Wyandotte County, Kansas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Counties in Kansas |
|
| County seat | Kansas City |
| Largest city | Kansas City |
| Area —Total —Land —Water, % |
403 km² (156 mi²) 392 km² (151 mi²) 11 km² (4 mi²), 2.76% |
| Population —Total (2000) —Density |
157,882 403/km² (1043/mi²) |
| Established | |
| Time zone | Central : UTC-6/-5 |
Wyandotte County (standard abbreviation: WY and commonly referred to as "The Dotte" by its residents) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of 2000, the population was 157,882. Its county seat is Kansas City,6 with which it shares a "Unified Government". Recently, a proposal was made in the Kansas legislature to merge the county with neighboring Johnson County, along with all the cities in those two counties, into a single city-county.
Wyandotte County is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area
Contents |
[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 403 km² (156 mi²). 392 km² (151 mi²) of it is land and 11 km² (4 mi²) of it (2.76%) is water. It is the smallest county in area in Kansas.
[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% | |
As of the census² of 2000, there were 157,882 people, 59,700 households, and 39,163 families residing in the county. The population density was 403/km² (1,043/mi²). There were 65,892 housing units at an average density of 168/km² (435/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 16.18% White,58.18 % Black or African American, 0.74% Native American, 1.63% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 8.17% from other races, and 2.91% from two or more races. 28.18% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
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 (Techumseh'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 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 1.2 km² (0.5 mi²) lies within Johnson County
- Edwardsville, 4,495
- Lake Quivira, 919, of which a quarter of the city lies within the 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
- 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 (/mi²) |
Land area km² (mi²) |
Water area km² (mi²) |
Water % | Geographic coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | 17475 | Edwardsville | 4,200 | 141 (364) | 30 (12) | 1 (0) | 3.97% |
[edit] Education
[edit] Colleges and universities
Public
- Kansas City, Kansas Community College (Web site)
Private
[edit] Unified school districts
- Turner USD 202
- Piper USD 203
- Bonner Springs USD 204
- Kansas City USD 500
[edit] Private schools
Primary
- All Saints Grade School
Secondary
- Bishop Ward High School (Web site)
[edit] Business Interests
The Legends at Village West "[1]"
[edit] External links and references
- 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.
| Metropolitan area of Kansas City |  |
|---|---|
| Central City: Kansas City, Missouri Largest cities (over 100,000 in 2000): Independence • Kansas City, Kansas • Olathe • Overland Park Medium-sized cities (10,000 to 100,000 in 2000): Blue Springs • Belton • Excelsior Springs • Gladstone • Grandview • Lansing • Leawood • Leavenworth • Lee's Summit • Lenexa • Liberty •Merriam •Ottawa • Prairie Village • Raymore • Raytown • Shawnee Counties: Jackson • Clay • Cass • Platte • Lafayette • Ray • Clinton • Bates • Caldwell • Johnson • Wyandotte • Leavenworth • Miami • Franklin • Linn |
