Wyandotte County, Kansas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Wyandotte County, Kansas | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Kansas |
|
 Kansas's location in the U.S. |
|
| Statistics | |
| Founded | 1859 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Kansas City |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
156 sq mi (403 km²) 151 sq mi (392 km²) 4 sq mi (11 km²), 2.76% |
| PopulationEst. - (2006) - Density |
155,509 1,029.9/sq mi (396.7/km²) |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
| Website: www.wycokck.org | |
Wyandotte County (county code WY) is located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. The county's population was estimated to be 155,509 in the year 2006, making it the fourth largest in the state.[1] Its county seat and most populous city is Kansas City, Kansas,[2] with which it shares a unified government. Wyandotte County forms part of the Kansas City, Missouri Metropolitan Area.
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[edit] Law and government
Wyandotte 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.[3]
[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 156 square miles (403 km²), giving it the least amount of land mass of the counties of Kansas. Wyandotte County has 151 square miles (392 km²) of land-98.24%-and 4 square miles (11 km²)-2.76%-of water.[4] .
[edit] Adjacent counties
- Platte County, Missouri (north)
- Clay County, Missouri (northeast)
- Jackson County, Missouri (east)
- Johnson County (south)
- Leavenworth County (west)
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 73,227 |
|
|
| 1910 | 100,068 | 36.7% | |
| 1920 | 122,218 | 22.1% | |
| 1930 | 141,211 | 15.5% | |
| 1940 | 145,071 | 2.7% | |
| 1950 | 165,318 | 14.0% | |
| 1960 | 185,495 | 12.2% | |
| 1970 | 186,845 | 0.7% | |
| 1980 | 172,335 | -7.8% | |
| 1990 | 161,993 | -6.0% | |
| 2000 | 157,882 | -2.5% | |
Wyandotte County's population was estimated to be 155,509 in the year 2006, a decrease of 2347, or -1.5%, over the previous six years;[1] it is the fourth largest population in the state.
As of the U.S. Census in 2000,[4] there were 157,882 people, 59,700 households, and 39,163 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,043 people per square mile (403/km²). There were 65,892 housing units at an average density of 435 per square mile (168/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 58.18% White, 28.33% Black or African American, 1.63% Asian, 0.74% Native American, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 8.17% from other races, and 2.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 16.00% of the population.
By 2005 48.2% of Wyandotte County's population was non-Hispanic whites. 27.0% of the population was African-American. Native Americans made up 0.8% of the population. Asians were 1.7% of the population. Latinos made up 21.4% of the county's population.
There were 59,700 households out of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.10% were married couples living together, 17.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.40% were non-families. 28.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.24.
In the county the population was spread out with 28.50% under the age of 18, 10.40% from 18 to 24, 29.50% from 25 to 44, 19.90% from 45 to 64, and 11.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 95.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $33,784, and the median income for a family was $40,333. Males had a median income of $31,335 versus $24,640 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,005. About 12.50% of families and 16.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.00% of those under age 18 and 11.10% of those age 65 or over.
According to this statistical abstract, approximately 1.4% of the county's residents use public transportation to get to work. This is actually the highest percentage in the state. http://www.ipsr.ku.edu/ksdata/ksah/KSA37.pdf
[edit] History
[edit] The Wyandot
The county is named after the Wyandot (a.k.a. Wyandott or Wyandotte) Indians. They were called the Huron by the French in Canada, but they called themselves Wendat. They were distantly related to the Iroquois, with whom they sometimes fought. They had hoped to hold off movement by white Americans into their territory and had hoped to make the Ohio River the border between the United States and Canada.
One branch of the Wyandot moved to the area that is now the state of Ohio. They generally took the course of assimilation into Anglo-American society. Many of them embraced Christianity under the influence of missionaries. They were transported to the current area of Wyandotte County in 1843, where they set up a community and worked in cooperation with Anglo settlers. The Christian Munsee also influenced early settlement of this area.
The Wyandot in Kansas set up a constitutional form of government that they had devised in Ohio. They set up the territorial government for Kansas and Nebraska. It was one of their own who was elected as territorial governor.
[edit] Other historical facts
The county was organized in 1855. Tenskwatawa (Tecumseh's brother), "the Prophet", fought at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. He was buried at Shawnee Native American historical site Whitefeather Spring (located at 3818 Ruby Ave., Kansas City, which was added in 1975 to the National Register of historical places). The Kansas City Smelting and Refining Company employed over 250 men around the 1880s. The ore and base bullion is received from the mining districts of the mountains and is here crushed, separated and refined.
