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Platte County, Missouri facts for kids

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Platte County
U.S. county
Platte County Courthouse
Platte County Courthouse
Flag of Platte County
Flag
Map of Missouri highlighting Platte County
Location within the U.S. state of Missouri
Map of the United States highlighting Missouri
Missouri's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Missouri
Founded December 31, 1838
Named for Platte River or Platte Purchase
Seat Platte City
Largest city Kansas City
Area
 • Total 427 sq mi (1,110 km2)
 • Land 420 sq mi (1,100 km2)
 • Water 6.6 sq mi (17 km2)  1.5%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 106,718
 • Density 249.93/sq mi (96.50/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 6th

Platte County is a place in northwestern Missouri. It's part of the big Kansas City metropolitan area. In 2020, about 106,718 people lived here. The main town, or county seat, is Platte City.

Platte County was created on December 31, 1838. It got its name from the Platte River and the Platte Purchase. The word Platte comes from French. It means a low or shallow stream. The Kansas City International Airport is also in Platte County.

Geography of Platte County

Platte-courthouse
Platte County Courthouse in Platte City. It was built after the original courthouse was destroyed during the American Civil War.

Platte County covers about 427 square miles. Most of this area, about 420 square miles, is land. The rest is water. The Missouri River forms the county's southwestern border with Kansas.

Neighboring Counties

Platte County shares borders with these other counties:

Main Roads

Many important roads run through Platte County:

  • I-29 (MO).svg Interstate 29
  • I-435 (MO).svg Interstate 435
  • I-635 (MO).svg Interstate 635
  • US 71.svg U.S. Route 71
  • MO-9.svg Route 9
  • MO-45.svg Route 45
  • MO-92.svg Route 92
  • MO-152.svg Route 152
  • MO-273.svg Route 273
  • MO-371.svg Route 371

People of Platte County

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1840 8,913 —
1850 16,845 89.0%
1860 18,350 8.9%
1870 17,352 −5.4%
1880 17,366 0.1%
1890 16,278 −6.3%
1900 16,193 −0.5%
1910 14,429 −10.9%
1920 13,996 −3.0%
1930 13,819 −1.3%
1940 13,862 0.3%
1950 14,973 8.0%
1960 23,350 55.9%
1970 32,081 37.4%
1980 46,341 44.4%
1990 57,867 24.9%
2000 73,781 27.5%
2010 89,322 21.1%
2020 106,718 19.5%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2020

In 2000, there were 73,781 people living in Platte County. The population density was about 176 people per square mile. Most people (91.45%) were White. About 3.49% were Black or African American. Around 3% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

Many households (34.10%) had children under 18 living with them. The average household had about 2.49 people. The average family had about 3.00 people.

The median age in the county was 36 years old. This means half the people were younger than 36, and half were older.

2020 Census Data

The 2020 census showed the following racial makeup for Platte County:

Platte County Racial Composition
Race Number Percentage
White (not Hispanic) 81,426 76.3%
Black or African American (not Hispanic) 8,135 7.62%
Native American (not Hispanic) 391 0.36%
Asian (not Hispanic) 2,721 2.55%
Pacific Islander (not Hispanic) 695 0.65%
Other/Mixed (not Hispanic) 6,189 5.8%
Hispanic or Latino 7,161 6.71%

Education in Platte County

Platte County has several school districts and many schools.

School Districts

These school districts serve students from kindergarten to 12th grade:

  • East Buchanan County C-1 School District
  • North Kansas City 74 School District
  • North Platte County R-I School District
  • Park Hill School District
  • Platte County R-III School District
  • Smithville R-II School District
  • West Platte County R-II School District

Public Schools

Here are some of the public schools in Platte County:

  • North Platte R-I School District in Dearborn
    • North Platte Elementary School (Grades PK-3)
    • North Platte Intermediate School (Grades 4-6)
    • North Platte Junior High School (Grades 7-8)
    • North Platte High School (Grades 9-12)
  • Park Hill School District in Kansas City
    • Russell Jones Education Center (Special Education, K-12)
    • Many elementary schools (Grades K-5) like Hopewell, Renner, Chinn, English Landing, Graden, Hawthorn, Line Creek, Prairie Point, Southeast, Tiffany Ridge, Union Chapel
    • Gerner Family Early Education Center (Preschool)
    • Middle schools (Grades 6-8) like Congress, Lakeview, Plaza, Walden
    • Park Hill High School (Grades 9-12)
    • Park Hill South High School (Grades 9-12)
    • LEAD Innovation Studio (Grades 9-12)
  • Platte County R-III School District in Platte City
    • Elementary schools (Grades PK-5) like Donald D. Siegrist, Pathfinder, Compass, Barry
    • Middle schools (Grades 6-8) like Platte Purchase, Platte City
    • Platte County High School (Grades 9-12)
  • West Platte County R-II School District in Weston
    • Central Elementary School (Grades PK-6)
    • West Platte County High School (Grades 7-12)

Private Schools

Platte County also has private schools:

  • Clay-Platte Children's House Montessori School – Kansas City (Preschool-Grade 8)
  • Martin Luther Academy – Kansas City (Grades K-8)
  • Northland Christian Education System – Kansas City (Preschool-Grade 12)
  • St. Therese School – Kansas City (Grades K-8)
  • Prairie View KinderCare – Kansas City (Preschool)
  • Christ Lutheran Pre-Kindergarten School – Platte Woods (Preschool)
  • Our Savior Christian Academy - Platte City and Smithville (Preschool-Grade 12)

Public Libraries

  • Mid-Continent Public Library

Communities in Platte County

Platte County has several cities and smaller villages.

Cities

Villages

Townships

These are areas within the county used for local government:

  • Carroll
  • Fair
  • Fox
  • Green
  • Kickapoo
  • Lee
  • Marshall
  • May
  • Pawnee
  • Pettis
  • Preston
  • Sioux
  • Waldron
  • Weston

Unincorporated Communities

These are smaller places that are not officially cities or villages:

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Platte (Misuri) para niños

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