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Shawnee County (standard abbreviation: SN) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of 2000, the population was 169,871. It houses the capitol city of Kansas, Topeka, which is also the county seat. The county along with Jackson, Jefferson, Osage, and Wabaunsee counties is included in the Topeka Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has an estimated population of 226,268 in the year 2003.
History
Before the treaty of 1854, the area now known as Shawnee County was inhabited by Shawnee, Kansas, and Pottowatomie Indian tribes. Westward expansion brought the country its first white settler in 1830 when Frederick Choteau opened a trading post on American Chief (now Mission) Creek. In 1855, Shawnee became one of the first counties established by the Kansas territorial legislature with a population of 250. General H. J. Strickler, of Tecumseh, who was a member of the council in 1855, and also of the joint committee on Counties, claimed Shawnee for the name of his county. At that time, Shawnee County borders were entirely south of the Kansas River and extended south to include Osage City and Carbondale. The legislature later desired to make Topeka the county seat and moved the borders of the county to their present locations to make Topeka centrally located in the county.
1855 also saw the first ever meeting of the Shawnee County Board of Commissioners. Tecumseh was the first county seat, and the first county courthouse was opened there in 1856. The building was 40x50 feet but was never finished. Topeka was made the county seat by popular vote in 1858, and a new courthouse was built at 4th Street and Kansas Avenue in 1867. In 1896, a new larger courthouse was constructed at 5th and Van Buren, with more than 50,000 residents then living in the county. That building remained in use until the current courthouse at 7th and Quincy opened in 1965.
Local etymologies
Concerning the origin of the names in this county, it is generally understood that Shawnee County receives its name from that well known tribe of Indians.- Topeka
- Wakarusa:
- Shunganunga:
- Menoken:
- Half-Day Creek: named after a Pottawatomie chief.
- Mission Creek: so called because of the old Kaw mission on its banks.
- Blacksmith Creek: from the Kaw blacksmith shop.
- Soldier Creek: because its banks were a favorite camping ground for soldiers passing from Fort Leavenworth to Fort Riley.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,441 km² (556 mi²). 1,424 km² (550 mi²) of it is land and 17 km² (6 mi²) of it (1.17%) is water.
Geographic features
The Kansas River runs east across the county being bordered on its north bank by the towns of Rossville, Silver Lake and Soldier, and on its south bank by the towns of Willard, Dover, Mission, Topeka and Tecumseh. There is little or no current major river traffik, but it is used extensivly for irrigation in the county. The Wakarusa River, which, flowing east and northeast, empties into the Kansas River in the northeastern part of Douglas County. Major creeks emptying into the Kansas River include Cross, Soldier, Mission, Indian, and Shunganunga Creeks.The soil is a rich dark loam, varying from fifteen feet in some parts of the bottoms, to a uniform surface covering the upland prairie from one to three feet. The underlying formation is limestone. Beds of clay, are well distributed. Coal is found in detached and non-continuous beds, and is mined in a small way for local purposes in Topeka, Soldier and Menoken.
Along the western border the landscape is hilly with the Flint Hills a few miles further west in Wabaunsee County. Burnett's Mound, the highest point in the county, is situated some four miles southwest of Topeka, in Mission Township. The land is described in the government and county surveys as "bottom land, 31%; upland, 69%; forest 8%; prairie, 92%." Lake Shawnee, a man made lake, is the largest body of water within the county. Wooded areas are mainly found along rivers and creeks with no true forrests. The growth consists of elm, cottonwood, black walnut, oak, sycamore, box elder, hickory and ash.
