Wabaunsee County, Kansas
Wabaunsee County (standard abbreviation: WB) is a county in the U.S. state of Kansas. In 2010, 7,053 people lived there.[1] Its county seat is Alma.[2] The county was created by the territorial legislature of Kansas Territory on March 25, 1859.[3] It was named after a chief of the Potawatomi Indians.[3]
Wabaunsee County, Kansas | |
Map | |
Location in the state of Kansas | |
Kansas's location in the U.S. | |
Statistics | |
Founded | 1859 |
---|---|
Seat | Alma |
Largest City | Alma |
Area - Total - Land - Water |
800 sq mi (2,072 km²) 794 sq mi (2,056 km²) 5.3 sq mi (14 km²), 0.7% |
PopulationEst. - (2016) - Density |
6,891 8.7/sq mi (3/km²) |
Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
Named for: Chief Waubonsie |
History
19th century
The first white people in the area were said to have been a group of criminals. This group was known as the McDaniel Gang.[3]
Wabaunsee County was created by the territorial legislature on March 25, 1859.[3] The name used since 1859 is from the Potawatomi "Wah-bon-seh". This means "dawn of day." It was the name of the chief of the Potawatomi Indians.[3] Originally, the county was named Richardson. This was named after William Alexander Richardson, a congressman from Illinois, who introduced the first Kansas and Nebraska Bill in the United States House of Representatives. This made certain Indian lands territories in 1854.[4]
The county's first church, Wabaunsee Church of Christ, was created in June 1857.[3]
The first railroad to be built through Wabaunsee County was the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe in 1880.[5] In 1887, the Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway built a railroad from Topeka to Herington.[6] This railroad connected Topeka, Valencia, Willard, Maple Hill, Vera, Paxico, McFarland, Alma, Volland, Alta Vista, Dwight, White City, Latimer, Herington.
Geography
The U.S. Census Bureau says that the county has a total area of 800 square miles (2,100 km2). Of that, 794 square miles (2,060 km2) is land and 5.3 square miles (14 km2) (0.7%) is water.[7]
People
Historical populations | |||
---|---|---|---|
Census | Pop. | %± | |
1860 | 1,023 | ||
1870 | 3,362 | 228.6% | |
1880 | 8,756 | 160.4% | |
1890 | 11,720 | 33.9% | |
1900 | 12,813 | 9.3% | |
1910 | 12,721 | −0.7% | |
1920 | 11,424 | −10.2% | |
1930 | 10,830 | −5.2% | |
1940 | 9,219 | −14.9% | |
1950 | 7,212 | −21.8% | |
1960 | 6,648 | −7.8% | |
1970 | 6,397 | −3.8% | |
1980 | 6,867 | 7.3% | |
1990 | 6,603 | −3.8% | |
2000 | 6,885 | 4.3% | |
2010 | 7,053 | 2.4% | |
Est. 2016 | 6,891 | [8] | 0.1% |
U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1790-1960[10] 1900-1990[11] 1990-2000[12] 2010-2016[1] |
Wabaunsee County is part of the Topeka, KS Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Government
Presidential elections
Wabaunsee County is very Republican. No Democratic Presidential candidate has won Wabaunsee County since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932.
Education
Unified school districts
Communities
Cities
- Alma
- Alta Vista
- Eskridge
- Harveyville
- Maple Hill
- McFarland
- Paxico
- St. Marys (part)
- Willard (part)
Wabaunsee County, Kansas Media
Wabaunsee County Poor Farm, located 4 mi (6.4 km) south of Alma, 1901
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
- ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Wabaunsee County, Kansas, Kansapedia. (accessed July 27, 2013)
- ↑ "Wabaunsee County History". Archived from the original on 2019-07-25. Retrieved 2019-07-30.
- ↑ Blackmar, Frank Wilson (1912). Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, Volume 2. Standard Publishing Company. p. 853.
- ↑ "Rock Island Rail History". Archived from the original on 2011-06-19. Retrieved 2019-07-30.
- ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ↑ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
- ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
- ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
- ↑ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
- ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
- ↑ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
More reading
- Early History of Wabaunsee County, Kansas; Matt Thomson; 376 pages; 1901.
- Standard Atlas of Wabaunsee County, Kansas; Geo. A. Ogle & Co; 76 pages; 1919.
- Standard Atlas of Wabaunsee County, Kansas; Geo. A. Ogle & Co; 47 pages; 1902.
- Atlas of Wabaunsee County, Kansas; Gillen & Davy; 51 pages; 1885.
Other websites
- County
- Historical
- Maps