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Riley County, Kansas facts for kids

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Riley County
County
Riley County Courthouse in Manhattan (2005)
Riley County Courthouse in Manhattan (2005)
Flag of Riley County
Flag
Map of Kansas highlighting Riley County
Location within the U.S. state of Kansas
Map of the United States highlighting Kansas
Kansas's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Kansas
Founded August 25, 1855
Named for Bennet C. Riley
Seat Manhattan
Largest city Manhattan
Area
 • Total 622 sq mi (1,610 km2)
 • Land 610 sq mi (1,600 km2)
 • Water 12 sq mi (30 km2)  2.0%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 71,959
 • Estimate 
(2021)
 72,208 Increase
 • Density 118.0/sq mi (45.6/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 1st

Riley County is a county in the state of Kansas, USA. It's known for being home to Fort Riley, a big U.S. Army base, and Kansas State University. The main city and county seat is Manhattan.

As of 2020, about 71,959 people live in Riley County. The county was named after Bennet C. Riley, who was a general in the Mexican-American War and later the 7th governor of California.

History of Riley County

Riley County was one of the first 33 counties created in Kansas in August 1855. It was named after General Bennet Riley. At first, Riley County included a lot more land, even parts of what is now Colorado.

The very first capital city of Kansas Territory was located in Riley County. This town was called Pawnee. Today, this area is inside the boundaries of Fort Riley, a U.S. Army post.

Choosing the County Seat

The choice of Manhattan as the county seat was a bit tricky. In 1857, an election was held to pick the county seat. The town of Ogden seemed to win.

However, people in Manhattan thought there might have been cheating in the election. They were able to prove that some votes were cast illegally. Because of this, Manhattan was officially declared the county seat in 1858.

The Irving Tornado

On May 30, 1879, a very strong tornado started in Riley County. It was called the "Irving, Kansas Tornado." Experts believe it was an F4 tornado, which is very powerful.

The tornado's path of damage was about 800 meters wide and 160 kilometers long. Sadly, eighteen people lost their lives, and sixty people were injured.

Geography of Riley County

Riley County covers a total area of about 622 square miles (1,611 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 610 square miles (1,580 square kilometers), is land. The rest, about 12 square miles (31 square kilometers), is water.

The eastern edge of the county used to follow the Big Blue River. In the 1960s, a dam was built on the river, which created Tuttle Creek Lake. This lake is now a big part of the county's eastern border. Riley County is also part of the beautiful Flint Hills region in Kansas.

Neighboring Counties

Riley County shares its borders with several other counties:

Population Information

USA Riley County, Kansas age pyramid
This chart shows the age groups of people living in Riley County based on the 2000 census.
Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1860 1,224 —
1870 5,105 317.1%
1880 10,430 104.3%
1890 13,183 26.4%
1900 13,828 4.9%
1910 15,783 14.1%
1920 20,650 30.8%
1930 19,882 −3.7%
1940 20,617 3.7%
1950 33,405 62.0%
1960 41,914 25.5%
1970 56,788 35.5%
1980 63,505 11.8%
1990 67,139 5.7%
2000 62,843 −6.4%
2010 71,115 13.2%
2020 71,959 1.2%
2023 (est.) 71,402 0.4%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2020

Riley County is part of the Manhattan, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area. This means it's part of a larger urban area. A large number of people in Riley County are between 15 and 34 years old. This is one of the highest rates in the United States.

Education in Riley County

Riley County has several important places for learning.

Colleges and Universities

  • Kansas State University: A large public research university.
  • Manhattan Christian College: A private Christian college.
  • Manhattan Area Technical College: Offers technical and career training.

Local School Districts

Students in Riley County attend schools in these unified school districts:

  • Riley County USD 378
  • Manhattan-Ogden USD 383
  • Blue Valley USD 384

Communities in Riley County

Map of Riley Co, Ks, USA
This map from 2005 shows the different areas within Riley County.

Riley County has several cities and smaller communities. Some communities have parts in a neighboring county.

