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Wilson County, Kansas facts for kids

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Wilson County
County
Brown Hotel in Neodesha (2017)
Map of Kansas highlighting Wilson 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 1855
Named for Hiero T. Wilson
Seat Fredonia
Largest city Neodesha
Area
 • Total 575 sq mi (1,490 km2)
 • Land 570 sq mi (1,500 km2)
 • Water 4.7 sq mi (12 km2)  0.8%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 8,624
 • Density 15.1/sq mi (5.8/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 2nd

Wilson County is a place in Southeast Kansas. Its main town, called the county seat, is Fredonia. In 2020, about 8,624 people lived here. The county got its name from Hiero Wilson, who was a colonel during the American Civil War.

History of Wilson County

Early Times and Land Ownership

For thousands of years, the Great Plains of North America were home to nomadic Native American groups. From the 1500s to the 1700s, France said they owned large parts of North America.

In 1762, after a war, France secretly gave New France to Spain. This was part of a deal called the Treaty of Fontainebleau.

The 1800s and County Founding

In 1802, Spain gave most of the land back to France. But Spain kept about 7,500 square miles. Then, 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 set up. A year later, in 1855, Wilson County was officially created. It included the land that is now Wilson County and Montgomery County.

The county was named after Colonel Hiero T. Wilson. He was a successful trader with Native Americans. He was also the first white settler in Fort Scott, Kansas. People called him "Big White Chief" because he could speak Cherokee, Creek, and Osage languages.

Geography and Location

Wilson County covers about 575 square miles. Most of this area, about 570 square miles, is land. The rest, about 4.7 square miles, is water.

Neighboring Counties

Wilson County shares borders with these other counties:

People of Wilson County

The number of people living in Wilson County has changed over time.

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1860 27 —
1870 6,694 24,692.6%
1880 13,775 105.8%
1890 15,286 11.0%
1900 15,621 2.2%
1910 19,810 26.8%
1920 21,157 6.8%
1930 18,646 −11.9%
1940 17,723 −5.0%
1950 14,815 −16.4%
1960 13,077 −11.7%
1970 11,317 −13.5%
1980 12,128 7.2%
1990 10,289 −15.2%
2000 10,332 0.4%
2010 9,409 −8.9%
2020 8,624 −8.3%
2023 (est.) 8,382 −10.9%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2020

In 2000, there were 10,332 people living in the county. About 29.6% of households had children under 18. The average age of people in the county was 41 years old.

Education in Wilson County

Students in Wilson County attend schools in different unified school districts. These districts manage the public schools in their areas.

School Districts

  • Altoona-Midway USD 387
  • Neodesha USD 461
  • Fredonia USD 484

Communities in Wilson County

Map of Wilson Co, Ks, USA
A 2005 map showing Wilson County and its towns.

Wilson County has several cities and smaller communities.

Cities

Unincorporated Communities

These are smaller communities that are not officially cities.

Townships

Wilson County is divided into fifteen smaller areas called townships. The cities of Fredonia and Neodesha are separate from these townships for census purposes.

Sources: 2000 U.S. Gazetteer from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Township Population Land area
km2 (sq mi)		 Water area
km2 (sq mi)		 Water % Geographic coordinates
Cedar 701 93 (36) 0 (0) 0.11% 37°31′21″N 95°40′14″W / 37.52250°N 95.67056°W / 37.52250; -95.67056 (Cedar Twp.)
Center 618 103 (40) 0 (0) 0.14% 37°31′5″N 95°49′11″W / 37.51806°N 95.81972°W / 37.51806; -95.81972 (Center Twp.)
Chetopa 188 93 (36) 0 (0) 0.11% 37°30′28″N 95°34′14″W / 37.50778°N 95.57056°W / 37.50778; -95.57056 (Chetopa Twp.)
Clifton 414 93 (36) 0 (0) 0.53% 37°41′56″N 95°42′23″W / 37.69889°N 95.70639°W / 37.69889; -95.70639 (Clifton Twp.)
Colfax 452 123 (47) 0 (0) 0.17% 37°40′55″N 95°36′20″W / 37.68194°N 95.60556°W / 37.68194; -95.60556 (Colfax Twp.)
Duck Creek 103 93 (36) 0 (0) 0.23% 37°26′14″N 95°54′58″W / 37.43722°N 95.91611°W / 37.43722; -95.91611 (Duck Creek Twp.)
Fall River 398 131 (51) 0 (0) 0.16% 37°32′21″N 95°55′33″W / 37.53917°N 95.92583°W / 37.53917; -95.92583 (Fall River Twp.)
Guilford 205 93 (36) 0 (0) 0.06% 37°36′32″N 95°43′22″W / 37.60889°N 95.72278°W / 37.60889; -95.72278 (Guilford Twp.)
Neodesha 583 90 (35) 0 (0) 0.52% 37°25′29″N 95°40′52″W / 37.42472°N 95.68111°W / 37.42472; -95.68111 (Neodesha Twp.)
Newark 226 92 (36) 0 (0) 0.18% 37°25′30″N 95°34′56″W / 37.42500°N 95.58222°W / 37.42500; -95.58222 (Newark Twp.)
Pleasant Valley 201 123 (47) 0 (0) 0.09% 37°36′25″N 95°36′21″W / 37.60694°N 95.60583°W / 37.60694; -95.60583 (Pleasant Valley Twp.)
Prairie 118 78 (30) 0 (0) 0.28% 37°36′17″N 95°49′26″W / 37.60472°N 95.82389°W / 37.60472; -95.82389 (Prairie Twp.)
Talleyrand 232 92 (36) 0 (0) 0.06% 37°25′19″N 95°48′25″W / 37.42194°N 95.80694°W / 37.42194; -95.80694 (Talleyrand Twp.)
Verdigris 394 103 (40) 0 (0) 0.27% 37°39′29″N 95°53′51″W / 37.65806°N 95.89750°W / 37.65806; -95.89750 (Verdigris Twp.)
Webster 51 77 (30) 0 (0) 0.15% 37°42′0″N 95°50′1″W / 37.70000°N 95.83361°W / 37.70000; -95.83361 (Webster Twp.)

Images for kids

  • USA Wilson County, Kansas age pyramid

    This chart shows the age groups of people in Wilson County based on the 2000 census.

See also

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

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