Major highways & transportation
Interstate Highway 70 crosses the county, as does the Kansas Turnpike. Kansas state highways K-4, and K-10 serve parts of the county. Forbes Field Air National Guard base and airport is located south of Topeka near Pauline. The airport is served by Allegiant Air with biweekley service to Las Vegas. Other airports in the county include Philip Billard Airport of Oakland.Adjacent counties
- Jackson County (north)
- Jefferson County (northeast)
- Douglas County (southeast)
- Osage County (south)
- Wabaunsee County (west)
- Pottawatomie County (northwest)
Demographics
| 1860 | 3,513 |
| 1870 | 13,121 |
| 1880 | 29,093 |
| 1890 | 49,172 |
| 1900 | 53,727 |
| 1910 | 61,874 |
| 1920 | 69,159 |
| 1930 | 85,200 |
| 1940 | 91,247 |
| 1950 | 105,418 |
| 1960 | 141,286 |
| 1970 | 155,322 |
| 1980 | 154,960 |
| 1990 | 160,976 |
| 2000 | 169,871 |
| 2003* | 170,902 |
| *estimated | |
As of the census² of 2000, there were 169,871 people, 68,920 households, and 44,660 families residing in the county. The population density was 119/km² (309/mi²). There were 73,768 housing units at an average density of 52/km² (134/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 82.89% White, 9.03% Black or African American, 1.17% Native American, 0.95% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.20% from other races, and 2.72% from two or more races. 7.26% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 68,920 households out of which 30.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.60% were married couples living together, 11.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.20% were non-families. 29.80% 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 2.39 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the county the population was spread out with 25.30% under the age of 18, 8.80% from 18 to 24, 28.40% from 25 to 44, 23.70% from 45 to 64, and 13.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 93.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $40,988, and the median income for a family was $51,464. Males had a median income of $35,586 versus $26,491 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,904. About 6.30% of families and 9.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.30% of those under age 18 and 7.10% of those age 65 or over.
Cities and towns
Incorporated cities
Name and population (2004 estimate):- Topeka, 121,809 (county seat)
- Silver Lake, 1,353
- Auburn, 1,125
- Rossville, 993
- Willard, 84
Unincorporated places
- Belmont
- Berryton (home of Kerry Livgrin, former guitarist of the rock band Kansas)
- Cullen Village (Montara)
- Dover
- Elmont
- Grove
- Kiro
- Mathews Park
- Menoken
- North Topeka
- Oakland
- Pauline
- Richland
- Spencer
- Tecumseh
- Terra Heights
- Valencia
- Wakarusa
- Watson
Townships
Shawnee County is divided into twelve townships. The city of Topeka is considered governmentally independent and is 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 (/mi²) | Land area km² (mi²) | Water area km² (mi²) | Water % | Geographic coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn | 03275 | 2,787 | 19 (50) | 143 (55) | 2 (1) | 1.28% | ||
| Dover | 18475 | 1,734 | 12 (31) | 146 (56) | 2 (1) | 1.11% | ||
| Grove | 29075 | 473 | 6 (16) | 78 (30) | 0 (0) | 0.17% | ||
| Menoken | 45850 | 1,371 | 12 (31) | 116 (45) | 1 (0) | 1.00% | ||
| Mission | 47275 | 9,070 | 111 (287) | 82 (32) | 2 (1) | 2.58% | ||
| Monmouth* | 47700 | 2,786 | 19 (49) | 148 (57) | 0 (0) | 0.08% | ||
| Rossville | 61425 | 1,681 | 13 (33) | 133 (51) | 1 (1) | 1.07% | ||
| Silver Lake | 65625 | 1,949 | 42 (109) | 46 (18) | 1 (0) | 2.55% | ||
| Soldier | 66225 | 12,867 | 79 (204) | 163 (63) | 1 (0) | 0.49% | ||
| Tecumseh* | 70100 | 7,822 | 86 (224) | 91 (35) | 2 (1) | 2.16% | ||
| Topeka | 71025 | 931 | 32 (84) | 29 (11) | 1 (1) | 4.89% | ||
| Williamsport | 79350 | 4,023 | 38 (99) | 105 (41) | 0 (0) | 0.29% |
Education
Unified school districts
- Kaw Valley USD 321 (website)
- Wabaunsee East USD 330
- Jefferson West USD 340
- Seaman USD 345 (website)
- Silver Lake USD 372 (website)
- Santa Fe Trail USD 434
- Auburn-Washburn USD 437 (website)
- Shawnee Heights USD 450 (website)
- Topeka USD 501 (website)
Colleges and universities
Vocational/technical schools
Public Libraries
Points of interest
- Kansas State Capitol, in downtown Topeka : Constructed over a period of 37 years, from 1866 to 1903, this beautiful building houses the Kansas Legislature.
- Topeka Zoo, in Topeka : Located at Gage Park, this world famous zoo is well-known for its flock of eagles.
See also
External links
- Official websites Shawnee County
- General county information Blue Skyways
"Shawnee County, Kansas"