Cherokee County, Kansas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cherokee County
County
Tri-State Marker (2006)
Location within the U.S. state of Kansas
Kansas's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Kansas
Founded	February 18, 1860
Named for	Cherokee Native Americans
Seat	Columbus
Largest city	Baxter Springs
Area
• Total	591 sq mi (1,530 km2)
• Land	588 sq mi (1,520 km2)
• Water	3.5 sq mi (9 km2)  0.6%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	19,362
• Density	32.9/sq mi (12.7/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Area code	620
Congressional district	2nd

Cherokee County (county code CK) is a U.S. county located in Southeast Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 19,362. Its county seat is Columbus, and its most populous city is Baxter Springs. The latter became the first "cow town" in Kansas during the 1870s and the period of cattle drives.

History

Early history

For many millennia, the Great Plains of North America was inhabited by nomadic Native Americans. From the 16th century to 18th century, the Kingdom of France claimed ownership of large parts of North America. In 1762, after the French and Indian War, France secretly ceded New France to Spain, per the Treaty of Fontainebleau.

19th century

In 1802, Spain returned most of the land to France, but keeping title to about 7,500 square miles. In 1803, most of the land for modern day Kansas was acquired by the United States from France as part of the 828,000 square mile Louisiana Purchase for 2.83 cents per acre.

In 1854, the Kansas Territory was organized, then in 1861 Kansas became the 34th U.S. state. In 1860, Cherokee County was established.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 591 square miles (1,530 km²), of which 588 square miles (1,520 km²) is land and 3.5 square miles (9.1 km²) (0.6%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Crawford County (north)
• Jasper County, Missouri (east)
• Newton County, Missouri (southeast)
• Ottawa County, Oklahoma (south)
• Craig County, Oklahoma (southwest)
• Labette County (west)

Major highways

Sources: National Atlas, U.S. Census Bureau

Demographics

Population pyramid

As of the 2000 census, there were 22,605 people, 8,875 households, and 6,239 families residing in the county. The population density was 38 people per square mile (15/km²). There were 10,031 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile (7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.27% White, 0.61% Black or African American, 3.45% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.50% from other races, and 2.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.29% of the population.

There were 8,875 households, out of which 32.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.60% were married couples living together, 9.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.70% were non-families. 26.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.50% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 26.90% from 25 to 44, 23.10% from 45 to 64, and 15.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 94.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,505, and the median income for a family was $37,284. Males had a median income of $29,045 versus $19,675 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,710. About 11.40% of families and 14.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.40% of those under age 18 and 10.60% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

2005 KDOT Map of Cherokee County (map legend)

Cities

• Baxter Springs
• Columbus
• Galena
• Oswego (mostly in Labette County)
• Roseland
• Scammon
• Weir
• West Mineral

Census-designated places

• Lowell
• Riverton

Other unincorporated communities

Ghost town

• Treece, officially disincorporated in 2012 by the state of Kansas

Townships

Cherokee County is divided into fourteen townships. The cities of Baxter Springs, Columbus, Galena, Scammon, and Weir 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.

Education

Unified school districts

• Southeast USD 247 is a 300-square-mile (780 km²) school district primarily covering portions of Crawford and Cherokee counties, but also includes small portions of Labette and Neosho counties. It serves over 800 students in grades Pre-K through 12. Southeast High School (the "Lancers") is located just west of the city of Cherokee (where the district office is located). In Cherokee County the district serves the cities of Weir and West Mineral.