Wyandotte County, Kansas facts for kids

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Wyandotte County

Consolidated city-county

Wyandotte County Courthouse in Kansas City (2009)

Flag

Seal

Location within the U.S. state of Kansas

Kansas's location within the U.S.

Country

United States

State

Kansas

Founded

January 29, 1859; 165 years ago

Largest city

Kansas City

Area

• Total

156 sq mi (400 km²)

• Land

152 sq mi (390 km²)

• Water

4.6 sq mi (12 km²) 2.9%

Population

(2020)

• Total

169,245

• Estimate

(2021)

167,046

• Density

1,039.0/sq mi (401.2/km²)

Time zone

UTC−6 (Central)

• Summer (DST)

UTC−5 (CDT)

Congressional districts

2nd, 3rd

Wyandotte County (/ˈwaɪ.əndɒt/) is a county in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat and most populous city is Kansas City, with which it shares a unified government. As of the 2020 census, the population was 169,245, making it Kansas's fourth-most populous county. The county was named after the Wyandot tribe.

History

Wyandot tribe

The county is named after the Wyandot (also known as Wyandott or Wyandotte) Indians. They were called the Huron by the French in Canada, but called themselves Wendat. They were distantly related to the Iroquois, with whom they sometimes fought. They had hoped to keep white Americans out of their territory and to make the Ohio River the border between the United States and Canada.

One branch of the Wyandot moved to the area that is now the state of Ohio. They generally took the course of assimilation into Anglo-American society. Many of them embraced Christianity under the influence of missionaries. They were transported to the current Wyandotte County in 1843, where they set up a community and worked in cooperation with Anglo settlers. The Christian Munsee also influenced this area's early settlement.

The Wyandot in Kansas set up a constitutional form of government they had devised in Ohio. They set up the territorial government for Kansas and Nebraska, and elected one of their own territorial governor.

Other historical facts

The county was organized in 1859. Tenskwatawa (Tecumseh's brother), "the Prophet", fought at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. He was buried at Shawnee Native American historical site Whitefeather Spring, at 3818 Ruby Ave. Kansas City, which was added in 1975 to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. The Kansas City Smelting and Refining Company employed over 250 men during the 1880s. The ore and base bullion is received from the mountains' mining districts and is crushed, separated and refined.

The Delaware Crossing (or "Military Crossing"; sometimes "the Secondine") was where the old Indian trail met the waters of the Kaw River. Circa 1831, Moses Grinter, one of the area's earliest permanent white settlers, set up the Grinter Ferry on the Kansas River there. His house was known as the Grinter Place. The ferry was used by traders, freighters, and soldiers traveling between Fort Leavenworth and Fort Scott on the military road. Others crossed this area on their way to Santa Fe.

The Diocese of Leavenworth moved its see from Leavenworth, Kansas to Kansas City, Kansas on May 10, 1947. It became an archdiocese on August 9, 1952.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has an area of 156 square miles (400 km²), of which 152 square miles (390 km²) is land and 4.6 square miles (12 km²) (2.9%) is water. It is Kansas's smallest county by area.

Topography

The county's natural topography consists of gently rolling terrain. The Kansas River forms part of the county's southern boundary. The elevation generally increases from south to north as the distance from the Kansas River and Missouri River increases.

Watersheds and streams

Mission Creek watershed

The county is drained by natural creek and stream watersheds of the Kaw River, which is part of the Missouri River basin. It receives plentiful rainfall.

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Population pyramid based on 2000 census age data

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1860	2,609	—
1870	10,015	283.9%
1880	19,143	91.1%
1890	54,407	184.2%
1900	73,227	34.6%
1910	100,068	36.7%
1920	122,218	22.1%
1930	141,211	15.5%
1940	145,071	2.7%
1950	165,318	14.0%
1960	185,495	12.2%
1970	186,845	0.7%
1980	172,335	−7.8%
1990	161,993	−6.0%
2000	157,882	−2.5%
2010	157,505	−0.2%
2020	169,245	7.5%
2023 (est.)	165,281	4.9%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020

Wyandotte County is included in the Kansas City, MO-KS Metropolitan Statistical Area.

As of the census of 2000, there were 157,882 people, 59,700 households, and 39,163 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,043 people per square mile (403 people/km²). There were 65,892 housing units at an average density of 435 per square mile (168/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 58.18% White, 28.33% Black or African American, 1.63% Asian, 0.74% Native American, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 8.17% from other races, and 2.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 16.00% of the population.

By 2007, 48.1% of Wyandotte County's population was non-Hispanic whites. 26.3% of the population was African-American. Native Americans made up 0.6% of the population, Asians 1.8%, and Latinos 21.7%.

There were 59,700 households, of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.10% were married couples living together, 17.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.40% were non-families. 28.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.24.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.50% under the age of 18, 10.40% from 18 to 24, 29.50% from 25 to 44, 19.90% from 45 to 64, and 11.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32. For every 100 females there were 95.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.3 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $33,784, and the median income for a family was $40,333. Males had a median income of $31,335 versus $24,640 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,005. About 12.5% of families and 16.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those 65 or older.

Approximately 1.4% of the county's residents take public transportation to work. This is the highest percentage in the state.

Government

Law

The Wyandotte County Sheriff's Department oversees the Wyandotte County Jail. The Bonner Springs Police Department, Edwardsville Police Department, and the Kansas City Kansas Police Department serve those respective cities in Wyandotte County.

Wyandotte County was a prohibition, or "dry", county until the Kansas Constitution was amended in 1986 and voters approved the sale of liquor by the individual drink with a 30% food sales requirement. Voters removed the food sales requirement in 1988.