Cities in Riley County

Unincorporated Communities

These are smaller communities that are not officially cities. Some are also called Census-Designated Places (CDP) by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Former Communities

Some communities in Riley County no longer exist. They were flooded when Tuttle Creek Lake was created in the 1950s and 1960s. The city of Randolph was also flooded, but it was moved to a new location nearby.

  • Cleburne
  • Garrison Cross
  • Stockdale
  • Winkler

Fort Riley Military Base

Fort Riley is a large U.S. Army base located mostly in Geary and Riley counties. It covers over 100,000 acres (400 square kilometers). The fort has a daytime population of almost 25,000 people. It is an important part of the local economy and community.

Townships in Riley County

Riley County 1887 Township map
This map shows the townships of Riley County in 1887.

Riley County is divided into fourteen smaller areas called townships. The city of Manhattan is considered separate from the townships for census purposes.

Sources: 2000 U.S. Gazetteer from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Township Population
center		 Population Population
density
/km2 (/sq mi)		 Land area
km2 (sq mi)		 Water area
km2 (sq mi)		 Water % Geographic coordinates
Ashland 150 2 (4) 89 (35) 1 (0) 0.75% 39°6′48″N 96°37′42″W / 39.11333°N 96.62833°W / 39.11333; -96.62833
Bala Leonardville 762 7 (18) 108 (42) 0 (0) 0.12% 39°20′34″N 96°53′47″W / 39.34278°N 96.89639°W / 39.34278; -96.89639
Center 81 1 (3) 82 (32) 0 (0) 0.04% 39°29′22″N 96°52′54″W / 39.48944°N 96.88167°W / 39.48944; -96.88167
Fancy Creek 126 2 (4) 83 (32) 0 (0) 0.07% 39°24′55″N 96°53′14″W / 39.41528°N 96.88722°W / 39.41528; -96.88722
Grant 833 9 (23) 92 (35) 7 (3) 7.38% 39°17′52″N 96°41′31″W / 39.29778°N 96.69194°W / 39.29778; -96.69194
Jackson Randolph 326 4 (10) 84 (32) 10 (4) 10.30% 39°26′43″N 96°45′1″W / 39.44528°N 96.75028°W / 39.44528; -96.75028
Madison Fort Riley CDP (part) 8,173 22 (58) 366 (141) 0 (0) 0.11% 39°15′32″N 96°50′26″W / 39.25889°N 96.84056°W / 39.25889; -96.84056
Manhattan 3,275 37 (95) 89 (35) 3 (1) 3.28% 39°12′45″N 96°35′46″W / 39.21250°N 96.59611°W / 39.21250; -96.59611
May Day 78 1 (2) 81 (31) 0 (0) 0.04% 39°32′39″N 96°53′41″W / 39.54417°N 96.89472°W / 39.54417; -96.89472
Ogden Ogden 2,423 69 (178) 35 (14) 1 (0) 2.32% 39°7′6″N 96°41′54″W / 39.11833°N 96.69833°W / 39.11833; -96.69833
Sherman 524 7 (18) 76 (29) 5 (2) 6.06% 39°22′30″N 96°43′58″W / 39.37500°N 96.73278°W / 39.37500; -96.73278
Swede Creek Cleburne (hist.) 157 1 (3) 125 (48) 4 (1) 3.00% 39°32′24″N 96°42′9″W / 39.54000°N 96.70250°W / 39.54000; -96.70250
Wildcat 750 10 (25) 77 (30) 0 (0) 0.10% 39°13′26″N 96°42′28″W / 39.22389°N 96.70778°W / 39.22389; -96.70778
Zeandale 357 2 (6) 154 (60) 2 (1) 0.97% 39°7′39″N 96°27′19″W / 39.12750°N 96.45528°W / 39.12750; -96.45528

Notable People from Riley County

Many interesting people have lived in or are from Riley County. Some of them include:

  • John W. Carlin: A former Governor of Kansas.
  • Glen Edgerton: A General.
  • Horace A. W. Tabor: A very rich miner.
  • Jordy Nelson: A famous NFL football player.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Riley para niños

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