Rush County, Kansas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rush County
|
|
|---|---|
Rush County courthouse in La Crosse (2016)
|
|
Location within the U.S. state of Kansas
|
|
 Kansas's location within the U.S. |
|
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Kansas |
| Founded | February 26, 1867 |
| Named for | Alexander Rush |
| Seat | La Crosse |
| Largest city | La Crosse |
| Area | |
| • Total | 718 sq mi (1,860 km2) |
| • Land | 718 sq mi (1,860 km2) |
| • Water | 0.2 sq mi (0.5 km2) 0.03% |
| Population
(2020)
|
|
| • Total | 2,956 |
| • Density | 4.1/sq mi (1.6/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
Rush County is a county in the state of Kansas. It is located in the central part of the United States. The main city and county seat is La Crosse. A county seat is the city where the local government offices are. In 2020, about 2,956 people lived in Rush County. The county was named after a person named Alexander Rush.
Contents
History
Early History of the Land
For thousands of years, the Great Plains area of North America was home to nomadic Native American tribes. Nomadic means they moved from place to place. From the 1500s to the 1700s, France said they owned large parts of North America.
In 1762, after a war, France secretly gave this land to Spain. This was part of a deal called the Treaty of Fontainebleau.
The 1800s: New Ownership and County Start
In 1802, Spain gave most of the land back to France. But Spain kept about 7,500 square miles. In 1803, the United States bought most of the land that is now Kansas from France. This huge purchase was called the Louisiana Purchase. It cost about 2.83 cents per acre.
In 1854, the Kansas Territory was created. Then, in 1861, Kansas became the 34th state in the U.S. Rush County was officially created in 1867. The county government started on December 5, 1874. There was a long fight for 10 years over which city would be the county seat. The cities of La Crosse and Rush Center both wanted the title. Finally, La Crosse won and became the county seat.
The 1900s and 2000s
The first county fair in Rush County was held in 1910. It took place south of Rush Center.
More recently, in 2015, a large "Alexander Wind Farm" was built. It is located south of Alexander. This wind farm cost about $85 million. It creates 48 megawatts of electricity. This is enough power for many homes.
Geography
Rush County covers a total area of about 718 square miles. Almost all of this area is land. Only a very small part, about 0.2 square miles, is water. This means the county is mostly dry land.
A stream called Walnut Creek flows through the county. It eventually joins the Arkansas River. Other smaller streams also provide water to the area.
Neighboring Counties
Rush County shares its borders with several other counties:
- Ellis County (to the north)
- Russell County (to the northeast)
- Barton County (to the east)
- Pawnee County (to the south)
- Ness County (to the west)
Population Information
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 5,490 | — | |
| 1890 | 5,204 | −5.2% | |
| 1900 | 6,134 | 17.9% | |
| 1910 | 7,826 | 27.6% | |
| 1920 | 8,360 | 6.8% | |
| 1930 | 9,093 | 8.8% | |
| 1940 | 8,285 | −8.9% | |
| 1950 | 7,231 | −12.7% | |
| 1960 | 6,160 | −14.8% | |
| 1970 | 5,117 | −16.9% | |
| 1980 | 4,516 | −11.7% | |
| 1990 | 3,842 | −14.9% | |
| 2000 | 3,551 | −7.6% | |
| 2010 | 3,307 | −6.9% | |
| 2020 | 2,956 | −10.6% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 2,830 | −14.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2020 |
|||
In 2000, there were 3,551 people living in Rush County. There were 1,548 households, which are groups of people living together. About 1,013 of these were families. The county had about 5 people per square mile.
Most people in the county were White (98.45%). A small number were Black, Native American, or Asian. About 1% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino background.
About 26.6% of households had children under 18 living with them. Many households (56.1%) were married couples. About 31.7% of all households were people living alone. About 18% of households had someone aged 65 or older living by themselves.
The population was spread out by age. About 22.1% were under 18 years old. About 25.3% were 65 years or older. The average age in the county was 45 years old.
Education
School Districts
Rush County has two main school districts that serve its communities:
- La Crosse USD 395
- Otis-Bison USD 403
Communities
Rush County has different types of communities. These include cities, smaller unincorporated communities, and even some "ghost towns" where people no longer live.
Cities
- Alexander
- Bison
- La Crosse (This is the county seat, where the main government offices are.)
- Liebenthal
- McCracken
- Otis
- Rush Center
- Timken
Unincorporated Communities
These are smaller places that do not have their own local government.
Ghost Towns
These are places where people used to live, but now they are mostly empty or abandoned.
- Belfield
- Brookdale
- Fenton
- Flavius
- Hampton
- Hutton
- Lippard
- Olney
- Pioneer
- Ryan
- Saunders
- West Point
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Rush (Kansas) para niños
