Defunct settlements

Townships

Ellis County is divided into nine townships. The cities of Ellis and Hays are considered governmentally independent and are excluded from the census figures for the townships. In the following table, the population center is the largest city (or cities) included in that township's population total, if it is of a significant size.

Township FIPS Population
center		 Population Population
density
/km² (/sq mi)		 Land area
km² (sq mi) 		Water area
km² (sq mi) 		Water % Geographic coordinates
Big Creek 06650 1,798 7 (18) 252 (97) 0 (0) 0.01% 38°52′40″N 99°20′39″W / 38.87778°N 99.34417°W
Buckeye 08950 285 1 (2) 352 (136) 0 (0) 0.06% 39°1′24″N 99°18′25″W / 39.02333°N 99.30694°W
Catherine 11050 318 2 (4) 208 (80) 0 (0) 0.03% 39°0′32″N 99°11′44″W / 39.00889°N 99.19556°W
Ellis 20475 386 1 (2) 457 (176) 0 (0) 0.02% 38°58′47″N 99°30′57″W / 38.97972°N 99.51583°W
Freedom 24625 125 1 (3) 117 (45) 0 (0) 0% 38°43′48″N 99°7′36″W / 38.73000°N 99.12667°W
Herzog 31525 894 3 (7) 325 (126) 1 (0) 0.18% 38°55′29″N 99°7′19″W / 38.92472°N 99.12194°W
Lookout 42700 569 2 (5) 317 (122) 0 (0) 0.10% 38°45′43″N 99°25′12″W / 38.76194°N 99.42000°W
Victoria 73800 845 6 (16) 139 (54) 0 (0) 0% 38°49′56″N 99°8′31″W / 38.83222°N 99.14194°W
Wheatland 77650 401 3 (7) 140 (54) 0 (0) 0% 38°46′45″N 99°16′19″W / 38.77917°N 99.27194°W
Sources: "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files". U.S. Census Bureau, Geography Division.

Gallery

See also

Information on this and other counties in Kansas

Other information for Kansas

Further reading

Ellis County
Kansas

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. ↑ "Tidbits: Did You Know...". Publishing Group of America (americanprofiles.com). p. 13.
  4. ↑ Blackmar, Frank Wilson (1912). Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, Embracing Events, Institutions, Industries, Counties, Cities, Towns, Prominent Persons, Etc. Standard Publishing Company. p. 578.
  5. ↑ "Ellis County, Kansas". Kansas Historical Society. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  6. ↑ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 117.
  7. ↑ "Map of Wet and Dry Counties". Alcoholic Beverage Control, Kansas Department of Revenue. November 2006. Retrieved 2007-12-28.
  8. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  9. ↑ 2008 Presidential General Election Results - Kansas
  10. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  14. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.

External links

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Official sites
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