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Stafford County, Kansas facts for kids

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Stafford County
Stafford County Museum in Stafford (2017)
Stafford County Museum in Stafford (2017)
Map of Kansas highlighting Stafford 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 1879
Named for Lewis Stafford
Seat St. John
Largest city St. John
Area
 • Total 795 sq mi (2,060 km2)
 • Land 792 sq mi (2,050 km2)
 • Water 2.9 sq mi (8 km2)  0.4%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 4,072
 • Density 5.1/sq mi (2.0/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 4th

Stafford County (standard abbreviation: SF) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 4,072. Its county seat is St. John. The county is named in honor of Lewis Stafford, captain of Company E, First Kansas Infantry, who was killed at the Battle of Young's Point in Madison Parish, Louisiana on June 7, 1863.

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 kept title to about 7,500 square miles. In 1803, most of the land in 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 1879, Stafford County was established.

The boundaries of Stafford County were defined by the Kansas Legislature of 1870 but for several years, the county remained unorganized. The Legislature of 1875, with the intention of obliterating the county from the map, gave the territory in Stafford County to other counties. They gave the portion in Range 15 West to Pawnee County; the portion included in Ranges 11, 12, 13 and 14 to Barton County; and the south half of the county, excepting the portion in Range 15, was added to Pratt County. But after each of the counties had taken its part, a strip six miles wide and twelve miles long (two townships) remained as Stafford County. This was the condition of the county until April 25, 1879, when, by a decision of the Supreme Court, the act of the Legislature dividing the county was declared unconstitutional and the county was restored to its original boundaries.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 795 square miles (2,060 km2), of which 792 square miles (2,050 km2) is land and 2.9 square miles (7.5 km2) (0.4%) is water.

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1880 4,755
1890 7,520 58.1%
1900 9,829 30.7%
1910 12,510 27.3%
1920 11,559 −7.6%
1930 10,460 −9.5%
1940 10,487 0.3%
1950 8,816 −15.9%
1960 7,451 −15.5%
1970 5,943 −20.2%
1980 5,694 −4.2%
1990 5,365 −5.8%
2000 4,789 −10.7%
2010 4,437 −7.4%
2020 4,072 −8.2%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2020
USA Stafford County, Kansas age pyramid
Age pyramid

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,789 people, 2,010 households, and 1,294 families residing in the county. The population density was 6 people per square mile (2/km2). There were 2,458 housing units at an average density of 3 per square mile (1/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 94.97% White, 0.15% Black or African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 2.97% from other races, and 1.42% from two or more races. 5.41% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,010 households, out of which 29.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.90% were married couples living together, 5.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.60% were non-families. 33.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.30% under the age of 18, 5.40% from 18 to 24, 24.60% from 25 to 44, 22.50% from 45 to 64, and 21.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 95.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,107, and the median income for a family was $38,235. Males had a median income of $27,328 versus $21,063 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,409. About 8.70% of families and 11.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.20% of those under age 18 and 8.90% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Map of Stafford Co, Ks, USA
2005 KDOT Map of Stafford County (map legend)

Cities

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Stafford County is divided into twenty-one townships. None of the cities within the county are considered governmentally independent, and all figures for the townships include those of the cities. 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.

Sources: 2000 U.S. Gazetteer from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Township FIPS Population
center
Population Population
density
/km² (/sq mi)
Land area
km² (sq mi)
Water area
km² (sq mi)
Water % Geographic coordinates
Albano 00800 56 1 (2) 94 (36) 0 (0) 0% 37°52′43″N 98°51′43″W / 37.87861°N 98.86194°W / 37.87861; -98.86194
Byron 09825 80 1 (2) 94 (36) 0 (0) 0.07% 38°12′50″N 98°38′7″W / 38.21389°N 98.63528°W / 38.21389; -98.63528
Clear Creek 13825 36 0 (1) 93 (36) 0 (0) 0% 37°50′57″N 98°57′31″W / 37.84917°N 98.95861°W / 37.84917; -98.95861
Cleveland 14125 68 1 (2) 93 (36) 0 (0) 0.04% 38°2′11″N 98°52′2″W / 38.03639°N 98.86722°W / 38.03639; -98.86722
Douglas 18375 138 1 (4) 93 (36) 0 (0) 0% 38°8′16″N 98°52′2″W / 38.13778°N 98.86722°W / 38.13778; -98.86722
East Cooper 19350 90 1 (3) 92 (36) 1 (0) 0.75% 38°2′43″N 98°31′6″W / 38.04528°N 98.51833°W / 38.04528; -98.51833
Fairview 22675 98 1 (3) 93 (36) 0 (0) 0% 37°56′52″N 98°31′4″W / 37.94778°N 98.51778°W / 37.94778; -98.51778
Farmington 23250 591 6 (16) 93 (36) 0 (0) 0% 37°57′30″N 98°58′2″W / 37.95833°N 98.96722°W / 37.95833; -98.96722
Hayes 31025 212 2 (6) 93 (36) 0 (0) 0% 38°7′20″N 98°38′49″W / 38.12222°N 98.64694°W / 38.12222; -98.64694
Lincoln 41225 113 1 (3) 93 (36) 0 (0) 0.02% 38°12′38″N 98°52′2″W / 38.21056°N 98.86722°W / 38.21056; -98.86722
North Seward 51375 186 2 (5) 93 (36) 0 (0) 0.03% 38°12′36″N 98°45′27″W / 38.21000°N 98.75750°W / 38.21000; -98.75750
Ohio 52475 409 4 (11) 95 (36) 0 (0) 0% 37°58′40″N 98°45′7″W / 37.97778°N 98.75194°W / 37.97778; -98.75194
Putnam 58050 19 0 (0) 182 (70) 5 (2) 2.91% 38°10′26″N 98°31′51″W / 38.17389°N 98.53083°W / 38.17389; -98.53083
Richland 59650 70 1 (2) 94 (36) 0 (0) 0% 37°57′49″N 98°51′12″W / 37.96361°N 98.85333°W / 37.96361; -98.85333
Rose Valley 61300 74 1 (2) 94 (36) 0 (0) 0% 37°51′41″N 98°44′19″W / 37.86139°N 98.73861°W / 37.86139; -98.73861
St. John 62300 1,037 11 (29) 94 (36) 0 (0) 0.07% 38°0′58″N 98°45′21″W / 38.01611°N 98.75583°W / 38.01611; -98.75583
South Seward 66975 55 1 (2) 93 (36) 0 (0) 0.09% 38°8′11″N 98°44′36″W / 38.13639°N 98.74333°W / 38.13639; -98.74333
Stafford 67800 1,291 14 (36) 93 (36) 0 (0) 0% 37°57′40″N 98°36′50″W / 37.96111°N 98.61389°W / 37.96111; -98.61389
Union 72450 41 0 (1) 93 (36) 0 (0) 0.09% 37°52′31″N 98°37′40″W / 37.87528°N 98.62778°W / 37.87528; -98.62778
West Cooper 76875 64 1 (2) 93 (36) 0 (0) 0.14% 38°2′37″N 98°38′9″W / 38.04361°N 98.63583°W / 38.04361; -98.63583
York 80800 61 1 (2) 93 (36) 0 (0) 0.27% 37°52′14″N 98°31′9″W / 37.87056°N 98.51917°W / 37.87056; -98.51917

Education

Unified school districts

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Stafford (Kansas) para niños

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