The Delaware Crossing (or "Military Crossing"; sometimes "the Secondine") was where the old Indian trail met the waters of the Kaw River. Around 1831, Moses Grinter (one of the earliest permanent white settlers in the area) set up the Grinter Ferry on the Kansas River here. His house was known was the Grinter Place. The ferry was used by individuals (such as traders, freighters, and soldiers) traveling between Fort Leavenworth and Fort Scott on the military road. Others would cross this area on their way to Santa Fe.
The Diocese of Leavenworth moved its see from Leavenworth, Kansas to Kansas City, Kansas on 10 May 1947. It became an Archdiocese on 9 August 1952.
[edit] Cities and towns
[edit] Incorporated cities
Name and population (2004 estimate):
- Kansas City, 145,004 (county seat)
- Bonner Springs, 6,892, of which about 0.5 square miles (1.2 km²) lies within Johnson County
- Edwardsville, 4,495
- Lake Quivira, 919, of which a quarter of the city lies within Wyandotte County, the majority being in Johnson County
[edit] Unincorporated places
- Argentine
- Armourdale, formerly a city, consolidated with the city of Kansas City in 1886.
- Armstrong, a town absorbed by Wyandotte.
- Piper
- Rosedale, formerly a city, consolidated with the city of Kansas City in 1922.
- Turner
- Wyandotte, formerly a city, consolidated with the city of Kansas City in 1886.
[edit] Townships
Wyandotte County has a single township. The cities of Bonner Springs, Kansas City, and Lake Quivira are considered governmentally independent and are excluded from the census figures for the township. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | 17475 | Edwardsville | 4,200 | 141 (364) | 30 (12) | 1 (0) | 3.97% | |
| Sources: Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files. U.S. Census Bureau, Geography Division. | ||||||||
[edit] Education
[edit] Colleges and universities
Public
Private
[edit] School Districts
- Turner USD 202
- Piper USD 203
- Bonner Springs USD 204
- Kansas City USD 500
[edit] Private schools
Primary
- All Saints Grade School
- St. Patrick's Grade School
- Christ the King Grade School
Secondary
[edit] Other schools
Kansas State School for the Blind (KSSB) (Web site)
[edit] Economy
Village West, located at the intersection of Interstates 70 and 435 (11 miles from Downtown KCK), is a development that has significantly fueled growth in KCK and Wyandotte County. Anchored by the Kansas Speedway, its attractions and retailers include The Legends At Village West, Cabela's, Nebraska Furniture Mart, Great Wolf Lodge, and CommunityAmerica Ballpark, home to the Kansas City T-Bones of the Northern League.
Schlitterbahn Vacation Village, a 370-acre resort and waterpark, is scheduled to open across I-435 from Village West in 2009. Also within the area are The Woodlands race park (featuring both greyhounds and horses), Sandstone Amphitheater, Wyandotte County Park, and Sunflower Hills Golf Course.
[edit] See also
Information on this and other counties in Kansas
- List of counties in Kansas
- List of Kansas county name etymologies
- Kansas locations by per capita income
Other information for Kansas
- List of cities in Kansas
- List of unified school districts in Kansas
- List of colleges and universities in Kansas
[edit] References
- ^ a b Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division. Annual estimates of the population to 2006-07-01. Released 2007-03-22. Six year change is from 2000-07-01 to 2006-07-01.
- ^ Find a County. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Map of Wet and Dry Counties. Alcoholic Beverage Control, Kansas Department of Revenue (November 2006). Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
- ^ a b American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
[edit] Further reading
- William G. Cutler's "History of the State of Kansas". 1883. A. T. Andreas, Chicago, IL.
- "Historic Preservation". Kansas City, Kansas, Urban Planning & Land Use
- Sween, "Argentine Pictures". Interactive Genealogy. Pictorial History of Wyandotte County, KS.
- "Historical Wyandotte County". Kansas Heritage, Kansas Community Network.
- "Wyandotte County". Kansas State Library.
- "Views of the Past". Kansas City, Kansas Bicentennial Commission.
- Sween, "Bonner Springs and Edwardsville". Virtual Bonner Springs, KS.
- "Senate Bill 187 (Steineger)"
[edit] External links
Official sites
- Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas
- Kansas City, KS/Wyandotte County Convention and Visitors Bureau
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