Presidential elections

Presidential election results

United States presidential election results for Wyandotte County, Kansas
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	18,934	33.18%	36,788	64.46%	1,349	2.36%
2016	15,806	32.10%	30,146	61.22%	3,291	6.68%
2012	15,496	30.45%	34,302	67.40%	1,095	2.15%
2008	16,506	28.75%	39,865	69.44%	1,038	1.81%
2004	17,919	33.56%	34,923	65.40%	559	1.05%
2000	14,024	29.05%	32,411	67.14%	1,837	3.81%
1996	14,011	28.22%	31,252	62.94%	4,391	8.84%
1992	12,872	21.06%	34,397	56.27%	13,855	22.67%
1988	19,097	32.70%	38,678	66.23%	624	1.07%
1984	27,459	42.81%	36,042	56.20%	635	0.99%
1980	23,012	38.21%	32,763	54.40%	4,448	7.39%
1976	23,141	36.99%	37,478	59.91%	1,936	3.09%
1972	34,157	52.70%	28,206	43.52%	2,453	3.78%
1968	23,091	33.38%	34,189	49.43%	11,891	17.19%
1964	20,553	31.45%	43,442	66.47%	1,356	2.07%
1960	34,764	45.27%	41,433	53.95%	604	0.79%
1956	34,604	47.64%	37,842	52.10%	186	0.26%
1952	34,648	47.04%	38,751	52.61%	258	0.35%
1948	24,398	36.53%	41,366	61.94%	1,024	1.53%
1944	26,817	44.74%	32,914	54.91%	214	0.36%
1940	28,152	42.24%	38,239	57.38%	252	0.38%
1936	26,239	40.62%	38,101	58.98%	256	0.40%
1932	25,471	43.30%	32,629	55.47%	721	1.23%
1928	32,829	65.69%	16,884	33.78%	265	0.53%
1924	23,881	59.48%	8,913	22.20%	7,354	18.32%
1920	19,294	57.25%	13,737	40.76%	671	1.99%
1916	13,863	41.86%	17,850	53.89%	1,408	4.25%
1912	2,107	11.18%	7,370	39.10%	9,371	49.72%
1908	8,684	47.56%	8,923	48.87%	652	3.57%
1904	9,147	64.18%	3,815	26.77%	1,290	9.05%
1900	8,133	51.75%	7,304	46.47%	280	1.78%
1896	6,852	49.44%	6,882	49.65%	126	0.91%
1892	5,889	51.10%	0	0.00%	5,635	48.90%
1888	5,431	55.41%	4,155	42.39%	215	2.19%
1884	3,232	56.33%	2,301	40.10%	205	3.57%
1880	2,410	55.09%	1,729	39.52%	236	5.39%

Unlike almost every other county in Kansas, Wyandotte County has been solidly Democratic ever since the New Deal. This is largely due to its highly urbanized nature and significant minority population. The only Democrat to lose Wyandotte County since 1932 has been George McGovern in Richard Nixon's 49-state landslide of 1972, when Nixon swept all 275 counties in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska. Wyandotte was the only county in Kansas to vote for Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944, Adlai Stevenson II in both 1952 and 1956, Hubert Humphrey in 1968, Jimmy Carter in 1980, and Walter Mondale in 1984. No Republican presidential nominee has received even 40% of the vote since Ronald Reagan in 1984.

Economy

Village West is at the intersection of Interstates 70 and 435, and has significantly fueled growth in KCK and Wyandotte County. Anchored by the Kansas Speedway, its attractions and retailers include Hollywood Casino, Legends Outlets Kansas City, Cabela's, Nebraska Furniture Mart, Great Wolf Lodge, Legends Field (hosting the Monarchs of the American Association of baseball) and Children's Mercy Park (hosting Sporting Kansas City of Major League Soccer).

Other attractions include Azura Amphitheater (formerly and still commonly known as the Sandstone Amphitheater), the National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame, Wyandotte County Park, and Sunflower Hills Golf Course.

Colleges and universities

Public

Kansas City Kansas Community College
University of Kansas Medical Center

Private

Donnelly College

School districts

Turner USD 202
Piper USD 203
Bonner Springs–Edwardsville USD 204
Kansas City USD 500

Private schools

Primary

Resurrection Grade School (formerly St. Peter's Cathedral Grade School)
St. Patrick's Grade School
Christ the King Grade School

Secondary

Bishop Ward High School

Other schools

Kansas State School for the Blind (KSSB)

Communities

Wyandotte County, Kansas 1899 Map

Cities

Bonner Springs (also in Leavenworth and Johnson counties)
Edwardsville
Kansas City (county seat)
Lake Quivira (also in Johnson County)

Neighborhoods

Argentine
Armourdale
Armstrong
Fairfax
Muncie
Pomeroy
Piper
Riverview
Rosedale
Strawberry Hill
Turner
Wyandotte

Townships

Wyandotte County has a single township. The cities of Bonner Springs, Kansas City, and Lake Quivira are considered governmentally independent and excluded from the township's census. In the following table, the population center is the largest city (or cities) included in that township's population total, if it is of significant size.

Township	FIPS	Population center	Population	Population density /km² (/sq mi)	Land area km² (sq mi)	Water area km² (sq mi)	Water %	Geographic coordinates
Delaware	17475	Edwardsville	4,200	141 (364)	30 (12)	1 (0)	3.97%	39°3′50″N 94°49′8″W / 39.06389°N 94.81889°W / 39.06389; -94.81889
Sources:

The 2010 census lists the city of Edwardsville as also governmentally independent, with the size of the remaining township dropping to a population of 31 living on 2.43 square miles (6.3 km²) of land (and 0.36 square miles (0.93 km²) water), resulting in a population density of 12.76 per square mile (4.93/km²). The Kansas State Historical Society also confirms Edwardsville's departure.