Barber County, Kansas

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Barber County, Kansas
Location in the state of Kansas
Kansas's location in the U.S.
Founded	February 26, 1867
Named for	Thomas W. Barber
Seat	Medicine Lodge
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	1,136.21 sq mi (2,943 km²) 1,134.11 sq mi (2,937 km²) 2.10 sq mi (5 km²), 0.18%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	4,861 4.4/sq mi (1.7/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	BarberCounty.net

Barber County (county code BA) is a county located in South Central Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 4,861. Its county seat and most populous city is Medicine Lodge. It was named for Thomas Barber, an abolitionist who was killed in Douglas County in 1855 during the Wakarusa War.

Law and government

Although the Kansas Constitution was amended in 1986 to allow the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink with the approval of voters, Barber County has remained a prohibition, or "dry", county.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 1,136.21 square miles (2,942.8 km²), of which 1,134.11 square miles (2,937.3 km²) (or 99.82%) is land and 2.10 square miles (5.4 km²) (or 0.18%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Pratt County (north)
• Kingman County (northeast)
• Harper County (east)
• Alfalfa County, Oklahoma (southeast)
• Woods County, Oklahoma (southwest)
• Comanche County (west)
• Kiowa County (northwest)

Major highways

Sources: National Atlas, U.S. Census Bureau

• U.S. Route 160
• U.S. Route 281
• Kansas Highway 2

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1880	2,661		—
1890	7,973		199.6%
1900	6,594		−17.3%
1910	9,916		50.4%
1920	9,739		−1.8%
1930	10,178		4.5%
1940	9,073		−10.9%
1950	8,521		−6.1%
1960	8,713		2.3%
1970	7,016		−19.5%
1980	6,548		−6.7%
1990	5,874		−10.3%
2000	5,307		−9.7%
2010	4,861		−8.4%
U.S. Decennial Census

Population pyramid

2005 KDOT Map of Barber County (map legend)

As of the U.S. Census in 2000, there were 5,307 people, 2,235 households, and 1,510 families residing in the county. The population density was 5 people per square mile (2/km²). There were 2,740 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.06% White, 0.38% Black or African American, 0.58% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.89% from other races, and 1.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.02% of the population.

There were 2,235 households out of which 28.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.70% were married couples living together, 6.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.40% were non-families. 29.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.00% under the age of 18, 5.80% from 18 to 24, 23.20% from 25 to 44, 24.50% from 45 to 64, and 21.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 92.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $33,407, and the median income for a family was $40,234. Males had a median income of $29,806 versus $20,046 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,627. About 7.50% of families and 10.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.60% of those under age 18 and 4.90% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

Incorporated cities

Name and population (2006 estimate):

• Medicine Lodge, 2,036 (county seat)
• Kiowa, 967
• Sharon, 201
• Hardtner, 190
• Hazelton, 137
• Isabel, 103
• Sun City, 77

Unincorporated places

• Aetna
• Deerhead
• Eldred
• Elm Mills
• Lake City
• Stubbs

Ghost towns

• Forest City
• Lasswell
• Mingona
• Pixley

Townships

Barber County is divided into eighteen 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.

Township	FIPS	Population center	Population	Population density /km² (/sq mi)	Land area km² (sq mi)	Water area km² (sq mi)	Water %	Geographic coordinates
Aetna	00400		3	0 (0)	318 (123)	0 (0)	0.13%	37°5′37″N 98°56′43″W
Deerhead	17300		11	0 (0)	165 (64)	0 (0)	0.07%	37°13′59″N 98°58′3″W
Eagle	19150		42	0 (0)	290 (112)	0 (0)	0.04%	37°10′13″N 98°46′22″W
Elm Mills	20800		106	1 (2)	155 (60)	1 (0)	0.35%	37°25′37″N 98°38′45″W
Elwood	20925	Hardtner	275	1 (3)	260 (100)	0 (0)	0.18%	37°2′30″N 98°40′35″W
Hazelton	31175	Hazelton	213	1 (3)	189 (73)	1 (0)	0.33%	37°6′7″N 98°24′1″W
Kiowa	37150	Kiowa	1,164	9 (24)	124 (48)	0 (0)	0.31%	37°1′3″N 98°29′19″W
Lake City	37900		83	1 (2)	109 (42)	0 (0)	0.20%	37°21′11″N 98°49′2″W
McAdoo	43550		29	0 (1)	93 (36)	0 (0)	0.36%	37°26′16″N 98°49′31″W
Medicine Lodge	45525	Medicine Lodge	2,573	8 (22)	309 (119)	1 (0)	0.33%	37°17′17″N 98°34′5″W
Mingona	47050		57	0 (1)	139 (54)	0 (0)	0.10%	37°17′39″N 98°40′37″W
Moore	48075		32	0 (1)	119 (46)	0 (0)	0.24%	37°4′9″N 98°32′59″W
Nippawalla	50775		26	0 (0)	140 (54)	0 (0)	0.26%	37°9′56″N 98°32′5″W
Ridge	59775		4	0 (0)	93 (36)	0 (0)	0.12%	37°22′37″N 98°25′7″W
Sharon	64350	Sharon	369	4 (10)	95 (37)	0 (0)	0.04%	37°14′56″N 98°24′32″W
Sun City	69300	Sun City	100	1 (2)	124 (48)	0 (0)	0.09%	37°22′39″N 98°55′13″W
Turkey Creek	71675		37	0 (1)	123 (47)	0 (0)	0.12%	37°26′6″N 98°55′0″W
Valley	72750	Isabel	183	2 (5)	94 (36)	0 (0)	0.01%	37°26′6″N 98°31′44″W
Sources: "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files". U.S. Census Bureau, Geography Division. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/places2k.html.

Education

Unified school districts

• Barber County North USD 254
• South Barber County USD 255

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Barber County, Kansas

Information on this and other counties in Kansas

• List of counties in Kansas
• List of Kansas county name etymologies
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Kansas
• Kansas locations by per capita income

Other information for Kansas

• List of cities in Kansas
• List of unified school districts in Kansas
• List of colleges and universities in Kansas

Further reading

• History of the State of Kansas; William G. Cutler; A.T. Andreas Publisher; 1883. (Online HTML eBook)
• Kansas : A Cyclopedia of State History, Embracing Events, Institutions, Industries, Counties, Cities, Towns, Prominent Persons, Etc; 3 Volumes; Frank W. Blackmar; Standard Publishing Co; 944 / 955 / 824 pages; 1912. (Volume1 - Download 54MB PDF eBook),(Volume2 - Download 53MB PDF eBook), (Volume3 - Download 33MB PDF eBook)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Barber County, Kansas

County

• Barber County - Official Website
• Barber County - Directory of Public Officials
• Barber County - Information, Skyways

Maps

• Barber County Map, KDOT
• Kansas Highway Map, KDOT
• Kansas Railroad Map, KDOT
• Kansas School District Boundary Map, KSDE